And this record does not include Tests played in the UAE. With those, Pakistan's record is even more dominant.

This series win also helped Pakistan gain two spots in the ICC Test Rankings.

The best part about this series win is that every single player, across the two tests, put their hands up, and contributed towards Pakistan's victory charge.

Winning start to Babar Azam's Test captaincy stint; resurgent comeback of Hasan Ali; coming of age of Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf; epic debut of Nauman Ali; continued redemption of Fawad Alam; and consistent breakthrough provided by Shaheen Afridi and Yasir Shah; first test rearguard action of Azhar Ali; and the immaculate slip catching of Imran Butt - all of them  played their part in Pakistan's first test series win over South Africa in 17 years!

It sure was epic seeing Pakistan come out on top in this Test series, and bodes well for the future of Pakistan's cricket under Babar Azam, as well as, for Pakistan playing at home!

On Thursday, Pakistan will take the field against England for the 15th time in a test match at Lord's, the home of cricket (16th overall with the one test they played there against Australia in 2010).

Here is a look at some Test cricket history for Pakistan at Lord's.

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND AT LORD'S
Since 1954, Pakistan and England have squared off in 14 tests at Lord's with 4 wins apiece. Pakistan leveled the playing field by winning the most recent test played at Lord's in 2016.

PAKISTAN TEST CAPTAINS AT LORD's
Sarfraz Ahmed will become the 14th Pakistan captain to lead them in a test match at Lord's. Only Imran Khan and Intikhab Alam had captained Pakistan twice at Lord's.

PAKISTAN TEST BATSMEN ON LORD'S HONOR BOARD
7 batsmen from Pakistan have scored test centuries at Lord's with Mohammad Yousuf's epic 202 in 2006 the highest score by a Pakistani in a Lord's test.

Misbah Ul Haq's 114 at Lord's in 2016 is the most recent test century scored by a Pakistan batsman at the home of cricket.

PAKISTAN TEST BOWLERS ON LORD'S HONOR BOARD
6 bowlers from Pakistan have picked up a 5 wicket haul in an innings at Lord's and 1, Yasir Shah, is the only bowler from Pakistan with a 10 wicket match haul at Lord's, which came in the same test as Misbah's century, the last time Pakistan played at the home of cricket.

It is going to be an intriguing contest starting on Thursday. At least 6 players from Pakistan will be playing their first test at Lord's.

Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Aamir, and Rahat Ali are the only survivors in the squad from the eleven that played at Lord's just two years ago.

Azhar Ali and Mohammad Aamir were there in 2010 as well when Pakistan played at Lord's twice - against England and against Australia.

Azhar Ali in fact made his test debut at Lord's in 2010. Both he and Aamir will be playing their 4th test at Lord's joining legends like Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Mushtaq Mohammad, all of whom have played 4 tests at Lord's.

The most capped test cricketer at Lord's from Pakistan is Wasim Bari who has played 5 tests at Lord's.

Performing at Lord's and getting your named inked on the honors board is a dream for all cricketers. From the current squad, Aamir is already there and he would love to get his name there again.

For Azhar Ali, this might be the perfect opportunity given he is the senior most batsmen in the side and has finally found some form on tour.

Even first timers like Abbas and Imam will be geared up for this moment.

I am placing my bets on the teenage leg spinner, Shadab Khan. His performance against Ireland was impressive and with England always suspect against spin, I feel Shadab has a great chance to follow in the footsteps of Mushtaq Ahmed and Yasir Shah.

A Pakistan vs England series is always exciting and I can't wait for the action to start at Lord's this Thursday!

From Javed Miandad to Inzamam Ul Haq to Mohammad Yousuf to Younis Khan, Pakistan have always had a formidable number 4 in Test matches. In most of Pakistan's Test XIs, the number four batsman is usually their primary batsman.

Javed Miandad fulfilled that role for most part of his career. He batted at number 4 in 140 out of his 189 test innings.

Once he retired, Saleem Malik took over the number four position briefly, before moving back to number five and promoting Inzamam Ul Haq up the order.

Inzamam batted at four in half of his total career innings and made that position his own before moving down the order and promoting Mohammad Yousuf to four, who was at the time at the peak of his batting prowess.

Younis Khan, who had batted at number three for most of his career and formed part of Pakistan's best test middle order with Inzamam and Yousuf, moved to the number four position after the retirements of the latter two.

Younis batted at 4 till the end of his career performing as well as he had done at three and as well as his predecessors.


As evident, all these batsmen performed admirably at number four.

So who is going to fill these big boots now that Younis Khan has retired?

More importantly, who is going to fill the big hole left in Pakistan's Test middle order with the retirements of both Younis and Misbah Ul Haq?

In the past 7 years since Misbah took over Pakistan's Test captaincy, he and Younis have collectively scored 30% of Pakistan's Test runs and 38% of Pakistan's Test hundreds.

How do you replace 9,000 test runs and 26 test centuries?

Just like Miandad and Malik passed on the mantle to Inzamam and Yousuf, they passed it on to Younis and Misbah. And now with these two moving on, the mantle sits firmly with Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Both Azhar and Asad made their test debuts around the same time as Misbah made his test captaincy debut. During this period, Azhar and Asad have established themselves as the cornerstones of Pakistan's test batting line up.

While Azhar made his mark as a number 3 and later as an opener, Asad has made history as a number 6 test batsman.

Asad will most likely fill the vacant number 4 position, but Pakistan still require two test batsmen to bat at numbers 5 and 6.

Here is a list of potential incumbents whom I believe can take Pakistan's Test team forward.

FAWAD ALAM

He is 31. He has scored over 10,000 first class runs with 25 centuries and averages 56, higher than any other cricketer in Pakistan ever.

He has played 3 tests for Pakistan and even scored a debut 100. In fact he was the first batsman from Pakistan to score a test century on debut away from home.

Yet after 6 test innings, he was discarded and never played a test again.

In last season's Quaid-e-Azam trophy, he averaged 55, scoring 500 runs in 11 innings. In every first class season, he is among the leading run scorers. I have not seen a more consistent batsman in Pakistan than Fawad and it will always remain a mystery to me as to why he is constantly ignored by the selectors.

USMAN SALAHUDDIN

This 26 year old batsman from Lahore was picked for 2 ODIs during the tour to the West Indies in 2011. He did not appear for the international side after that, however he has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket.

In 10 first class seasons, he has piled on 6,000 runs with 19 centuries at an impressive average of 47.

He was the 4th highest run scorer in the last Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he amassed 843 runs in 17 innings with 3 centuries and 5 fifties at an average of 70.

He has been on the verge of national selection for a while now and it is finally time he finds a permanent spot in Pakistan's Test XI.

HARIS SOHAIL

Haris has not played a first class match in over 3 years due to injury, however he has a phenomenal record, and he has shown in ODIs that he belongs at the highest level of the game.

His career first class average of 52 and 11 centuries in 80 odd innings with a career best of 211* suggests that he is made for the long version of the game. Even in ODIs, he showed his liking for staying at the crease, and his ODI average of 43 demonstrates that he is a world class batsman.

He might be the ideal replacement for a batsman like Misbah.

IMAM UL HAQ

He is only 21 and has been around for only 3 seasons. His overall first class average of 35 suggests that he still has to establish himself in the domestic circuit; however he has just had a breakthrough season where he notched up 848 runs in 20 innings in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and ended the tournament as its third highest run scorer.

Imam, who is the nephew of Chief Selector Inzamam Ul Haq, was extremely impressive in the QEA Trophy where he knocked 3 centuries and 3 fifties, including a career best unbeaten 200.

Some may feel that it may be too early to blood him, but I feel it might just be the right time for a young batsmen with tremendous potential to be introduced the highest level.

ASIF ZAKIR

A veteran of the domestic circuit, Asif has been around for 15 years and at 33 he might be past the ideal age to make a test debut, but then we have all seen Misbah blossom as a test batsman after the age of 35.

Asif's overall first class record is not that impressive - 7,000 runs, 19 centuries, and average of 37. However, he was the second highest run scorer in last season's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 853 runs in 11 innings at an average of 85.3. He hit as many as 4 centuries during the tournament.


So there are a few options for Pakistan's selectors to consider. Pakistan's next test series is some time away so the selectors have time on their hands before making their decisions. It will be interesting to note which batsmen make it into the squad and then which two make it to the XI.

My first two choices will be Fawad Alam and Haris Sohail; however I would also like to see Usman Salahuddin and Imam Ul Haq in the squad.

With Babar Azam set at number 3, ideally Asad Shafiq should move up to number 4, with the two new batsmen fitting in at 5 and 6.

Sami Aslam should also be brought back to open with Azhar Ali. The tour to West Indies showed us that Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood are not in the same league as Sami, who impressed with his temperament during the tour of England.

Azhar, Sami, Babar, Asad, Haris, Fawad sounds formidable enough to me!

Over the years I have criticized Misbah no end for his ODI captaincy and for his ODI batting. I believe replacing Shahid Afridi as ODI captain in 2011 with Misbah was one of the gravest mistakes ever committed. Misbah's defensive approach crippled Pakistan's ODI team and we are all aware of the sad state our ODI team is in.

The same approach however did wonders for the Test team, and for that I applaud Misbah Ul Haq the Test Captain and the Test Batsman.

What Misbah achieved in his almost 7 years as captain of Pakistan's Test team is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan cricket.

Here is a look at his accomplishments as a Test Captain.

GREATEST TEST CAPTAIN FROM THE SUBCONTINENT

Number 1 Test Ranking for Pakistan.
Most Test wins ever for a Pakistan captain.
Second most Test wins for a captain from the subcontinent.
Most test wins away from home for a subcontinent captain.
Most Test series wins for a subcontinent captain.
First Test series win over Australia in over 20 years.
3-0 clean sweep of England when they were Number 1.
Pakistan's record and world's 6th highest run chase in Test cricket.
World's fastest run chase in Test cricket.
Pakistan's first ever Test series win in the West Indies.
Most Test wins by a captain from the Subcontinent in the West Indies.

These achievements by the team under Misbah truly make him the greatest Test captain ever for Pakistan; and probably from the Subcontinent too.


ONE OF THE BEST FROM PAKISTAN

Misbah recently became the 7th batsman from Pakistan to score 5,000 Test runs. He ended his career as the 6th highest run scorer for Pakistan in test cricket. One can only wonder how many more he could have scored had he played as much as the ones above him.

BEST TEST BATSMAN FROM THE SUBCONTINENT AS A CAPTAIN

Misbah scored over 80% of his Test runs - 4,214 to be exact - as captain of Pakistan. He scored 8 of his 10 Test centuries and 35 of his 39 fifties as captain.

He is not only the highest run scorer among all Test captains from Pakistan, he is also the highest run scorer among all Test captains from the Subcontinent; and the only batsman from the Subcontinent with over 4,000 Test runs as captain.

Among all Test captains, Misbah has the 8th highest runs tally and has one of the best averages among the top 10 highest scoring captains of all time.

MATCH WINNER AS A CAPTAIN

Misbah not only contributed to Pakistan's test wins as a leader of the troops on the field; he also led from the front as a batsman scoring more runs than any captain from the Subcontinent in Test victories.

Among all Test captains he has the 7th highest runs tally in Test victories, and his phenomenal average of 69.7 is the third best of all time, behind two great Australian captains.

FASTEST HUNDRED AND FIFTY IN TESTS

It is quite ironic that a man who became known as "Tuk Tuk" due to his ultra defensive batting holds the record for the fastest fifty and second fastest century scored in Test cricket.

When he got that century off only 56 deliveries against Australia, it was the joint fastest ever in the history of the game. It was bettered by Brendan McCullum.



Misbah's retirement is one of those rare Pakistani sport retirements that have come at a time when he was still at the top of his game. Rarely have Pakistani greats bowed out the way Misbah did after Pakistan's first ever series victory in the West Indies.

It was a match and series that will be remembered for a long time to come.

Misbah was truly captain fantastic for Pakistan and one of the best leaders to serve our nation. There hasn't been anyone like him, and I doubt there will be any in the future.

Despite the heavy criticism of Misbah the ODI leader and batsman, Misbah the Test captain has been absolutely phenomenal.

1. Barring injury, Misbah will end his career having captained Pakistan in 56 tests and becoming the 9th most capped captain in the world and second most capped from the subcontinent after MS Dhoni.
2. One win will give Misbah 25 test wins as captain, taking him past Alastair Cook. Three wins will take him past Mark Taylor and Michael Vaughan, and place him level with Sir Viv Richards, MS Dhoni, and Hansie Cronje.
3. Younis Khan is 23 runs away from becoming the first batsman from Pakistan to score 10,000 runs in test cricket.
4. Younis Khan requires another 146 runs to surpass Sunil Gavaskar's test runs tally of 10,122 and become the 5th most prolific test batsman from the Subcontinent.
5. Younis Khan needs one more century to become the first batsman from Pakistan to score 35 test centuries. If he scores two centuries he will join Rahul Dravid with 36 test centuries, the 5th most in the world and 3rd most by a batsman from the subcontinent.
6. Misbah is 49 runs away from completing 5,000 runs in test cricket. He will become the 7th batsman from Pakistan to score 5,000 test runs.
7. Misbah requires another 112 runs to surpass Zaheer Abbas' runs tally of 5,062 to become the 6th highest run scorer from Pakistan in tests.
8. Misbah is 47 runs away from becoming the first batsman from Pakistan to score 4,000 test runs as captain. Another 4 runs will take Misbah past Michael Clarke's runs tally of 3,946 and place him at 9th for most runs as test captain. 

I will definitely do a numbers post on these two extremely prolific batsmen, but that will have to wait till the three tests against the West Indies are over.

There will be a few more records and much else to celebrate then - Pakistan's first 10K in tests, Pakistan's first 4K as Test captain, and quite possibly Pakistan's first 35th test ton.

Numbers however, will only tell half the story in the case of these two stalwarts. Their services to Pakistan's test cricket over the past decade are incomparable.

Both Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq will be missed immensely, not only for the runs they produce in the middle, but more so for their respective contributions off the field, in the dressing room, and on the other players.






























YOUNIS KHAN

He is Pakistan's very own King Khan.

Besides claiming every single test batting record there is to claim for Pakistan, Younis has had an impact like no other on an entire generation of batsmen.

He has been a major guiding force for many young batsmen, an instrumental contributor to the success of these batsmen, and a true role model that the likes of Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood all look up to.

Younis has built partnerships with each one of the above mentioned batsmen that have taken Pakistan to great achievements. There is a reason why no one else from Pakistan has been a part of as many century partnerships in tests than Younis Khan has. He scores runs himself and he enables his partner to accumulate plenty of runs as well.

Each of Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, and Umar Akmal will tell you a story about how Younis Khan helped them reach their first test hundred. Many others will tell you how easy Younis makes it for his partners while he is at the crease. Pakistan's coaches will tell you how hardworking and dedicated Younis Khan is. Pakistan's test captains will tell you the impact Younis Khan has on the dressing room.

It is these things that cannot be measured by numbers that Younis Khan will be mostly remembered for.

MISBAH UL HAQ

Captain Fantastic!

From taking on the reigns of Pakistan's test team in 2010 following the spot fixing scandal to breaking all the captaincy records there are to break for Pakistan, Misbah Ul Haq has been an exceptional leader.

He has taken Pakistan's test cricket to heights never witnessed before. He took the team out of turmoil, instilled belief and confidence in them, developed a culture like never before, and achieved unprecedented results.

Misbah's achievements as a leader in whites are incomparable.

Never has Pakistan's test cricket seen such continuity in selection and such stability in a batting order over 6-7 years; credit for all of this is to Misbah who has led these men with aplomb.

Enabled by Misbah, the team has broken records, the batsmen have broken records, and Misbah himself has broken records. Such is the greatness of this test team that the records they have established since 2010 will probably remain Pakistan's records for a long time to come.

Year 2016 was quite a strange year for Pakistan in test cricket.

It was a year where Pakistan reached number 1 in ICC's test cricket rankings for the first time since the inception of the rankings. And then in the same year, Pakistan lost 5 consecutive tests, the most they have ever lost in a row.

It was a year where Pakistan's test captain, Misbah Ul Haq, was hailed for becoming the most capped Pakistan test captain in the history of the game and for scoring the highest number of test centuries as Pakistan captain. And then by the end of the same year, everyone was asking him to retire.

It was a year where Pakistan's leading test batsman, Younis Khan, was criticized for being too old and losing his reflexes. And then he was hailed for scoring a magical double century at the Oval. And then by the end of the year, everyone was asking him to retire.

It was a year where Pakistan's misguided left-arm prodigy, Mohammad Aamir returned to test cricket at the same venue where he had left it 6 years ago. Amid all the hype, Aamir, who had taken 51 wickets in 14 tests at 29, was left pondering his future following his 11 tests in the year where he picked up 30 expensive wickets at an average of 41.

It was a year where Pakistan's ODI captain Azhar Ali was criticized immensely for both his ODI and test performances where he seemed all at sea at the beginning of the England tour. And then in the same year, he ended it with a hundred in Birmingham, a triple hundred in Dubai, and a double hundred at the MCG becoming the first Pakistani batsman to have two scores of over 200 in the same year.

It was a year where Pakistan's ODI captain Azhar Ali went out of favor with the PCB Chairman. And then by the end of the same year, he was the favorite to become the new test captain.

It was a year where everyone from the fans to the management to the selectors wanted Mohammad Hafeez to correct his bowling action and pass the test to resume bowling in international cricket. Yet, by the end of the year when his action was officially announced as legal, the selectors failed to include him in the ODI squad for Australia.

It was a year where Pakistan finally moved Asad Shafiq to the crucial number 3 position, where he responded in the best possible manner with a magnificent hundred. And by the end of the same year he was back to number 6 only after a handful of innings at 3.

It was a year where Pakistan finally discovered that its spinners can win matches outside the subcontinent as well with Yasir Shah producing magic at Lord's and the Oval. And then in the same yearm Yasir was shredded to bits in Australia.

You get the gist, right? Anyone who indulges in cricket betting would never get it right with Pakistan. They are so inconsistent that it is beyond belief now.

It was a year where Pakistan found the perfect opener for tests in Sami Aslam, who knocked 6 fifties in as many tests including two scores in the 90s. And then by the end of the year he quickly ran out of favor.

It was a year where Shahid Afridi played his last international match. Then in the same year he asked the PCB for a farewell international match. And by the end of the year he vowed never to ask PCB for a farewell match.

Well nothing strange about that... Afridi does these things every year.

As does Pakistan really.

For years Pakistan has carried the tag of being "unpredictable". Under Misbah, however, they were quickly shedding that tag with their outstanding consistent performances in tests and their pathetic disappointment in ODIs.

Year 2016, however, was the year that brought back the unpredictability of the team.

Misbah Ul Haq is currently captaining Pakistan in a test match for the 49th time, 1 more than the number of times Imran Khan captained Pakistan.

Misbah has not only captained Pakistan in more matches than anyone before him, he has also won more and scored more than any Pakistan captain before him. On many other fronts, he has surpassed all other captains from not only Pakistan, but also the subcontinent! He is undoubtedly at the helm of the most successful test team Pakistan has ever had, and is without a doubt the best test captain Pakistan has ever had.

1. Most Successful Asian Captain

While there are a few captains from around the world who have had far more success, Misbah is the clear leader among all captains from the subcontinent.

With 24 wins, he is well ahead of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, and just behind MS Dhoni who registered 27 test wins.

However, in terms of series wins, Misbah now has 10, which is the most by a captain from the subcontinent. The current series win over the West Indies took Misbah ahead of Dhoni and Ganguly who has 9 series wins each.

2. Most Successful Pakistan Captain

Misbah has 10 more test victories than Imran Khan and Javed Miandad did as captains. He is well ahead of them, and will remain as Pakistan's most successful captain ever for a long time to come.

The past 6 years under Misbah have been magical for the test team. There is a stark difference between Pakistan's performance in the 6 years before Misbah and the 6 years under him.

3. Most Successful Batsman as a Pakistan Test Captain

Out of all Pakistan test captains who have batted in at least 20 innings, Misbah has the most runs, highest average, most hundreds, and most fifties.

He is at the top of the pile and will probably remain there for a very long time.

4. Best Test Average among all Test Captains

Among all captains who have batted in at least 75 test innings, only Brian Lara averages more than Misbah does.

5. Most Runs as Captain Batting at Number 5

Which test captains are most remembered for their sterling batting performances at number 5?

For me, Steve Waugh tops the list. Inzamam, Allan Border, Arjuna Ranatunga, and Hansie Cronje also come to mind.

Misbah is above all of these names and many others as a batsman at number 5 while captaining his team. He has more runs than anyone else, and only Michael Clarke averages more than him as a number 5 test batsman as captain.

6. Most Century Partnerships and Partnership Runs for Pakistan

When Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan posted their 15th century partnership during the second test against the West Indies, they also went past Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf's record tally of 3,137 partnership runs for Pakistan.

Misbah and Younis now stand 5th in the world in terms of most century partnerships ever in test cricket. Not to mention that they are right at the top for Pakistan.

Their average is also right up there with very few pairs of batsmen (Hobbs & Sutcliffe and Langer 7 Ponting) ahead of them.

To think that Misbah has achieved most of this after the age of 35 is nothing short of remarkable. Most captains have retired before that age. Misbah is 42 now and still going strong, creating record after record for Pakistan in test cricket.

He has captained them to the top of the rankings (currently at two), he has led them to victories over all nations in the UAE where Pakistan remain unbeaten for 6 years, and he has created one of the most successful test sides in the history of the game.

Misbah is captain magnificent.

This second test against Australia being played in Abu Dhabi is Misbah's 31st test as captain of Pakistan, which puts him level with Inzamam as the third most capped test captain of Pakistan.

Only Javed Miandad (34) and Imran Khan (48) have captained Pakistan in more test matches than Misbah has.

Both, Miandad and Imran are also Pakistan's most successful test captains with 14 test wins apiece.

The last test win over Australia was Misbah's 13th test win as captain.

That is quite an achievement considering that Miandad and Imran are Pakistan's most successful test captains in Pakistan's history.

With the amount of criticism that Misbah receives, it will be quite a slap on the critics faces when he ranks alongside both Miandad and Imran as Pakistan's most successful test captain.

With the ongoing test match against Australia being played and another three to be played against New Zealand next month, Misbah could well become Pakistan's most successful test captain before the end of the year!


What is interesting to note is that Misbah has won a greater percentage of tests as captain than Miandad and Imran did. However, Wasim Akram is the more successful test captain in terms of % wins, winning 48% of his tests as captain of Pakistan.

Misbah has also lost a greater % of tests as compared to Miandad and Imran, however that could also have to do with the higher number of tests that used to end in draws during the 80s.

Miandad, Imran, and Akram also rank above Misbah in terms of W/L ratio in tests as Pakistan captain.

I won't be surprised, however, if Misbah improves on those aspects, i.e. % wins and W/L, considering the way Pakistan are playing and that they face New Zealand in the UAE next.

I have been completely against Misbah as Pakistan's ODI captain. However, I have always maintained that he is the right man to lead Pakistan in test matches, and achieving this record, which may happen as soon as in the next 4 days, will be one huge feather in Misbah's cap.