After sealing a famous victory at Lord’s, the Pakistan players caught the attention of cricket supporters across the globe with their captivating celebration. Their acknowledgment of a pre-tour boot camp has resulted in the Army Chief offering his congratulations in return.
DG Inter Services Public Relations Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa tweeted late Sunday evening, “Historic Pakistan cricket victory at Lord’s. COAS (Chief of Army Staff) called Pak Cricket team Captain Misbah ul Haq and congratulated him and the team on victory.”
Playing their first Test on English soil since the ill-fated 2010 Lord’s Test, Pakistan were greeted by a not so unfamiliar surface and duly capitalized to get off to a perfect start to the 4-match series.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s mesmerizing spell and skipper Misbah’s resolute first-innings ton helped the visitors break a 20-year streak at the iconic venue. The veteran leader had promised soldiers who were part of the training program to execute ten push-ups if scored a ton in England.
Also Read: Tim Bresnan believes Pakistan went overboard with their celebrations at Lord's
A man of integrity, Misbah kept his word and also showed that age was just a number. When Mohammad Amir cleaned up Jake Ball, the entire team dedicated the win to the army officers by doing pushups as well.
However, rival captain Alastair Cook was not too pleased about the whole affair. He bellowed, “You don’t take any offense, but certainly at that emotive time, it’s not pleasant viewing. Certainly, when you’ve lost a game of cricket for the first 20 minutes or so it’s not pleasant.
“They (Pakistan) are entitled to do what they want. It’s united them and shows what a challenge we’ve got. Hopefully, the cricketing Gods might turn in our favor at Old Trafford.” With the talismanic duo of James Anderson and Ben Stokes set to return for the 2nd Test, it will be interesting to see how the hosts respond.
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