Overrating the Past

23 50+ in last 40 international innings

24 50+ in last 47 Test innings

17 50+ in last 34 ODI innings

52 50+ since October 2010

Highest ODI average by Pak player (min 100 games)

Ranked in the top 10 in both formats 

Highest average by Pak player in ODI winning chases

5th highest Test average by a Pakistan player

Highest Test batting average by a Pakistan Captain over 27 Tests

Most 50+ in Tests+ODIs by Pakistan Captain 

Leading run scorer for team in 3 ICC tournaments: 2007, 2011, 2013 

3rd leading international run scorer in 2011

2nd leading international run scorer in 2013

50s scored against all Test playing nations 

Dislike comments that "he can never be like Inzamam or Yousuf"

He is a better captain than both

He is a better fielder than both

He is a better performing captain than both

He was a better ageing player than both

He had more pressure on him than both because of not much quality around him

He has a better record than both in major ICC Events

Just because so and so has more career runs and career 100s than someone or has more natural ability does not make them a better player in some cases. You can only be as good as you can be as far as natural talent is concerned. Quality runs carry greater weight over quantity. The tough runs. Captain's runs are always tough because:

Lack of quality around him

Lack of experience around him 

Lack of batting depth in team

Situation he bats in

Reliance on him to deliver 

Pressures of captaincy too

Always playing away from home

Yet he is managing and delivering unbeatable consistency. Everyone has different criteria for judging the class of a player. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's how well you can argue for it. Put Inzamam or Yousuf in current line up instead of Misbah for a second. No one else to feed off. Would they be the same player? It would get to them. Would be perhaps 60-70% now of the player they ended up becoming. 

If only more statistics such as: 

Man of the match awards

Man of the series awards

Number of innings he has top scored in

His ranking 

% of runs in wins/draws

50+ 

Balls per getting out 

If only the above were displayed on the front page of his Cricinfo profile he would get a lot more rating. In terms of working his way to 50 and getting himself in, game after game, cannot recall a better player in terms of consistency.  It's time to redefine assessing the greatness of a player. Centuries are great, but in cases like Misbah's; do not do justice to his contribution or value in the team. I am not suggesting those two before weren't special players before anyone jumps the gun here. But in many aspects he stands out more, rising above them. And the difference between them is narrower than many may imagine. When Younis, Yousuf, Inzamam, Misbah all played in the same Test, who top scored? Current Captain. Proportionally, in his career span as a batter alone he has achieved more than the famous duo. In terms of consistency in getting to 50+ per number of innings, he is even better than them. 

If centuries were the criteria then Rameez Raja and Mohammad Hafeez are Pakistan batting greats.