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The time was about 6pm at the Dubai Sports City press conference room. Younis Khan and Ahmed Shehzad had just finished their press conference on Day four of the 1st Test and were being accosted by the usual melee of Pakistani journalists, jostling to get their own pictures with the two batsmen, some even trying selfies with the visibly tired players. In this din, I heard my phone beep and an SMS appeared - “Please be at the hotel at 8 pm sharp”, said The Boss. 

By Amir Husain (9th November, 2014)

 

The time was about 6pm at the Dubai Sports City press conference room. Younis Khan and Ahmed Shehzad had just finished their press conference on Day four of the 1st Test and were being accosted by the usual melee of Pakistani journalists, jostling to get their own pictures with the two batsmen, some even trying selfies with the visibly tired players. In this din, I heard my phone beep and an SMS appeared - “Please be at the hotel at 8 pm sharp”, said The Boss. 

 

This was no ordinary boss. These were the words of Pakistan Team Manager and Chief Selector Moin Khan. As those who are close to the Pakistan cricket setup and even us ordinary fans know well, when Moin says something, he means it. For us at PakPassion.net, these words represented the culmination of weeks of preparatory work with the PCB to arrange a unique opportunity to speak to two stalwarts of Pakistan cricket, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. 

Whilst the rest of the journos pack begged for a few words from Younis, we had now been invited by the Pakistan Team manager for an exclusive face-to-face interview with Pakistan’s top performers on this tour and as it turned out a few days later, a record breaker too.

With permissions granted from the highest levels on this tour, the only real threat to this venture had to be the notorious Dubai traffic. I had about an hour and half to make it to the hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road so I wasted no time. Like a truant school boy (at the ripe age of 50) running away from school, I ran all the way down to the taxi ranks, only to find that no taxis shared my enthusiasm for this opportunity. The roads around the DSC were empty as most of the five hundred or so people in the audience had long gone. The clock was ticking but then to my relief, a lone taxiwala appeared from nowhere. I looked up and thanked the Lord. Surely this was a sign of things to come? The ride to the hotel was as expected. Stop-start traffic and a conversation with a Bangladeshi taxi driver who just could not understand why an old man like me would leave family and travel to another country to watch cricket. The disbelief on his face could only be imagined but it was real.

I entered the lobby of the hotel at about 7:30pm with at least half an hour to go till the appointed time. The lobby was deserted with a few hotel guests interspersed in the lounge area. I put down my gear and waited. Now let me be frank and say that given my Desi roots and a keen understanding of the value of time in our culture, 8pm from Moin sounded like 10pm but I wasn’t complaining! Then, like the welcome sight of water in a desert, I noticed the Pakistan team arrive from a side entrance. 

This had been a crucial day for Pakistan with Shehzad and Younis both scoring hundreds (Younis’s second hundred in the game). At stumps on that day (Day 4), Australia were precariously perched on 59/4 and to most observers the writing was firmly on the wall for Australia. The Pakistani camp was cautiously optimistic about the outcome of this Test match so all in all, this wasn’t too bad a time to talk to the members of the team. 

I got up and walked over to Moin Khan who was entering the hotel lobby. I had started to apologize about arriving too early and was in the middle of expressing my understanding that the team was tired etc when he put up his hand. I froze; heart went into overdrive as approximately sixty million beats tried to get their share in my heart's activity. Was this the “Sorry, we don’t have time today” moment? Was the dream over?

(Commercial break)

Now, let’s get back to the story 

Moin Khan put up his hand and looked away to his left. Younis Khan was putting his backpack down to speak to the hotel reception. Moin spoke to Younis, “Younis, this is the gentleman from PakPassion I was telling you about. Can we do the interview now?” Like a champion he is, Younis turned towards us and said “Sure, let’s meet now”. I insisted that I could wait for him to freshen up but Younis was having none of this and asked for a few minutes before he could join me. “Call me when done with Younis and I will ask Misbah to join you as well” said Moin as he walked away with the rest of the players. A beaming Yasir Shah walked past me and I congratulated him for his work in the match but then I noticed a young man standing right next to me.

He introduced himself as a worker from a building nearby. He was from Hyderabad, India. I was confused, why would anyone from Hyderabad, India be interested in Pakistani cricket. “I have always wanted to meet Younis Khan – can you help me talk to him and take a picture?” I explained to him that I myself was in the ‘dazed schoolboy category’ but would do my best to help him fulfil his dream. 

I set myself up in a corner of the hotel lobby and Younis came over and sat down. I was now under tremendous pressure. How can I help our friend from Hyderabad without confusing or even offending Younis? I should have known better. This was Younis Khan – one of the most down to earth people one will ever come across. I was mid sentence, trying to introduce this fan to Younis when he interrupted me and said, “Bhai, I am so pleased to meet you”. He then got up and hugged this total stranger and took a picture with him. I could see tears in the man’s eyes. For Younis, this must be the millionth time he has done it but for the man from Hyderabad, this would be something he would tell his children and grand-children forever!

Our interview lasted about 30 minutes where we spoke unfettered and informally as if we were old friends. Such was the grace of Younis Khan and when he departed to leave for his room after a hard day’s work, I was left to reflect upon the humility of this man and one quote that I thought long and hard about was the one about the pressure of being away from home for long periods of time. I had just left my family for a few days and was feeling their absence but Pakistani players were spending months on end doing this. How must they all feel being away from home? Apart from that, any doubts that Younis was the only humble man in our camp were laid to rest as the next segment of my ‘evening to remember’ took shape.

I called Moin Khan and said I am done with the Younis Khan meeting, “Please wait, Misbah is on his way”, came the immediate reply. True to his word, five minutes later, the smartly dressed captain of the Pakistan Test team, Misbah-ul-Haq came into view. I ushered him into my “interview studio” and we sat down. As I was busy setting up my interview questions and recorder, I looked up to find our friend from Hyderabad and now a bunch of taxi drivers all standing next to us, patiently waiting to have their pictures taken with Misbah. I looked at Misbah, almost apologetically as I didn’t want him to think that this was part of the arrangements for the evening! Misbah smiled at me and asked all to wait until he finished his meeting with me. They all nodded and stood further away. I now had an audience - No pressure there!

The interview began and Misbah answered in the way he normally does. No nonsense but the humility in his voice and his intentions was clear for me and came through every answer. The “Sarfraz is like Oxygen” quote still stands out for me as it was said with genuine feeling and I did mention that to a grateful Sarfraz Ahmed as I met him when I was leaving the hotel that evening.

As the Misbah interview ended and we shook hands, the Misbah fan club now consisting of our friend from Hyderabad and an assortment of taxi drivers as well as some hotel staff stepped in. Misbah stood up and posed with each one of them, as they took their pictures with the Pakistan captain. He even joked with one guy who was taking too long to adjust his phone camera remarking “Are you drawing my face or taking a picture!?” Everyone laughed but the small gesture of informality for these fans was a big deal and I am sure they all went away with smiles on their faces.

It’s difficult to put in words how I felt about this opportunity. The relief at being able to accomplish this task on behalf of PakPassion.net after weeks of planning was accompanied by the feeling of sheer pleasure at being able to meet ambassadors of the game whose contribution to Pakistan cricket is acknowledged the world over. 

Finally, a word of thanks to the PCB and it’s media department who have taken a lot of criticism in the past but acted with great professionalism and grace in this matter, allowing us to project an image of Pakistan cricket which has sadly been tarnished by the actions of a few in the past.

As for Misbah and Younis, we wish them the best in their careers and hope that our younger players can learn and emulate the successes and attitudes of the two stalwarts of this great team. Long Live Pakistan!

 

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