Match Point
#ThankyouMisbah and #ThankyouAfridi – You will be missed!

#ThankyouMisbah and #ThankyouAfridi – You will be missed!

This is probably the saddest World Cup tournament for Pakistani cricket fans. Our assets will always be cherished.

Sheharyar Ali March 21, 2015

“It looks bad. Who will save the middle-order now?”

“Don’t worry, Misbah is still about to play.”

“Oh man! The strike rate is so low! We are definitely losing this.”

“I am counting on Afridi. He can save the game.”

These are some of the many conversations that take place between Pakistani cricket fans during any important match. But sadly, it will not happen anymore.

Misbahul Haq and Shahid Afridi will no longer accompany our heated discussions. They will no longer dominate our debates. And I wonder if there will ever be another duo about whom we would be as passionate as we are for these two.

Shahid Afridi and Misbahul Haq, during a match against Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP

Will there be a new Tuk Tuk and a new Boom Boom?

Not in the distant future.

Who will perform in spite of being hated by many?

Who will hit the shots and aim for the boundaries during pressure?

Their absence will be sorely felt. And those who hated Misbah or thought Afridi was irrelevant, will now know how an ODI team looks like without these two powerhouses.

Pakistan played its last match of the World Cup against Australia yesterday and said goodbye to the trophy for another four years. While the tournament had some great individual performances, we had our lows. Our dismal start made things a lot harder for us. And that is something that the existing players should understand.

But for now, that doesn’t matter. We can review our mistakes and hope to make things better later on. But it doesn’t matter right now.

What matters is highlighting the two players who have always tried to help the team and bring it to victory. What matters is Afridi’s sixes and Misbah’s consistency. What matters is the tribute that these two legendary players most definitely deserve.

Shahid Afridi

We cannot ignore the outstanding and unpredictable innings of the man who made the fastest century for Pakistan, who served us for 19 years, who took some amazing wickets and caught some incredible catches. The man who made us exhilarate with joy by bringing home the T20 World Cup trophy. He gave our nation many reasons to laugh.

I am sure no one can ever replicate the pressure and fear he exerted on other players. I know that he failed in achieving his happy ending but we still have tonnes of happy moments to appreciate and respect him for.

Shahid Afridi. Photo: Reuters

Misbahul Haq

Many have misunderstood his patience, his intelligent cricket, his strength and his ability to give confidence to other players in the team. People have cussed him, abused him, have mercilessly criticised him and even questioned his role in the team. Yet, he has remained nothing but loyal to the game and steadfast to his vision.

He stood by his team in the toughest of times. He scored when the team needed him to. He never scored a century but made sure he was the leading run-scorer from our nation whenever it was required. He was the second Pakistani batsman to score 3,000 plus runs in ODI as a captain. Furthermore, he captained this bunch of amateurs to so many victories, saved the team from so many embarrassing totals and, shamefully, he is still the most criticised player in the history of Pakistan.

While it is thoroughly disheartening to see such a quality player retire, it is even more painful to know that many are happy to see him go.

Misbahul Haq. Photo: AFP

They will be missed

These players gave us moments that nobody ever could. We owe them a lot of gratitude and we need to keep them in high esteem. It is their right to be respected. These are our real heroes and if we really appreciate their services to this country, then we need to give them a loving farewell to express our gratitude, like other nations do.

Shahid Afridi (R) and Misbahul Haq during New Zealand vs Pakistan 2015. Photo: AFP

Here are some of the tweets that paid tribute to these two players and their efforts for our team.

My father died when i was in 9th class. I know life with out parent is difficult. #MisbahUlHaq #ThankYouMisbah
— ابو بسام (@Bashambloch) March 21, 2015

The kind gentle dependable warrior #ThankYouMisbah pic.twitter.com/iEMBzI0IW3
— Lyanna & TIN TIN (@tintinfad) March 21, 2015

https://twitter.com/Shahzadi_maha/status/579222305672294400

Phle jis Tuk Tuk ko criticize krte the ab usi ko miss kr rhe hn :( #ThankYouMisbah 4 everything. You r such a true legend!
— Syeda Yasra (@syeda_yasra) March 21, 2015

#ThankYouMisbah Salutes! #ThankYouAfridi for leaving cricket!
— Aqsa Junejo (@JunejoAqsa) March 21, 2015

His stats can be debated upon, but his impact on the game is & will remain unmatched for years to come. #ThankYouAfridi !!
— Asif Khan (@mak_asif) March 20, 2015

https://twitter.com/nailainayat/status/578876978943520768

#ThankYouAfridi for providing us Cricketing entertainment. You're always a hope for fans in the country. Fans will miss chants of BOOM BOOM.
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) March 20, 2015

This is probably the saddest World Cup tournament for Pakistani cricket fans. Our assets, our anchors, will always be cherished and revered.

Dear Misbah and Afridi, thank you for making us laugh and giving us incredible memories. You will always be remembered in the history of Pakistani cricket as heroes.

WRITTEN BY:
Sheharyar Ali He is a journalism student, blogger and a keen observer. He blogs at https://sharbatwala.wordpress.com/ and tweets as @sheharyarJaffri (https://twitter.com/sheharyarJaffri)

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (8)

Danya | 9 years ago | Reply Misbah and afridi are no more now but the point is that somebody has to be like them to save our team in future matches.

Reddy | 9 years ago | Reply "pressure and fear he exerted on other players" he exerted more pressure on pakistani team than any other team,and he is one of the reason why your batting is the way it is today or for the last 15 yrs...some body scores a useful 80, afridi hits a six which he himself not sure of ,will go to the stands or to the fielder..and you call him an all rounder,by that yardstick kallis should be the superman,jadeja should be the batman

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Faique Khan Attari | 9 years ago | Reply Misbah isn't a tuk-tuk only.He played in accordance with the situation of the game but unfortunately,most often than not he hardly got any support from the other end.The spectators might would have had acknowledge the difference in his innings whenever he had been supported by his partner from the other end. Misbah's importance would come into being now as he retired himself from the odi's but I still think his body is shaping up well, perhaps he is fit to play the odi for a couple of more years and pcb must convince him to play in the shorter format of the game at least till the next year t -20 world cup and in the process he would have an opportunity to hold the world cup trophy which he rightly deserve. More importantly the younger lot still needs him to be there in the middle atleast for a year or two and he would also shape up somebody like determined sarfaraz or energetic wahab to take up the captaincy role in the future.

fze | 9 years ago | Reply Thank you Misbah, you'll be remembered as a saviour of our collapsing batting line and a gentleman. No thanks Shahid Afridi, you can go because we need somebody who can score consistent runs for us. Good bye.

Ali Najam | 9 years ago | Reply They are cursed just as President Musharraf was.. but after some time, people will feel their need just as they long for Musharraf now!

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply You write as if there is no cricket talent in the country capable of replacing these two, who should have gone some time ago........you're so wrong. Players come an players go, its the game that is always bigger than the player.

Hoshang Ansari | 9 years ago | Reply Afridi is an arrogant man. Long long past his prime. He should not have been in the World Cup Squad. He went for the money only. Paid his bills. Bought another car. Ditto for Misbah. Utter failure as a captain. He can be a coach in Botswana, Or Kenya....they play cricket there?,...in Kenya?

Hussain Jalaluddin | 9 years ago | Reply Do agree that both ll be missed truly... but still i believe board must have kept their retirement in mind and should have prepared their replacement.. moreover with their plenty of experience how many players(stars/heroes) have they(misbah/afridi) left behind???

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#ThankyouMisbah and #ThankyouAfridi – You will be missed!

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