(CRICBUZZ.COM)Don Bradman scored his hundredth first-class century in 1947 against the touring Indians at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The batting genius reached his landmark shortly before tea on the second day, a milestone greeted with tumultuous elation from the large gathering. Resuming on 101, Bradman proceeded to add 71 in 45 minutes of exhilarating strokeplay, runs that were as uninhibited and as thrilling as any that ever flowed from his bat.
Apart from being a gesture to an appreciative audience revelling in his achievement, this was, Bradman wrote in his autobiography, the way he would always have played "had circumstances permitted". Accordingly, the great man considered that period of batting the most rewarding of his career. This was the way he wished he could have batted all the time.
This was a stunning admission. Bradman was, by some distance, the best of his time - the best of all time. His average of 99.94 is almost 40 runs too good from the next batsman in line. He made centuries at a rate others could only dream of and scored at a pace that was far from pedestrian, once scoring over 300 in a day. No batsman had ever built so monumental a record and so sterling a reputation as Bradman. In over two decades in top-level cricket he played in good teams, flanked by outstanding batsmen, and so did not have to carry Australia's batting on his shoulders the way George Headley, for example, did for the West Indies.
And yet, during his entire career, the Australian felt he had to enforce restraints upon himself. He never imagined he had the freedom to fully express himself through his batting, and so never permitted the free rein of his instincts as a batsman until he had completed a century of centuries.
Misbah-ul-Haq is Pakistan's captain and batting mainstay. He averages 49.15 in Tests, 43.4 in one-day internationals and 37.52 in the Twenty20 format. His team will take no further part in the 2015 World Cup but these were his scores in the seven games his side played: 76, 7, 73, 65, 56, 39, 34. His total of 350 runs at an average of 50 places him among the top batsmen in the tournament - far ahead of any other Pakistani batsman.
In a side with highly-skilled but highly volatile players, his has been the steady, sometimes lone hand gluing the pieces back together that his colleagues had fractured. The fragility of Pakistan's batting has placed tremendous burdens on the shoulders of its captain and, understandably, Misbah has placed snug limits upon batting. Possessing all the strokes, he has chosen to keep them on a tight leash.
For Pakistan's sake, he has eschewed flashy play and opted for a more humdrum, though more reliable kind of batting. For this, the media, fans and former greats have pilloried him. Misbah has been called unflattering names and "Misbah's fault" is a well-worn phrase in Pakistan cricket.
He should not be too put off by this. Cricket historian CLR James reports that Bradman, believe it or not, was sometimes scolded for mechanical play and the ruthlessness with which he piled up big scores. West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, one of the most reliable batsmen in the game's history and frequent West Indies batting saviour, is himself often rebuked for slow batting and labelled selfish.
No matter how good you are there are going to be detractors in some quarters. As the saying popularised by modern day philosopher Taylor Swift goes: "haters are gonna hate." While it is true that Misbah's approach to batting does not captivate the crowds, he has been, for a while now, the bedrock of his country's batting.
Misbah has advised that he is now retiring from the 50-over version of the game. He still seems as capable as ever of playing the long innings and he has been a reasonably successful leader of his country's cricketers, but at 40 it is unlikely he will be able to continue for much longer.
As with Bradman, there did come a day when Misbah flung off all his self-placed chains of restraint and resoluteness, and batted in the way he'd have wanted to much more often. It was like he had somehow shed his shackles in the process of staging a rebellion against his self-imposed strictures. It seemed like he discovered himself anew and he basked in the newfound freedom.
Batting against Australia in Abu Dhabi on day four of the second Test of their 2014-15 series, and striving to set his opponents a score to chase in the fourth innings, Misbah exploded. The explosion was heard all through the game. Equaling Viv Richards' record for the fastest Test century - 56 balls - the Pakistani struck 11 fours and five sixes in 75 minutes of mayhem.
Misbah went on to win the game and the series and the voices of discontent were silenced for a spell, but they were heard again during Pakistan's up-and-down World Cup campaign. Chances are they will continue for as long as he brandishes his bat in the service of his country's cricket.
