Misbah-ul-Haq Remembers The 2007 World Cup Final Loss To India As A Tough Pill To Swallow
Updated - 13 Nov 2022, 01:37 PM
Misbah-ul-Haq, a former Pakistani captain and coach, related a fascinating incident from the 2009 T20 World Cup tournament final against Sri Lanka.
Younis approached to Misbah and advised him, “Pad up, you are next if will lose any wicket,” when Pakistan needed six or seven runs to win the game by eight wickets.
“We needed 6 or 7 runs to win the match with Lala (Shahid Afridi) and Shoaib Malik playing.” Younis Khan approached me and said, ‘pad up, you’re going in if we lose a wicket.’ After what occurred in 2007 final, he simply wanted me to enjoy the victorious moment. He urged me to make the game-winning shot. It was a very special moment,” Misbah told A Sports.
As the Men in Green collapsed for 152 runs while chasing a target of 157, Pakistan needed just 6 runs to win from the final four balls when Misbah attempted the shot over fine leg, which was caught by S Sreesanth at short fine-leg.
“We had a terrible start in 2009”: Misbah-UL-Haq
Two years later, Pakistan had a dismal tournament start, as opposed to 2007, when they were winning every game.
“We got off to a bad start in 2009.” We were defeated in the warm-up games. There was no combination, and no big-name players delivered. The game against New Zealand became a must-win, and we won handily. We needed a big win over the Netherlands, and we got it. When we got to the semi-finals, the team’s confidence increased” Misbah-UL-Haq remarked.
He stated, “Lala stepped up in the semifinal, and we overcame South Africa, one of the strongest teams in the tournament, and then the final was one-sided as well.”
Misbah is also Pakistan’s most successful Test skipper, surpassing Imran Khan’s 13 victories.
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Misbah-ul-Haq Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Pakistan national cricket team Shahid Afridi Younis Khan