Misbah-ul-Haq’s angle on the change in Pakistan’s One Day International captaincy – Cricket news
While the now former One Day International skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, may foster a feeling of being hard done by the Pakistan Cricket Board, Misbah-ul-Haq, his successor, will be feeling quite the opposite though more for his own success rather than Afridi’s
removal.
There was a raging debate before the 2011 edition of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World Cup as to who should be appointed captain and tasked with the responsibility to lead the side in the world’s premier cricketing tournament.
The decision went in favour of the talismanic, Afridi, though it must be noted that Misbah himself publically voiced the idea and backed his fellow team-mate to take on the role. It turned out to be a wise decision with Afridi leading a side that few gave
a chance to the last four of the competition. Recent controversy and behind the scenes happening meant that Afridi was removed from the task of leading Pakistan in ODIs and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 was appointed as his successor.
Yet, Misbah is not the ‘bad guy’ as he deserves the role on merit. Vice captain during Afridi’s reign, Misbah, was more resigned and analytical as opposed to Afridi’s aggression and flamboyance. Already the Test side captain, the role of leading his side
is not something the veteran batsman is unfamiliar with.
In fact, Misbah has been the more consistent and responsible of the Pakistan batsmen, especially in the ODI series against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 scoring an impressive 184 runs at an average of 92.00 runs per innings.
The knocks actually were the ones that actually led the side to the wins when other batsmen collapsed. Not only that, Misbah is often http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s last hope or chance to win a match which means that Misbah is no stranger to pressure as history shows.
While his latest heroics in the ODI series against the Windies speak for themselves, it is not the first time Misbah has had the weight of Pakistan cricket fans riding on his shoulders. In the series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in Sharjah, Misbah was often the
last known Pakistan batsman still batting while others had faltered.
In the inaugural T20 World Championship final against India, Misbah almost won the tournament for Pakistan single-handedly before the recent stand against the same bitter rivals in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup.
Yet, it has to be noted that in all those situations, Misbah always falls just short of the mark. Against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in the T20 final, Misbah literally threw away the game when Pakistan had done so well to be in a commanding position in the final over.
Even in the semi-final, Misbah slowed down and seemed more concerned about keeping wickets in hand rather than chasing down the score. So, one has to wonder whether his composure can be balanced with the drive and ability to kill games off, which he is yet
to demonstrate on the big stage. He does bring something different to the side, in terms of his tactical astuteness, composure and patience that the side can benefit from.
Misbah knows the side well and having been a part of the transitional process, he will know the current side’s strengths and weaknesses better than most. While removing Afridi was a questionable decision, appointing Misbah seemed a straightforward decision
and for the time seems a wise one, however, it goes without saying that Misbah has big http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Peter-Hewitt-c66001 to fill as Afridi’s record was one of the best in the nation’s recent history.
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