NELSON: Age, as they say, is only but a number. And for the Pakistan Test side touring New Zealand, nothing rings truer.

Currently ranked No.2 in the world, Pakistan will be a seriously tough test for the Black Caps in this two-match series which starts in Christchurch on Thursday.

The visitors possess a fiery array of left-arm quicks, a classy leg-spinner and some quality batsmen – and it’s their two most notable batters who are still going remarkably strong, despite a whopping combined age of almost 81.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq is at the ripe old figure of 42, with his batting pal Younis Khan also still in sublime form ahead of a 39th birthday on the final day of the series.

Such are the demands of the modern game that it’s quite amazing how the two are still performing to a high standard. You hear of the increased aches and pains players go through in their 30s, and while fast bowling is a different story and obviously more strenuous, even batting at the top level requires a great deal of fitness, particularly to play the long innings in hot conditions.

While both gave T20 Internationals away several years ago and each retired from ODIs last year, they have remained in the Test game, which doesn’t place so much scrutiny on that dynamic ability in the field or running between the wickets.

So when we think any of our players might be getting on a bit, it just takes a glance over the fence to put some perspective on it. Some must ponder whether Misbah and Younis actually have much else they want to do outside of cricket, such are their lengthy stays at the crease. They do both have wives and children.

Misbah has indicated that the series in Australia following this one might well be his last, though he has also stated he wants to play against India again before his retirement, with the arch-rivals having not done battle in Test mode since 2007, after the Mumbai attacks the following year soured ties.

So who knows how long these classy right-handers could go.

The most amazing thing is that while the depth in Pakistan cricket could be brought into question, it’s not like the team are carrying these two servants while they are on the slide.

Younis showed the tenacity to score 218 against England at The Oval in August. He then missed the first Test of the 2-1 series win against the West Indies in the UAE with dengue fever, but bounced back with 127 in his first hit against them, with a half-century coming in the third Test.

After debuting way back in 2000, Younis has 110 Tests to his name, and is closing in on 10,000 runs – currently 337 shy. He averages a superb 53.98, and along with that he has the rare conversion rate of more hundreds (33) than fifties (31).

Misbah, meanwhile, debuted in 2001, and after a more than four-year spell out of the side, between 2003 and 2007, he has actually only played 68 games.

He has a very decent average of 48.31 and has scored 36 half-centuries and 10 hundreds. That included a 96 and a 53 in the recent series against the West Indies, while on the tour to England there were two 50s and a memorable hundred at Lord’s, where the veteran celebrated with a set of press-ups – in dedication to the Pakistan Army trainers who the players had trained with in the lead-up to the series.

That celebration summed up the humility and character of the man, who is the sixth-oldest Test captain of all time and the 37th oldest Test cricketer ever (to become the 34th after the series in Australia).

Misbah’s longevity has seen him comfortably surpass the oldest New Zealand player of all-time – with Jack Alabaster having been 41 years 247 days on the final day of his final appearance, against the West Indies in 1972 – though is a massive decade off the oldest player ever.

England’s Wilfred Rhodes holds that record, having been a relatively ancient 52 years 165 days when he hung up the boots in 1930 — one of four players to have played into their 50s.

Showing how rare it is nowadays for players to carry on and on, of the top 50 oldest of all-time, only two others besides Misbah have featured in the last three decades — England’s John Emburey (42 years 344 days) in 1995, and Zimbabwe’s John Traicos (45 years 304 days) in 1993.

While cricket, like so many other sports, is becoming more of a young man’s game at the top level, there is a paradoxical freshness about watching quality old stagers continue to shine, and this Pakistani pair are certainly fitting that bill.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2016