When Misbah-ul-Haq cannily reverse swept Moeen Ali into a wide open gap to bring up his century, around a third of the small congregation at Dubai International Stadium rose to their feet to applaud.
The rest clapped along politely, but could not bring themselves to go for the full standing ovation. Maybe the padded, prime-view seats are just too comfortable to be extricated from.
Especially at that time. It was the fourth ball of the final over of the opening day, and he had just decided to rush to three figures. What had kept him?
Misbah has never minded waiting for the good things in life to come his way. He landed the captaincy of his country when he was 36.
He was already well past his 40th birthday when he equalled the record for the fastest Test century.
Now 41 years and 147 days young, the sport’s ultimate late bloomer is still trying to cram it all in, just when he is meant to be retiring.
“He said before this series it might be the last one, so he wants to make the most of it,” Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, said.
“But, the way he is batting, of course Pakistan need him. In this day and age, in modern cricket you don’t see many players of this age still around. It is just that he wants it badly.”
Misbah is a walking anomaly, a batsman who is routinely damned as dour or dogged — dull, even — whose penchant for a six-hit goes unremarked.
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His one obvious guilty pleasure is the rash slog he occasionally permits himself. He did it three times against Adil Rashid on Day 1 at the Dubai International Stadium.
Three wild swishes, against the run of play, the sort that nearly brought about Pakistan’s downfall in the opening Test. This time, each ended up over the rope. And then, back into the shell, until the final over of the day, when most other batsmen would have hunkered down and played for the morning.
By then, the floodlights were on. Most spectators’ thoughts were turning to how they were going to negotiate rush-hour traffic on Hessa Street. The ice baths were ready and waiting for England’s bowlers.
Even the blue Cookie Monster, sat in the grandstand dressed in a kandura, and with a permanently fixed smile, seemed like he was over it.
Such death throes have seemingly become the Pakistan captain’s preferred time to cut loose. He struck Moeen for two sixes in the last over, before going to his ton, which meant he starts this morning with an equal share of the record for most sixes by a Pakistani in Test cricket.
Younis Khan, his teammate who also made an important half-century here, is the other to have hit 60 sixes in Tests, and he has taken 43 more matches to do so.
His last-over double off Moeen was exquisite in both thought and execution. No one was expecting it, other than regular Misbah watchers.
“He believes that, when you are near to an interval or the end of the game, people bring their fielders in,” Waqar said.
“He feels more comfortable hitting over the top, and this is not the first time he has done it. He does it quite regularly.”
The captain’s undefeated ton meant Pakistan had sufficiently blunted another valiant effort by the England pace bowlers in unrewarding conditions.
He wore blows to the body and helmet from Mark Wood, but was still there at stumps, as Pakistan closed on 282 for four.
“I had a good battle with him,” Wood said. “I tried to be aggressive at him and he dealt with it really well.
“He has come out with a hundred in the end, so I guess that is 1-0 to him. I’ll be after him again tomorrow.”
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