Misbah-Ul-Haq Reveals What Younis Khan Told Him During The 2009 World T20 Final

Former Pakistan captain Misbah-Ul-Haq proved himself as much a hero before becoming the villain in the final of the 2007 ICC World T20. Pakistan lost the tournament-decider of the inaugural edition by five runs to India due to Misbah’s scoop shot for a boundary that resulted in the ball landing in Sreesanth’s hands on the full. Hence, the present coach and national selector reminisced an incident from the next edition’s final in England.

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After a Shoaib Malik-led side came inches close within capturing the title, Pakistan found themselves in the final again under Younis Khan this time. The men in green met Sri Lanka on this occasion in the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara’s 64 was the anchor followed by Angelo Mathews, who got a respectable score as they gave their opponents 139 to chase.

In response, Pakistan chased down the target comfortably with eight balls to spare. Kamran Akmal gave the side a blistering start. At the same time, Shahid Afridi’s unbeaten 54 and his partnership with Shoaib Malik of 76 provided them with the victory by eight wickets and the coveted trophy. Afridi bagged the man of the match for taking a wicket and mustering a half-century while also grabbing the man of the tournament award.

Misbah-Ul-Haq sheds light on the heartwarming gesture by Younis Khan:

Meanwhile, when Pakistan were on the brink of a win, the then captain Younis Khan asked Misbah to pad up since the defeat in the last edition was fresh on his mind. Hence, Younis thought it would only be fitting if Misbah finishes the game, completing his redemption.

“When we were about to win, Younis came and asked me to pad up because he knew the defeat from the last tournament (in 2007) was still on my mind and he wanted me to finish the game and win the title for Pakistan this time around.” the 45-year old stated as quoted by Times Now.

However, neither Misbah-Ul-Haq nor Younis Khan were required to bat as Afridi and Malik romped Pakistan home. The duo was the last experienced Pakistan batsman and retired from Test cricket together in May 2017. Their last Test was against the West Indies.

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