Misbah-Ul-Haq’s push-ups celebration was the biggest talking point for cricket lovers on Twitter and Facebook. Misbah played a brilliant knock to reach his first ever hundred at Lord’s Cricket Ground, and 10th overall in Test cricket. It was a captain’s innings that united cricket from around the world to praise Misbah’s effort. As partner Asad Shafiq smiled on, Misbah underlined his defiance of age with the speed of the push-ups, and by springing to his feet with a smile at the end of it.
Many were thinking why Misbah celebrated his hundred by doing push-ups. Misbah answered this question in an interview at the end of day 1. This is what he said:
“That was my promise to the army guys,” Misbah said afterwards. “We did a camp in Abbottabad before the skill camp in Lahore, and we used to do an honour code every time, we just stepped into the ground and did ten push-ups. And I promised them, if ever I score a hundred, I will definitely do that to remind you that we were there.”
On a lighter note, Misbah also admitted as an aside that his drill sergeant would probably have asked him to do ten more because his arms had been too bent the first time around, but nobody on the ground had any such complaints. The packed crowd at Lord’s stood up in praise of the oldest Test centurion in 82 years.
