39 ODI Wins as Captain

Just seen an interesting stat that Alastair Cook has the most ODI wins by an England Captain

Misbah ul Haq has 39 ODI wins as Pakistan Captain

That's more than any England ODI Captain

4th most by a Pakistan ODI Captain 

Peter Oborne on Misbah

I feel Misbah supporters are giving too much unnecessary importance to the views of Peter Oborne. He is a political writer primarily. Cricket is not his specialty. He probably doesn't even have the time to watch much Pakistan Cricket. I see where he is coming from on Misbah, but it's just one little quote. Hardly a big deal.

Current Captain is the best Pakistan Captain I have seen and the best Pakistan Captain since the turn of the century. I would go far as saying, he has been the best Pakistan Captain in the last 20 years and I doubt we will get as accomplished a captain as him in the next 20 years without exaggerating. He is a great Pakistan Captain.

BUT to say he is better than Imran doesn't add up.

Imran Khan was Pakistan's best captain, still is and probably always will be.

No one can be Pakistan's best captain other than Imran. Maiden five Test Match series wins in India and England and drawing against the formidable West Indies will always put him in the lead.

Very honestly, you don't see experienced international experts putting Misbah in the top 5 captains of history do you? But with Imran you do.

One thing that Imran, Kardar and Misbah share is they have all captained in over half of their test playing career, only Pakistan captains to do so.

Imran - 48 tests as captain out of 88
Misbah - 27 tests as captain out of 46
Kardar - all 23 tests as Pakistan captain out of 23 (played 3 for India)

http://www.nation.com.pk/sports/10-May-2014/misbah-greater-captain-than-kardar-imran-peter

Misbah's 37th

Misbah made his full time ODI captaincy debut on his 37th birthday in Belfast.

30th May 2011

This day 2011 - 30th May 

Misbah won his first ODI series as Pakistan Captain. First of 12 won series. Against Ireland. 

On the same day Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket. That was the main news of the day.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/507996.html

Captain at 40

The first and probably only time ever you will be able to celebrate the 40th of a current Pakistan cricketer. That too of a high achieving national captain. Only a couple of cricketers from the 1950s have played into their 40s for Pakistan, none were captain either. 

23 50+ in 40 innings for Pakistan at age of 39 across both formats. Leading by example in performance. It's not necessary for a captain to be the main contributor, but it helps.

Misbah's Test Captaincy summed up in a nutshell:

Only lost 2 out of 12 Test series vs 7 different sides.
Only averaged below 50 in 2 out of 12 Test series.

Out of Misbah's 70 50+ at international level. 52 of them have come after the age of 36. Surely highest % ever of career 50s at mid/late 30s.

Captain at 40. You can debate anything in Pakistan Cricket. But no one can doubt that Misbah has been head and shoulders above anyone else in terms of being the best ageing player in the game. Not just in Pakistan or in Asia, in the world. Peaking and having his best performances at 36+ while being Captain simultaneously. Not many have been good enough or important enough for a team to play into their 40s. Only cricketers from the 1950s have played into their 40s as far as Pakistan's history goes. Epitomizing age has no barrier better than anyone. Ensuring late 30s has been memorable. If you have a problem with him playing at 40, you should write to the ICC to make international cricket under 40 cricket like with U19s.

Yes admittedly, it is harder to play at such an age if you started career early. For example Atherton and Graeme Smith. Both who became captains in their mid 20s and both who played in over 100 Tests. Both well capped captains retired at just 33, body took it's toll earlier unlike Misbah. But still, you have to overcome perceptions and the critics will always find a way of mentioning age as something which counts against you.

Model of consistency 

Misbah in Tests as Captain = 27 Tests | 24 50+ | Out 36 times.

Misbah in ODIs since 2011 = 81 innings | 28 50+ | Out 61 times.

Specialists

Captaincy; some just have it. Others don't. Their authority is unmatched, but with that comes supreme responsibility. Many crumble under it. Some survive. Some thrive.

Two schools of thought on captaincy

Select your best possible team, make someone captain (normal way)

Select best possible captain in country, build a team around him (unique way)

Misbah ul Haq
Darren Sammy
George Bailey
Alastair Cook in ODIs

In the past
Mike Brearley
Bob Simpson

All the above were selected based on the second way, wouldn't have been in the team otherwise. Appointed purely on leadership pedigree. Not on seniority. The way specialist captains are appointed, natural leaders with experience or a proven track record in captaincy. The best - well trained captains are usually appointed this way.

I've always believed in specialist captains. You either have it or you don't. Therefore, worth going beyond the usual names to search for the best possible captain, even if that player did not necessarily hold a place in the best first choice playing XI beforehand. Unless you have the right man leading, difficult for a cricket team to function. Captaincy is so important in cricket, more than any other sport in terms of decision making and controlling a team.

Yousuf, Afridi, Inzamam were only made captains because they had served their countries for over 12 years. A prize for seniority. Not because they were "natural" captains who had been leading sides from early on in their careers. Misbah had ONLY PLAYED 19 TESTS when he was appointed captain.

The Severely Misunderstood, Misjudged and Underrated 

POINT 1

Educated player
Controversy free player
Consistent player
Proves age is just a number better than anyone
Consistently makes his critics eat humble pie
Very impressive temperament for batting
Methodical batting approach
Versatile batter - can power the ball and play long innings
Sound fielder
Proven his class in all 3 formats
Started his career extremely late, yet been a long serving Pakistan Captain

What is there not to like about Misbah?

He is not liked/appreciated because

1) Last man out in 2007 WT20 final and 2011 WC semi
2) He replaced Afridi as ODI captain
3) His age
4) His patient batting style

POINT 2

Defeated England 3-0 in Tests
Defeated India in India in ODIs
Won the Asia Cup
Drew against number 1 and number 2 ranked South Africa in Tests
Won an ODI series in South Africa
Won the domestic treble in one season
Won a Test series in New Zealand
Won an ODI series in the West Indies
Won an ODI series vs Sri Lanka twice in UAE
Has a 9-0 captaincy record vs Bangladesh in Bangladesh

What stands out about Misbah getting these feats is a number of factors:

Homeless team
Took over a scandalous team
Had to reverse a string of poor results under previous captains
Not managing the most talented of Pakistan sides
Managing a difficult side, always tough to captain Pakistan
Had to cope with many coach changes
Had to cope with many chairman changes
Had to cope with many selector changes
Had to cope with pressures of replacing Afridi as ODI captain
Had to cope with many unpleasant media agendas
Did it at 36-40 years of age
Hardly any experienced players when he started; Yousuf, Kaneria booted out
His own performance levels while doing it
Distinct lack of quality Pakistan captains before him

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
Most 50+ in an ODI calendar year ever in 2013 with 15

In short, Pakistan's second best captain

POINT 3

Under Misbah's Captaincy, Pakistan won the most ODIs they have won in a calendar year ever
24 in 2011
During that year Misbah averaged 54
9 50s in 26 innings
2 Man of the Match awards
ICC Cricketer of the Year nominee 2011

Under Misbah's Captaincy, Pakistan won the most ODI series they have won in a calendar year ever
7 in 2013
During that year Misbah averaged 50+
15 50s in 32 innings
5 Man of the Match awards
ICC ODI player of the Year nominee 2013

Under Misbah's Captaincy Pakistan won the most internationals they won in a calendar year across all formats
34 in 2011
During that year Misbah averaged 50+ in both formats
17 50+ across both formats
3 Man of the Match awards
ICC Cricketer of the Year Nominee 2011

Misbah's ODI Record vs West Indies

Misbah has 9 half centuries in 15 innings against the West Indies.
Only one of those have come in defeat, that by 2 wickets too only.
96* last time he played against them in a world tournament.

Next game
21st February
Venue: Christchurch in NZ
Day Game

Prediction: Misbah MOM

7th February

Waqar Younis coming back as coach according to reports for a second stint while Misbah is captain. That's how long Misbah has been in the job! Others are coming back after a 2.5 year gap, yet he is still here.

Misbah and Waqar were together for 7 Tests as Captain-Coach.
Won 3.
Lost 1.
Drawn 3.

In limited overs:
Won 7 out of 7.

Waqar may not be the greatest coach in the word, but he enjoys working with Misbah and thinks highly of him.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/659182674127435

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/519411971437840

https://en-gb.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/513504545361916

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/518393661539671

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/516936195018751

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/505565092822528


https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/519839231395114

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/519693791409658

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/519522784760092

4th March 2013

Geoff Boycott last played a first class match at 45 years of age

Stop complaining about Misbah's age

Gooch played at 41 for England
Imran Khan played at 39
The oldest player to play for Pakistan was 47 at last appearance

Mark Ramprakash retired from first class recently just shy of his 43th birthday

Sanath played his last game at 41 for Sri Lanka.

Brad Hogg played for Australia at 41 in World T20

Shane Warne has been playing in the BBL at 43

The difference in age between Misbah and Afridi/Razzaq/Ajmal/Younis is very small. Unlike Misbah, the rest have unreliable ages. The ones who come from an academic background like Misbah usually have accurate ones.

Misbah is turning 39 soon, but he is a batsman and not a wicket keeper or fast bowler, making age less of an issue. Get over it. If he does play the 2015 World Cup, he will only be 40 in February/March 2015. I wouldn't put it past him.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/508814969164207

23rd January 2014

Gets off the plane after after a year of non stop tours as Captain and has a month to rest. But, instead he gets off the plane and goes to play a domestic 4 day match and makes a century. Yes, 100 for him today. Most dedicated player I have seen. The most responsible player in the world. The best player in the world in the last 13 months for sure with the most astonishing of stats. Inzamam when he was captain never played domestic cricket. Misbah does it when his body is getting older and immediately after landing from a tour. Not the first time he is doing it either. This is unreal. Beyond words.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/652428608136175

20th January 2014

We have images in our heads that Inzamam and Yousuf were invincible. Even Inzamam averaged 23 in World Cup Cricket across 5 World Cups. Misbah has answered every question that has come his way in different situations, conditions, positions, formats and against different teams and in major competitions too or high profile test series. He can do no more. It's a huge shame he never gets his due.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/650825071629862

20th January 2014

Human nature to overrate the past and undermine the present. So many great players would have definitely crumbled if they had to keep performing in the situation the Pakistan Captain has. The only thing which stops Misbah being considered one of the greatest Pakistan batters is longevity according to doubters, but as captain his longevity has been the 3rd or 4th longest by a Pakistan Captain ever. Much much pressure, expectation and challenges to perform as a captain than as a batsman and he has the best record and performance levels by a Pakistan batting captain. And much harder to perform in a line up where there is not much depth, experience or genuine class around you and a lot of reliance on you as not only a player but as Captain. That's why I rate Captain as one of Pakistan's finest batters, best individually performing batting captain, best ageing player and best Pakistan batter across 3 different formats as an all round player. You will do very well to argue against that.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/650823651630004

12th November 2013

Reinforcing a point that I have made many times previously here at an appropriate time when the vultures are out.

Alastair Cook
Michael Clarke
MS Dhoni
Misbah ul Haq
Brendon McCullum
Angelo Matthews
Mushfiqar Rahim
Brendon Taylor

All lead their countries in Tests+ODIs.

Pakistan Team need 1 captain for both. They can't afford anything else with the way things work in the country.

They need to follow the current trend. They are better served with 1 Captain only in their culture for the main formats of the game.

Problem is that all other credible captaincy options in Pakistan that I can think of don't have a place in both formats.

Azhar Ali - not favoured in ODIs
Asad Shafiq - mediocre ODI player
Shan Masood - not played an ODI
Umar Amin - failed in ODIs, not played many tests
Mohammad Hafeez - not a test match player
Umar Gul - not a test bowler
Shoaib Malik - not a test player, failed in ODIs for a long long time
Younis Khan - does not want to do it, not an ODI player

There is simply no alternative to Misbah if you think it through properly with this in mind.

He is the best all round choice, the most complete choice and the most proven choice. The ONLY choice in simple terms.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/617146268331076

10th November 2013

Misbah will have a 4th coach during his captaincy. Remarkable. Waqar, Mohsin, Whatmore and now Whatmore is being released just before the Asia Cup and World T20 next year.

Just like in 2012, the new Coach's first assignment will be the Asia Cup. Can never be easy for a captain to adjust to so many different coaches. But Misbah has been doing it without any issues at all.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/615969855115384

17th October 2013

Best Captain in the world right now?

Smith - has a very strong team to benefit from

Cook - has a very strong management behind him + building on Strauss

Clarke - losing too many tests, plus struggling with off field control

Dhoni - lost too many test matches

All of these are very capable leaders, but Misbah stands out because

No Home Games
Managing a Difficult Side
Managing not the most talented side
Performing remarkably is an understatement
Distinct lack of quality Pakistan Captains before him

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/603675346344835

21st January 2014

Mohammad Yousuf recently made a comment that Misbah won't be able to score runs in England. Yousuf must have been sleeping during the Champions Trophy last year where he averaged 86.5 while others had batting averages like number 9-11 batsmen. He scored 96* in his first ODI in England in a match where 340 runs were scored and 18 wickets fell, all batsmen struggled in the match from both teams, apart from him. Also, he scored 83* vs Scotland and for Asian player to play in Scotland in May is very difficult because of the pitches and cold weather.

A lot of people might not agree with this but this is my personal opinion to why Mr Dependable is better than Yousuf in one day cricket.

1) Yousuf was a pathetic fielder. If you score 70 runs and give 30 runs in fielding then your contribution is 40 runs.
2) Yousuf was hopeless runner between the wicket. This affected batter on other end big time. So many times run out partners when taking singles. This is a big part of short format cricket.
3) Yousuf did not have responsibility of leadership to contend with.
4) Yousuf did not perform in major World tournament events, when it really matters like Misbah has in World Cup, CT or WT20.
5) Yousuf's wasn't a natural aerial hitter like Misbah, big part of one day cricket.
6) Yousuf had more quality and depth around him, less pressure.

I would definitely 100% have Misbah ahead of Yousuf in a one day team any day of the week. Even the selectors know that because they did not select Yousuf for the last World Cup and went for Misbah instead. In Tests, Yousuf has a higher profile, but Misbah's performances as a batting captain are better than that of Yousuf when he was captain. And current captain has performed at 35+ unlike Yousuf who completely faded away with age and ended his career poorly.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/651442788234757

31st March 2013

You struggle to think of a batter who is as patiently rooted and confident in defensive application than Misbah while being able to clear the ropes, play unconventional strokes, improvise innovatively and change gears so easily as Misbah. He is unpredictable in his approach, yet consistent in his scores. This is a tribute to his versatility.

At times it's like Mudassar Nazar has turned into Abdul Razzaq. A complete stoic resolute grinder and a sudden power hitter.
Misbah has always shown a different side to his game and when ever he does go for a big blow he makes sure it will go over the fence for half a dozen as he picks exactly the right ball and moment. He watches the ball so carefully, plays straight and is always willing to bide his time at the start to have a look which is why he can strike such handsome looking sixes when he fancies at will. Once you have mastered a strong fundamental basis and traditional values such as the ones mentioned in the previous sentence, anything is possible.

Obviously, cannot always play so expressively and adventurously as his role in the team, conditions and game situation varies. But the fact that he has a different element to his play than just that of a solid middle order rock means he was always a handful in the coloured uniform. One thing you do know with Misbah is he is full hearted in whatever he does, minor or major, let it be a defensive stroke, setting out his stall for a lengthy innings or in hitting a monstrous six.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/519511968094507

January 31st 2014

Michael Clarke beat England 5-0 in home Ashes and people say he is now the best captain in the world. When he lost 4-0 in India and 3-0 in away Ashes, no one said a thing about Clarke being the best.

Dhoni was being called the best captain in the world, but has not won any of his last 11 overseas Tests and last 7 overseas ODI games.

Alastair Cook was being called a top captain when he reached Champions Trophy final and won home Ashes 3-0. Now after losing away Ashes 5-0 and ODIs 4-1, he is considered the worst.

Brendon McCullum was whitewashed in Bangladesh and now is considered one of the better captains after beating World Cup and Champions Trophy holders at home.

There is no consistency in people's views about the best captain.
The Pakistan Captain is the best proven and complete all-round captain across Tests and ODIs in current game, especially when you consider the situation and pressures he captains in and has constantly captained in. Not only the best captain, but best performing and contributing captain as a player.

Captaincy is not just what happens on the field. A lot of captaincy is what we don't see. It happens behind the scenes. This is also a factor where Misbah is praised and not tainted like other world captains. Keeping the team together, managing to command authority in the team and galvanising the team as one away from the field of play.

Misbah does not claim to be a risky captain or a gambling captain. He is a controlled and measured captain but over time he has proven every now and again that he is a flexible captain and flexible in his planning. The last Test being the best example. Just like his batting where he combines defence with attack effectively, this is the best of both worlds also in the brand of captaincy he applies when leading. Aggression is best served when it is used as a form of deception and as a surprise, not used often but saved for key moments to seize.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/655748304470872

31st July 2013

In the UAE the Captain has 6 half centuries in his last 13 test innings against South Africa, Sri Lanka and England. He is undefeated in a test match and test series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi across 3 different series, all were against higher ranked sides going into the series. Next test series is here against the best and most superior test side in the world. We drew against them last time we played in the UAE. This time they are significantly more confident, but so are Misbah's men having won 4 of their last 5 tests in the UAE. Should be an interesting series. I genuinely believe Misbah's men can win a test match and the series against them, but they'll have to play like they did against England in 2012 to achieve it. It will be a huge thing if they do. Misbah is the only Pakistan Captain to defeat a number 1 ranked test side in a bilateral test series. Can he do it again?

https://en-gb.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/567142693331434

A Special Captain

Men of the class, credentials and calibre of the Captain don't come around often. As long as he can play to even a quarter of what he is doing right now and wants to do the job, they need to make the most of having him around. Whether he is 42 or 43 whatever would not matter a bit. We cannot discriminate against age. The fact that he is the oldest Pakistan player in one day cricket ever and oldest Pakistan Test cricketer in last 60 years means he is an exception to the rule. He is an articulate man and will know when it is best to leave better than anyone. That will be a sad day of course, one of the most saddest, but any sane mind hopes that day is a long way away.

Previously a few years ago I used to say Misbah was the second best Pakistan Captain or certainly had the qualities and potential of the second best Pakistan Captain, of all time. Some people used to agree with it, others thought it was exaggeration and laughed it off. Now that is a much more more common view with every win. My personal view is anyone who disagrees with this view of second best Pakistan Captain being Misbah, does not have a clue what they are talking about.

https://www.facebook.com/king.MUH/posts/654028324642870?stream_ref=5