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 Vans Sk8-Hi Shoes For Sale . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Vans Sk8 Hi Reissue .Y. -- Cory Schneider has to make the most of his opportunities to guard the New Jersey Devils net to earn more playing time. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/. Edmonton opened the season with 14 straight victories before falling Friday night 10-8 to the host Colorado Mammoth in National Lacrosse League action. Cheap Vans Shoes .C. -- When Michael Jordan speaks, people still listen. Vans Sk8 Hi Clearance . Samir Nasris 88th-minute equalizer at Etihad Stadium will be of little consolation to City, which is now six points behind league leader Liverpool and four points behind second-place Chelsea. Third-place City has a game in hand but the surprise result against Sunderland, coupled with Sundays 3-2 loss at Liverpool, may be a setback too far in its bid for a second championship in three seasons.SOCHI, Russia – Even before the Olympic tournament began, before the under-looked and under-appreciated Fins would stun the entire nation of Russia, Olli Jokinen prescribed the formula that would get it done. “I think we have the best goaltending out of all the other countries,” Jokinen said. “We play a good team game. Plus, we feel that at the end of the day it doesnt matter who puts the Finnish jersey on the team is going to play the same game anyways. For us its not so much about the names on the back, its about the good, solid team game and good goaltending.” That was what it took to bring down Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and the home country at Bolshoy Ice Dome on Wednesday night: spectacular goaltending from Tuukka Rask, a few timely goals and continued adherence to a team game, despite injury losses that seemed too burdensome to overcome. Ever the underdog, Finland has altered the face of these Games in Russia and reminded the hockey world, yet again, why only one country has medaled in three of the four Olympics involving NHL players. “You know that nobody ever believed that we could win, but it doesnt matter,” said captain Teemu Selanne, who had a goal and an assist in the 3-1 upset over Russia. “The experts are wrong many times. We have to believe in our team.” There was no Ovechkin on this team, no Malkin, not even the injured and more recognizable likes of Mikko and Saku Koivu, Valtteri Filppula, or even Aleksander Barkov, the second overall pick in last summers NHL draft. For star power, it came down to Rask, who was terrific with 37 saves, and Selanne, playing in his final Olympics at age 43. “Weve got good team spirit and our style to play,” said Leo Komarov, who played in the NHL with the Maple Leafs last season. The Finns, who won bronze in 1998 and 2010 and silver in 2006, were a determined and youthful bunch on this night, led, however, by the aging Selanne, the unsolvable Rask and 21-year-old Mikael Granlund, who set up Selannes go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner before scoring the third and finall marker himself.dddddddddddd. “I think this is a great business card for Granlund to show how good he can be,” Selanne said of Granlund, who has 28 points in his second season with the Minnesota Wild. In upsetting the Russians and holding Ovechkin and Malkin off the score-board entirely – the pair combined for two goals all tournament – Finland gets an opportunity to play in Fridays semi-final against Sweden with another medal chance close at hand. Mindful of a rest advantage – Russia was playing for the fourth time in five days – Selanne believes a turning point for his country came in their final preliminary round match against Canada during which they lost 2-1 in overtime, hanging around despite an overwhelming talent disparity. “My young teammates, when they realized that they can compete against the best players in the world it felt great,” said Selanne, who played in his first Olympics in 1992. “I dont know how many people saw that, [but] I saw it very [closely]. I was very proud of those guys. I think thats the carryover from that game. Its a good feeling when you realize that you can compete against the best.” Yet again it was a sum of parts defeating what was ultimately an incredibly talented and yet flawed Russian squad, one that buckled under the strain of a countrys worth of pressure. They fell in the quarterfinals for the second straight Olympics. “It sucks,” said Ovechkin, who had just a single goal all tournament, held to three shots by Finland and singled out by his head coach afterward. Rask was there all night to turn aside whatever Ovechkin and the Russians could muster. The 26-year-old got stronger as the game wore on, stopping all 27 shots in the final 40 minutes, including one on Alexander Radulov