Misbah-ul-Haq proved his pedigree in Pakistans first Test victory over England at Lords and should be saluted by the cricketing world, says Saj Sadiq... When Pakistans Test captain recently raised his hand in a salute to commemorate his first Test century at Lords, the joy on his face was more than an obvious reflection of achieving a fantastic milestone at the home of cricket.Similar to how Misbah-ul-Haq must have felt then, for the millions of Pakistan fans watching that moment live on television or the privileged few present at the ground, the relief felt as three figures came up against the name of the 42-year-old Misbahs name was simply a final and much-belated confirmation of the batsmans importance to Pakistan cricket. Its unfortunate that in todays world, Test cricket is fast becoming irrelevant to many of the global audience, which seems to thrive on an almost unlimited supply of fast-paced games played in coloured clothing.It is no surprise, therefore, that to many the most memorable innings from Misbah-ul-Haq would be in a losing cause during the 2007 World Twenty20 final against India in South Africa or the semi-final against the same opposition in the World Cup of 2011. Misbah-ul-Haqs first visit to Lords was certainly one to remember Unfairly given the nickname name Tuk Tuk (an attempt to describe his careful and calculated approach to batting), Misbah was ushered away from the shorter forms of cricket in face of stinging criticism which seemed to reach epic proportions after Pakistan bowed out of the 2015 World Cup.The proof of Misbahs pedigree as a batsman can be found in the shape of him currently being third on the list of most runs scored after the age of 40, behind Sir Jack Hobbs and Patsy Hendren. Apart from his recent hundred at Lords, one can also consider his magnificent innings against Australia in Abu Dhabi - where he equalled the record held by the great Sir Vivian Richards for the fastest Test century in history - to appreciate the true worth of Misbah as a batsman. Alastair Cook and Misbah give their reaction after Pakistans 75-run victory over England His Test batting average of just below 50 is testimony to what a magnificent batsman he is. He has not had things his own way though and had to win over the public after an indifferent start to his Test career where he was labelled by many as not good enough for international cricket. Misbah is a serious man of few words who prefers to stay out of the limelight and instead prefers family time and to let his cricket do the talking. He isnt one for ridiculous statements and perhaps thats the reason he isnt always flavour of the month for the Pakistani media.However, the intangible aspect of Misbahs presence for the Pakistan team may not appeal to some but is equally important when judging his legacy. To put it simply, he has been the source of stability on and off the field to a team well known for internal squabbles and disunity. Over the past couple of days weve seen a press-up craze, but who is the press-up king? He took over the team in the aftermath of one the toughest crises to hit Pakistan or indeed world cricket. This was the time when the actions of the trio of Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif threw Pakistan cricket into a nightmare which was only rescued by Misbahs calm leadership.Undaunted by the challenges he has faced since that dark period, Misbah continued to toil away with the results of his many years of endeavour plain to see in Pakistans current Test ranking, which puts them within striking distance of the No 1 position. The presence of Pakistan among the top teams in the Test rankings under Misbahs leadership assumes even greater significance when one factors in the fact that Pakistan has not played a single Test match on their own soil since March 2009, when the Sri Lankan team was the subject of a terrorist attack in Lahore. Any person with lesser character, let alone a captain, would have probably chosen to walk away but Misbah, with his single-minded determination to achieve greatness for his country, has ably lead a team of mainly young players through what can be classed as all tours away from home. Along the way he has faced criticism of a very personal nature from experts of all descriptions but, using his own performance and a calm demeanour to absorb any negativity about his team or himself, he has ensured that neither he nor his team lost the focus on the goal of restoring the Pakistan side to its previous greatness. Also consider the fact that Pakistan teams rarely go through a tour without any controversies but as remarkable as his record as captain it might be, Misbahs ability to lead Pakistan through series without anything untoward undoubtedly deserves accolades as well. It is no wonder that even a mere hint by Misbah about retiring caused ripples of concerns among followers and administrators alike, resulting in clarifications and reassurances by the much-respected Test captain that he would be around to guide his team during the ongoing series against England. David Lloyd was on hand to show Misbah how to do some proper press-ups! Compared to the great Imran Khan for his influence on Pakistan cricket as well as the results he has provided for his country so far, Misbah-ul-Haqs determination to lead his team towards more glory shows no sign of diminishing. He is still there, leading his team with the same fervour, passion and calmness. The legacy of excellence in his performances as a player and as a captain will be a hard one to follow for any mortal who aspires to lead a mercurial side such as Pakistan.Misbah may have saluted the Pakistan flag at Lords, but in the opinion of many in the cricketing world, he is the one who should be saluted. Watch day one of the second Test between England and Pakistan live on Sky Sports 2 this Friday from 10am. Also See: How it happened First Test scorecard Players of the Test Reckless England Ryan Murray Jersey . Hamels threw seven sharp innings to earn his 100th career victory, Domonic Brown had a career-best five RBIs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-1 on Saturday night to end a four-game losing streak. Riley Nash Jersey . JOHNS, N. http://www.authenticbluejacketspro.com/D...ets-jersey/.com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Alexander Wennberg Jersey . Marek Hamsik, who had earlier missed a penalty, headed Napoli in front in the 23rd minute and Pandev added a second goal five minutes from halftime. Alessandro Matri got Juventus back into the game just after the break but Pandev was on hand to score again in the 68th. Zach Werenski Jersey . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. BARCELONA, Spain -- Neymar scored twice to help Barcelona beat Villarreal 2-1 and take advantage of Real Madrids slip as it opened up a five-point lead over its fierce rival at the top of the Spanish league on Saturday. Third-place Madrid fell behind and settled for a 2-2 draw earlier at Osasuna in a match both sides finished with 10 men, and Barcelona didnt let the chance escape. Barcelona, still without the injured Lionel Messi, again turned to Neymar after his hat trick against Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday to convert a penalty on the half-hour mark and restore the lead in the 68th after Villarreal levelled. Barcelonas eighth win in as many league games at Camp Nou this season provisionally lifted it three points clear of Atletico Madrid before it hosts Valencia on Sunday. "We played well and knew how to pull out of the game," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. Other than Alex Songs shot off the upright from a corner kick six minutes in, the first half was a rather monotonous display of "tiki-taka" passing by Barcelona. But all of Villarreals discipline in defence was undone when right back Mario Perez used his arm to block Jordi Albas pass, letting Neymar step up and stroke in the spot kick. Villarreal didnt muster a shot on goal until defender Mateo Musacchio outmanoeuvred Marc Bartra to thump in a corner kick three minutes after halftime to unexpectedly even the score. The pace picked up with Giovani Dos Santos going close for the visitors before Neymar put Barcelona back in charge when he tapped in Alexis Sanchezs short pass following his control of Cesc Fabregas lobbed throughball. Besides missing Messi as his hamstring heals, Barcelona will be without Neymar for next Sundays game at Getafe after he received his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he must serve a one-game suspension. Osasunas Oriol Riera headed in goals in the 16th and 39th before Madrids woes deepened when Sergio Ramos received his second yellow card in the 44th. With Cristiano Ronaldo unable to extend his eight-game scoring run for club and country, midfielder Isco Alarcon pulled one back before halftime and passed for Pepe to head home the 80th-minute equalizer seconds after Osasunas Francisco Silva also earned his second boooking.dddddddddddd. "The team demonstrated it has a good attitude, but a draw is like a loss for us," Madrid defender Marcelo said. "We knew that the result wasnt good enough but we reacted too late." Madrids five-game winning run in the league ended at Reyno de Navarra Stadium, where it has only one victory in its last six visits. Osasuna, which sits just two points above the relegation zone, has held both Barcelona and Madrid to draws there this season. After Ronaldo missed two chances, Osasuna struck first when right back Marc Bertran dribbled by his marker and swung a cross to the far post where Riera was left unmarked to redirect the ball into the net. Madrid momentarily lost both its verve in attack and composure in defence, and both centre backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos got yellow cards. Riera was left free to finish off the rebound of Damia Abellas header from a corner kick that goalkeeper Diego Lopez sprung to palm off his line. And Ramos soon saw his second yellow card on a questionable decision when Osasunas Roberto Torres fell after colliding with his arm. "Our first 20 minutes were very good. Its unbelievable that we were then down 0-2 and playing with 10 men," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "Its difficult to explain." Just when Madrid was at its lowest, Ronaldo dribbled into the Osasuna defence and laid off for Isco to place a right-footed strike just inside the upright and pull one back before the break. Osasuna still appeared set for victory after a placid second half until Silva earned himself two yellow cards in a four-minute span. Isco found the hole left in the defence which Pepe exploited to score Madrids second and salvage a point. Elsewhere, Granada moved into the upper half of the standings by prevailing 2-0 at 10-man Rayo Vallecano in an error-plagued match, which included Granadas Youssef El Arabi wasting a golden chance, Rayo letting Fran Ricos harmless cross bounce into its net, and Rayo defender Ignacio Martinez drawing a second yellow for diving in the box. Malaga edged Getafe 1-0 at home to get a much-needed win and take some pressure off first-year coach Bernd Schuster. Striker Roque Santa Cruz went on in the 74th and a minute later headed in the winner. 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