A very solid middle-order batsman, Misbah-ul-Haq is known for his orthodox shots as well as aggressive play. Often praised for providing an anchor in the middle (where more often than not), he has rescued the Pakistani team time and time again from various disastrous situations, all the while maintaining his “calm and cool” temperament.

Recently, this 37 year-old right-handed batsman was nominated in two categories for the LG ICC Awards 2011. Apart from five other Pakistani players who have been listed in various other categories, Misbah, who boasts an average of 44.32 in Tests and 42.78 in ODIs, has been chosen for the Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year awards.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Misbah expressed his utter delight at the two illustrious nominations: “Well, I feel happy. It is an honour to be nominated with top players of the world. So, I feel quite good at the moment”.

Misbah’s career, analogous to the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride, has been filled with criticism right from the start. However, after making a comeback at the age of 33 years, Misbah has continued to prove critics wrong despite being dropped from the international squad quite a few times. Indeed, due to his maturity, as well as his ability to rescue the team from batting collapses, Misbah’s value to the Pakistani side (for many) is indisputable at the moment.

With this in mind, PakPassion.net asked Misbah about his dependable Test captaincy since last year, to which Misbah responded, “Well, how we played in the New Zealand series, and right from the start, how we performed against South Africa, and also the recent West Indies tour along with the World Cup performance, I guess I can say that the team’s confidence at times was low but in general, the team has been playing well. I want to focus on our past accomplishments and take this to the future, so that we can improve upon our performance as a team”.

The two-Test series against New Zealand (which Pakistan won under Misbah’s captaincy), as well as his recent century (102*) against West Indies (which helped Pakistan draw the Test series in the Caribbean), are both accomplishments which point to Misbah’s positive approach, as well his ability to gel the team together towards victory. Between 2010 to present, in 7 test matches, Misbah has accumulated an impressive batting average of 71.44; and within that same period, after playing in 22 ODI matches, Misbah has obtained an exceptional batting average of 54.00.

It is therefore no surprise that a player of such quality, maturity and integrity, has been nominated in two impressive categories this year and shares the stage with the cricketing Worlds' Who’s Who of players of highest repute.

Regardless of his own achievements, Misbah is clear that just being a part of group of extremely talented players is an honour enough. When asked about whether he has considered the possibility of winning an award, he responded in his characteristically humble manner, “All the nominated players are good. I mean they all have performed quite well. Therefore, even if your name simply gets selected among the list of top players, then this in itself is a very joyful thing. After, whoever wins, it doesn’t matter too much as all have performed well. Of course everyone wants to succeed, as this is something that people naturally desire. However, because getting selected in the first place is a great accomplishment, then whoever ends up receiving the award, this will be a good decision regardless of the choice”.