England vs Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq delight at getting on Lord's honours board

'It is a dream,' says captain after making 110 not out

Misbah-ul-Haq salutes the Pakistan flag after reaching 100 (Getty)

Given that he is 42 years of age you could be forgiven for thinking that the Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. But this is actually his first Test match at Lord’s – and that he marked it with an unbeaten century on the first day of the series as his side reached 282 for 6 at stumps was a source of great pride.

“It is a dream to play at Lord’s and especially getting a hundred,” Misbah, who is unbeaten on 110, said afterwards. “To have my name on the honours board, it is a special feeling. It is very satisfying. I’m really happy about that.”

And at 42, and the third oldest person to score a ton at Lord’s and the first since 1926, was it extra special? “You don’t just think about your age,” he said. “You think about the game. These records are something special. I am satisfied but the main thing is to perform for team and country.”

Upon reaching his century, Misbah performed one of the more unusual celebrations, dropping onto his front and doing 10 reasonably quick press-ups. It was a tribute to the army people he and the team were drilled by at a pre-tour fitness camp. “We really worked hard at the boot camp,” said Misbah, who shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 148 with Asad Shafiq who made 73. “We worked on fitness, skills and acclimatising. It really helped us. The press-ups were for those guys and the salute was for the flag.”

Having been drilled at the boot camp about hard work, Misbah is aware there is more of it to do on day two if Pakistan are to take control of the Test. “It would have been nice if Asad and me had batted to the end,” he said after England took two late wickets to tilt the match. “At the end they came back into the game. We need 400 on this pitch. There is a lot of hard work still to do. If we can get to 400 we can put the pressure on them. They are a good side and know the conditions but with 400 the pressure is on. We need to bat a session, maybe more, and that could give us a big advantage.”

Jake Ball takes his first Test wicket (Getty)

England’s Jake Ball will have other ideas. The Nottinghamshire seamer took his maiden Test scalp and was impressive with ball in hand even if his speeds dropped as the day wore on.

“It was nice to have [his Notts team-mate] Stuart [Broad] at mid-on when I was bowling, talking me through it, keeping me calm,” Ball said. “It was a great day. Hopefully there are many more to come. It was incredible to get my first wicket.” It was Azhar Ali lbw and the batsman reviewed it. Did he not fear the worst? “When I first saw the replay I thought it might be slipping down [leg]. When it was shown to be clipping the stumps it was a huge relief,” he admitted.

Ball was handed his England cap by his uncle and England wicketkeeping coach Bruce French, a nice moment for uncle and nephew. “He said how proud the family are of me,” Ball revealed. “It was special. He was holding back the tears.”