The Difference Misbah Has Made

Before Misbah was captain:-

Pakistan lost 10 out of their last 15 tests

They had lost 6 out of their last 9 series with no series win

Since Misbah has been captain:-

Pakistan have only lost 1 in their last 15 tests

They have won 5 out of their last 7 series with none lost

In both sets of 15 tests Pakistan played against Sri Lanka, New Zealand & England away from home. This is the difference Misbah has made to the fate of Pakistan Cricket in the format which matters most for the pure cricket fans & always will matter the most.

Misbah is right up there with the likes of Michael Atherton, Mike Brearley, Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Strauss, Clive Lloyd, Kepler Wessels, Arjuna Ranatunga, Imran Khan, Allan Border, Steve Waugh etc as one of the most influential captains world cricket has ever seen on and off the field. Results are excellent but secondary in such a case, just look at the time & place he had to take over the thankless job & how far the team has come since. To say it is a remarkable journey is an understatement. It's simply out of this world....

Asia Cup Champions

Predicted Pakistan's Triumph Under Captain Misbah For Asia Cup 2012

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Summary

The Greens bagged their 2nd Asia Cup title in 28 years ever since the inaugural edition which Sunil Gavaskar’s India won in the United Arab Emirates back in 1984. They got there by sealing a 2 run win in a nail biting thrilling climax at Mirpur on the eve of their national resolution day 2012. The triumph came at a perfect time not only for this reason, but because this was also the week which marked the 20th anniversary since the Greens were crowned World Cup champions. Another major ODI trophy in the cabinet after a considerable time gap was the ideal way to celebrate it. After 12 years the Greens have regained the Asia Cup crown under Misbah ul Haq this time. It is the first major multinational one day tournament the Greens have won in 12 years since they last won the Asia Cup when it was last held in Bangladesh. After the World Cup & Champions Trophy this is the next major piece of ODI silverware the Greens can win as far as ODIs are concerned so the moment is one to cherish for fans, countrymen, players, management, and backroom staff. The lifting of the trophy was the close to perfect way to start Dav Whatmore’s tenure as head coach as the Sri Lankan born former Australian tasted glory in his very first assignment having taken over from interim coach Mohsin Hassan Khan earlier this month.

Best Individual Performances

Cheema’s 3 wickets and vital 10* in the grand final
Shahid Afridi’s all round record breaking MOM award in the final
Cheema’s 4 wicket haul in the league encounter against Sri Lanka
Hafeez’s all rounder MOM performance in the tournament opener
Jamshed’s maiden international century
Misbah ul Haq’s unbeaten 72 in the league encounter against Sri Lanka
Safraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 46 at the death in the grand final
Umar Gul’s game changing 3 wickets & 39 from 25 deliveries in the tournament opener
Hafeez’s 4th ODI century & economical spell of bowling against the arch rivals
Younis Khan’s 3 catches in the grand final
Saeed Ajmal’s spell in the final
Umar Akmal’s half century in the encounter against Sri Lanka

Others

SRTs 100th international century
Virat Kohli’s 183
Nasir Hossain in the do or die encounter against Sri Lanka
Shakib ul Hasan’s all round contributions against Pakistan
Gautham’s match winning century against Sri Lanka
Irfan Pathan best bowling figures of the competition against Sri Lanka
SRTs half century against Pakistan
Virat Kohli’s century against Sri Lanka
Nazmul Hossain’s 3 wicket haul against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma’s half century against Pakistan
Mushfiqar Rahim’s unbeaten 40 odd against India
Tamim Iqbal against Sri Lanka in the do or die situation

Best Individual Performers

P
Nasir Jamshed
Mohammad Hafeez
Umar Gul
Saeed Ajmal
Aizaz Cheema

I
Virat Kohli
SRT
MSD
Suresh Raina

B
Tamim Iqbal
Nasir Hossain
Shakib ul Hasan
Nazmul Hossain
M Riaz
Mortaza

The Rise of BD

Bangladesh deservedly stole the headlines in this 11th Asia Cup by surprising everyone by not only winning 1 match against one of the big 3 but two, as well as competing in the ones they lost against their Western neighbours with just narrow losses. There were many times during those two defeats where Bangladesh looked like causing yet another upset. From a sporting perspective it would have been the perfect script to see them lift the title considering the performances, enthusiasm & competitiveness they had shown in each and every match to reach their first final during a major multinational one day tournament. They competed in all encounters, showed plenty of spirit & their gun players consistently made an impact in all of the 4 matches to keep them interested & entertain a passionate crowd. They chased in all of the 4 matches & got home in the 2 more difficult chases were they were chasing the best part of 6 per over in one and only had 40 overs to reach the target under the Duckworth Lewis method in the other. The Tigers had only won 2 in 29 Asia Cup internationals coming into this tournament against UAE & Hong Kong to put things into perspective. They spoiled the party in SRTs elusive 100th international century & gave Sri Lanka their 4th straight loss in one day internationals & as well as giving their former coach a scare or too while chasing against Pakistan when Shakib was fluently ticking over the scoreboard in the middle passages against arguably the best attack in one day games currently. The Bangladeshis rose well above their weight in their most successful tournament campaign up to now. Stuart Law has played his part with his coaching. BPL was an effective initiative both from a commercial gain to increase popularity & improve their on field performances by spending quality time sharing dressing rooms with experienced seasoned campaigners & many gifted talents all over the globe. They made full use of the welcome home support they received to deliver on the playing field. Dhaka Stadium was electric as the mind blowing performances of the national team ignited the country. So near, yet so far.

Where this ranks?

The 10 best Individual Series/Tours/Tournament Achievements of Misbah ul Haq as Pakistan Captain:-

1) Whitewashed the World Number 1 Ranked Opposition in a bilateral test series under heavily pressurised circumstances with the troublesome history of previous Pakistan V England contests

2) Led Pakistan to their first test series win against a higher ranked opposition in 5.5 years (2 WCs had passed since that last happened) by securing a test series win against Sri Lanka

3) Led Pakistan to their first test series win outside Asia in 7 years, against New Zealand

4) Led Pakistan to a highly respectable drawn series against the number 2 ranked South African side after the biggest hit sporting controversy Pakistan has seen to date

5) Led Pakistan to their 2nd Asia Cup title in 28 years

6) Led Pakistan to their first ODI series win by a 3 match margin against a top 8 team since 2003 & that in a year where the opposition were finalists of the Cricket World Cup

7) Won a test match in the West Indies to square the series comprehensively with an inexperienced squad with problems happening behind the scenes with the Waqar – Afridi dispute

8) Won 6-0 during tour of Zimbabwe in all formats combined

9) Won 6-0 during tour of Bangladesh in all formats combined

10) Won 2-0 against Ireland with 2 comfortable wins with an inexperienced squad, alien conditions & during a tight uneasy schedule

How to improve the Tournament?

1) Extend the number of teams
2) Don’t cram it into a tight schedule which disadvantages certain teams
3) Final not on a working day

Best Combined XI

Your Combined XI in Asia Cup 2012 League Stage?
I’ll start:-
1) Hafeez
2) Tamim
3) Nasir Jamshed
4) Kohli
5) Shakib ul Hasan
6) Nasir Hossain
7) MS Dhoni (WK) ©
8) Irfan Pathan
9) Umar Gul
10) Saeed Ajmal
11) Nazmul Hossain
12th man – SRT

3 seamers
3 spinners
4 Pakistanis
4 Bengalis
3 Indians

What next?

They have whitewashed the world number 1 ranked opposition to win a series against England after 16 years away from home. It is their first whitewash against a top class opposition. It was their first whitewash outside Pakistan. It was their first as whitewashers since 2003 in tests when Bangladesh lost 3 straight tests in their tour of Pakistan that year. It was described by many as the country’s finest hour in test cricket. They have now won the Asia Cup for just the 2nd time in their history & gained a significant piece of silverware in one day cricket as well. Asking them to become the 1st team to win the ICC World T20 twice in the same year as well may be asking too much as not everything can go your way. Same applies for the youth world cup which commences on the 11th of August in Australia. We can expect the Greens to compete well, have their moments &come out with commendable campaigns in those tournaments, but asking them to win it is not beyond them, but asking for too much one feels. But if it happens 2012 will be even bigger than the record breaking resurgence of 2011 Pakistan had where they won 34 internationals (the most by an international side), 4 test series, 6 ODI series successively, and 3 T20 series & won everything barring a 20/20 international at St Lucia & the World Cup even though they were the stand out performers in the qualifying stages. In closing, the team continues to progress, pick up trophies small ones or bigger matters & healthily make the headlines for the right reasons under the unstoppable stopper that is Misbah.

Can someone please explain to me why there is even any talk of a captain being replaced who has won 32 matches as Pakistan Captain, lost 9 matches & drawn 5 matches? To put it into context Misbah has only lost 2 in 18 series as Pakistan captain across all formats of the game. Misbah has won his only tournament as Pakistan captain as well. Yet we are unsatisfied with him? We as a nation should appreciate his success, get behind him & stop calling for his head knee jerk style if there is 1 defeat here and there.

In all my time of following Pakistan Cricket I have not seen a captain who is more disrespected by his own fan base than Misbah. Maybe this is due to the power on the internet and social media, but in any case the irony is as far as professionalism, work ethic, diplomatic speaking abilities, off field accomplishments, humbleness and dignity is concerned Misbah is the most respected player in the Pakistan team by some way making him an ideal ambassador for both game and country, role model for younger generations and a person who plays the game in a gentlemanly spirit whilst still playing hard fought serious cricket on the pitch. Experts such as Geoff Lawson, Scyld Berry & Jonathan Agnew have praised and labelled Misbah as one of the more respectable players the Pakistan team has ever seen. Yet the Pakistani fans see him in a different light, but not surprising considering glamour, flair, excitement is valued most in this part of the world where people mentioned in the Qayyum Report for throwing the name of their country for an ulterior motive are even are looked upon in a more positive sense.

When you have a captain who has captained successfully for a decade in domestic cricket which several trophies, is the most educated & qualified player in the team & is quoted by former Pakistan coach & Australian fast bowler, Geoff Lawson as the best tactical mind in the team fromhis assessment when he was coach you know you surely can’t go wrong. He is someone who can be relied on. Success is bound to happen which has been shown. Youcan trust that under him Pakistan Cricket will not be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Why don’t we appreciate the benefits of stability and continuity in leadership?

These two words tend not to be associated with the Greens if history is anything to go by. Recently they have been applied & associated with the Greens more than ever before. We are seeing professionalism, discipline & healthy controversy free environment which are ingredients you need for consistency in performance over a period of time & for the progress to be achieved without problems occurring along the way. Yet virtually everyone is calling for the head of the captain with only 2 series defeats in 18 across all formats of the game in a year where there is an Asia Cup and T20 World championship scheduled. I find this mind boggling to say the least.

Pak need 1 captain across all formats to avoid politics. They have tried many times to have different captains across different formats, but it’s hardly ever worked has it? Remind yourself of the following incidents:-

Younis & Afridi = Younis was captaining in tests & ODIs whereas Afridi was captaining the T20 side in the latter half of 2009. What happened? Younis lost control & support of the players and refused to captain again.

Butt & Afridi = we found out that Butt was deliberately planning to underperform in the one day series in England so that Afridi could be removed. These are clear signs of internal groups developing.

Misbah & Afridi = Misbah was leading exceptionally in tests, there were question marks over Afridi’s performance, conduct & captaincy skills so much to the extent that Ijaz Butt delayed announcing the World Cup captain & decided to name him officially just 2 weeks before the tournament. Surely we don’t want to see the team to be the laughing stock of world cricket again due to indecisiveness & uncertainty over how they are moving forward?

Historically great captains have captained their sides in all forms of the game for a length of time. All teams should aspire to achieve greatness. In order to stand a chance of even achieving greatness different leaders for different formats is not the way forward.

We need to stop thinking emotionally or on individual likes & dislikes, but rather think logically & realistically about the best way forward for the team which comes before anything else. Continuously changing captains on a yearly basis when there are no major problems or mitigating circumstances will serve no purpose. Misbah has been praised highly from all corners and we should get behind him and more importantly his team. Why can’t we accept that we a need a leader like him at the fore? Is it really that difficult? His rein has been a memorable one. Why suddenly panic?

Reply: “But he’s 37”.......

Age is no barrier, age is just a number. He has the form, fitness and hunger. There is stability and continuity, the time is not right time to move a side or stand down. Misbah started his career late at 25 domestically so the body will still be in shape & not as worn as a typical 37 year old who’s been playing at major levels since 18/19. With the exception of this LOI series the results are coming through extremely well. Many players internationally have played late in their careers & served well for their teams. We play in the present, not in the future. Moreover, at least he keeps a genuine age identity rather than a deceptive one so he’s not all that old by Pakistani standards if we view if from this angle.

Why Pak will win the Asia Cup

Why I feel; the Greens will overcome the finalists of last year’s World Cup in the traditional brief sub continental rivalry which is held after every 2 years. The 2012 Asia Cup will belong to the Greens because:-

1) Their record for tournaments in Bangladesh is exceptional:-
2000 = Asia Cup winners in Bangladesh
2004 = Under 19 World Cup winners in Bangladesh
2008 = Kitply Tri Series Winners in Bangladesh

2) Easy opening fixture against Bangladesh to ease their way into the tournament because against the Tigers they possess a 28-1 record in their favour. Therefore, surely they will win this fixture with a bonus point too and therefore even if they lose the next one against Sri Lanka 3 days later, they will still stand a chance of getting it right against India and still qualifying for the final of the 7 match tournament. Pakistan also won 5 of their 6 ODIs against Sri Lanka last year so will be confident of getting the better of them which means they would have qualified for the final even before their tussle against India on the 18th.

3) Fatigue may come into play for the others. India & Sri Lanka have both been completing a lengthy travelling experience down under where they have been competing in a heavily scheduled tour. Moreover, the conditions they were up against there were completely different for those that may argue that the more matches they have played down under gives them an added advantage of such coming into the 11th Asia Cup.

4) Pak recently toured in Bangladesh at the back end of 2011 & won all 6 matches. Some of the current squad which has been picked for the Asia Cup also have been participating in the BPL so they will have greater familiarisation of the conditions.

5) Misbah ul Haq is due to win a tournament. Across all forms of the game the dependable leader of men has won 15 in 18 series as captain. Surely something is building towards a major tournament win in order to strengthen his CV even further which will be the icing on the cake to that close to impeccable captaincy record.

6) The spirits and stability in the camp is higher than the others, yes, it is strange to be associating this with Pakistan, but that it is. Pakistan have been winning close to everything and have been free from controversies. In the Indian camp there are rumours of disputes happening and 2 camps developing. India have been down and out since lifting the World Cup in Mumbai on April 2nd. Sri Lanka have had changes in personnel. The Islanders have lost all of their last 4 ODI series. Pakistan on the other hand come into this series having won 7 of their last 10 ODI series since the Asia Cup was last held. Their recent ODI failures should not be looked upon too highly as it is a common feature to see sides lose an ODI series when it proceeds a landmark test series triumph. There is bound to be an air of complacency which wouldn’t have happened had the ODI series been played before the tests.

7) Misbah has previously captained against India in an Asia Cup fixture with Pakistan chasing over 300 to win at the National Stadium in Karachi. It was the Younis-Misbah show for the 4th wicket which got Pakistan home well in time. These past memories will be put him in good stead that it can be done against them. The captain has to lead from the front & has taken a liking to the Indians in the past with his 2 marathon test centuries in 2007, unbeaten 70 as stand in captain in 2008, quick fire innings down the order in the Kitply tri series final in 2008 & his heroics in the first India-Pakistan Twenty20 match where Misbah enabled Pakistan to salvage a tie from an improbable position to go along with a few List A centuries in 2004 against India “A” who at the time were made up of some players who are in the current Indian one day side. Misbah has experienced plenty of individual success against India.

For The Record Pak’s record in ODIs since the last Asia Cup

Under Afridi

Lost 3-2 vs. England 2010
Lost 3-2 vs. South Africa 2010
Won 3-2 vs. New Zealand 2011
World Cup: 6/8 wins, topped group A & deserved semi finalists 2011
Won 3-2 vs. West Indies 2011

Under Misbah

Won 2-0 vs. Ireland 2011
Won 3-0 vs. Zimbabwe 2011
Won 4-1 vs. Sri Lanka 2011
Won 3-0 vs. Bangladesh 2011
Won 1-0 vs. Afghanistan 2011
Lost 4-0 vs. England 211

A Proud Day For Afghanistan Cricket

It was a momentous occasion for Afghanistan with their first official ODI against a major team at their unofficial home of Sharjah on a Friday evening under lights which is a local holiday in the United Arab Emirates. As always it was jam packed in Sharjah. It was an electrifying atmosphere as expected. Afghanistan’s skipper won the toss and didn’t hesitate to bat first. Pakistan on the other hand played their full strength team with 3 front line bowlers and Umar Akmal keeping wicket. Wahab Riaz was playing his first international for the men in green since May when he played in the St Kitts test match in the Caribbean tour.

Pakistan bowled out the Afghanistan side in the 190s as Shahid Afridi picked up his 8th 5 wicket haul and 6th MOM in the last 12 months for Pakistan. Pakistan cruised to victory in clinical and professional style with Younis Khan scoring an unbeaten 70 at over a run a ball whereas Captain Misbah made an unbeaten 40 to guide his side over the line by a 7 wicket margin. Earlier Imran Farhat made his 4th ODI half century in his last 10 innings since making his comeback in the team. Pakistan will be taking on England in the 1st of 4 one day matches on Monday from Abu Dhabi. Pakistan have won all of their last 14 internationals and this was their 7th ODI win in a row.

Top Order Analysis – Pak vs. Eng Test Series 2012 – Pakistan Perspective

Mohammad Hafeez 6/10 – Mohammad Hafeez scored 1 half century in 5 innings, held on to important catches and had 5 wickets at just an average of 16 including dismissing either Cook or Strauss 3 times early in their innings to break the opening partnership with a relatively new ball each time. 4 times he was trapped LBW in 5 times he was dismissed and the vast majority came against the spinners. Monty got him 3 of the times in the 5 dismissals whereas Swann and Anderson got him LBW one time each.

Taufeeq Umar 5/10 – Taufeeq had a noteworthy test match at Dubai in the 1st test with a half century followed by an unbeaten stay to get the hosts over the line untroubled to take a thumping 10 wicket win. However, Taufeeq was dismissed cheaply in the next 4 innings with Swann getting him in Abu Dhabi bowled both time on the off stump line and Anderson removed him in his first or 2nd over with the new ball both times in the 3rd test with one delivery swinging back and the other shaping across as Taufeeq edged behind. Taufeeq also spilled a regulation catch in the slip cordon of Alastair Cook which could have proved to be costly. Taufeeq did put on 50 or above with Hafeez twice in the series for the opening stand. Taufeeq has now featured in 15 consecutive tests or 7 full series opening the batting with Hafeez, which is the most by any Pakistani opening pair.

Azhar Ali 9/10 – Forget the low scores and trouble caused by Broad as we witnessed 2 vital innings in pressure situations during the course of the series. Azhar piled on an invaluable stand of 88 for the 5th wicket with Shafiq in Abu Dhabi to provide the bowlers with something to bowl at and prevent England from running through the line up on the evening session of the 2nd test day 3 when they had Pakistan 55/4 with the best part of 2 hours left in the day and only the youngsters and tail left, but they managed to survive to stumps without further loss and take the score to 125/4 to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

It was encouraging to see 2 young technically and temperamentally well equipped batters in their mid 20s digging their side out of trouble and demonstrating utmost character and responsibility with their resistant, disciplined, spirited approach. Azhar top scored in the 2nd innings of the 2nd test. In Dubai for the 3rd test Azhar complied a marathon effort for his 158 which he spent approximately 9 hours at the crease. The match was in the balance and if anything England had their noses in front when he walked out to the middle as the Greens looked to cut off the 42 run deficit they had conceded and then going on to lose both their openers whilst they were still trailing behind. Azhar managed to survive and looked solid in defence as he was 1* from 29 as tea closed in. Then, batted 2 full sessions without losing a wicket alongside Younis Khan who was having a stinker of a series up to this point as the Greens concluded day 2 at 222/2 for stumps after England had been shot out for 141 and Pakistan had been bundled out for 99 having won the toss on the opening day. This was a remarkable recovery.

Their stand which was the highest of the series grinded England down mentally and physically and even if the rest of the order collapsed in a heap which they did in the middle session of the 4th day it was always going to be a mountain to climb from their perspective. What stood out about Azhar was how he eliminated DRS out of the equation, fluently tackled the spinners and showed endless persistence and perseverance early in his innings to get set for a long composed determined vigil as the test drifted away from England’s hands the longer he was out there.

The KRL batsmen churned, wore, worked over, pro longed the innings duration, earned England’s respect, provided a firm platform for further easier accumulation/consolidation and frustrated the bowling into dust over a longer period in order to reach his career best test score as he negotiated with Swann and Monty securely in the 442 deliveries he spent at the middle which is the longest he has batted as a firm defensive founder, stodgy accumulator, workhorse, traditional blocker and innings holder. The true test virtues of discipline, mental toughness, determination, temperament unflappability, resistance, stamina and technical solidity were on display.

Azhar was the leading run scorer in this tour and the only batsmen from either party to score over 200 runs as he ended on 251 in 5 innings at an average of 50+. This was the highest average of the series in what has been a bowler dominant low scoring series. Azhar made the highest individual score in the series, just like he did for Pakistan on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 where we saw that unbeaten 92 in a match winning cause at the Oval.

The classical old school crease occupier also faced the most deliveries in the series with 727. In all 3 series which have been contested in the UAE against the South Africans, Sri Lankans and now England, Azhar has ended the series as the 1st or 2nd in the most runs, balls faced, 50+ scores registered and highest average. Azhar has only lost 1 in 9 series as a player since debuting at Lords in 2010 against the Aussies. Azhar has now entered the top 10 on the ICC batsmen test rankings alongside SRT. The future captain has 13 50s and 2 centuries in 39 test innings with both his centuries coming at the DSC.

In all 4 sessions which Pakistan had on this tour where they only lost 1 wicket or less featured Azhar Ali which is a significant period in the context of the match scenario due to wickets falling quickly in the series and Azhar alongside his partner managed to block the passage, interrupt the pattern of wickets falling quickly, pick the bowling to negotiate with what was being sent down at them and ultimately this led to getting some partnerships rolling.

Pak - Wash Is Not Finished Yet......

The 3-0 mission accomplished in the most significant format was monumentally, pleasantly surprising jubilance which no one could have seriously thought about in terms of a series score-line along those lines, but the job is not completed yet by any stretch of the imagination and there is more dominance to follow and many more victories although they won’t quite be as resounding as the test ones, but ODI cricket is Pakistan’s forte which they take equally as seriously. Generally the ODI format in this part of the world has higher viewership, crowd attendances and genuine excitement. Going by how pessimistic some of the England supporters are about their team’s chances in the one day internationals which start next week over winning even a single one day international let alone draw or win the 4 match series, there is almost every chance for Captain Misbah’s Team Pakistan to whitewash the visitors in ALL formats and end up with a 10-0 score line once the whole tour concludes on Monday 27th February in Abu Dhabi.

England have been woeful in sub continental conditions and lost 5-0 in India last year whereas in the World Cup only managed 3 victories in 7 encounters. They are below the men in green on the ICC ODI rankings by some way. Last two ODI series they have played against the men in green away from home have ended in defeats for them. Cook and Broad are inexperienced captains and England is vulnerable to spin on the slow and low wickets.

For the hosts majority of the overs will be bowled by the slower men who control the flow of runs, take wickets and are consistently reliable performers. It’s a squeezing process to overcome for the batsmen and each of the trio of spinners is different which never allows you to settle as a batter. With anything even over 200 on the board batting first and Pakistan will fancy their chances by turning to their spinners under lights, who get through their overs quickly not allowing batsmen to think on their feet, build pressure with dot deliveries, can come on early with the new ball to surprise the top order and with varieties in repertoire can break partnerships and cause panic in the dressing room at any moment. Lastly, they also have the skill, experience and confidence of bowling in the batting power play and can be extremely difficult to get hold of and subsequently trigger collapses courtesy of Saeed Ajmal’s mesmerising mysteries.

The off spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez are ranked at 1 and 2 on the ICC ODI bowling rankings which just shows how impressively they have delivery in ODI colours over the last year whereas the multi talented leg spinner Shahid Afridi was the 2nd leading ODI wicket taker last year with 45 scalps in 27 outings including 4 5 wicket hauls with his canny flattish sharp drifting leg spinners, sliders and top spinners. The talismanic leg spinning all rounder has kept him busy by playing for the Melbourne Renegades down under while the national test team were up against Bangladesh and England and had a decent time of it over there from a personal point of view. How well England can negotiate and tackle these gifted, accurate and unorthodox spinners will be the deciding factor in the brief ODI series. The Men in Green are firm favourites, looking forward to the contests and the tourists will be up against it. We shouldn’t be surprised to see Pakistan win this series 4-0. It will be a challenging ride for Cook’s side and even harder than what they were up against during the test series which they’ll want to put behind them as quick as possible after suffering the humiliation of a clean sweep.

The visitors will be taking on their Lions squad for a warm up fixture on Friday who have just beaten the Sri Lankan A team 3-2 in a 5 match unofficial ODI series whereas Misbah and company they will be heading to Sharjah for a one day international against Afghanistan on the same day where they will be looking to dominate and perhaps experiment.

Only 2 of 8 KP writers had The Asian Side definitely claiming the series in the preview which was published on the 3rd of January titled: “England will be put through a tough Pakistan test”and that too by only a 1 match margin with a 1-0 scoreline. 1 of our writers hesitatingly sat on the fence at 1-0 either way, 2 said 1-1 including myself, 2 said 0-0 whereas one thought England would bag the series 1-0. Few of us expected Pakistan to win the series, compete and draw respectably perhaps yes, but winning it was not what we expected in all honesty. None of us said we would win the series by a 2 match margin, but it turned out to be by a 3 match margin. In the preview I also mentioned that 2 results was pushing it and 3 results was close to impossible, but as it stands the Greens have won all 3 tests with all 3 tests having results. We expected docile tracks, high scoring draws and uneventful action, but it was nothing but fast paced test cricket with wickets falling in clusters and tests continuously progressing forward towards an outcome with every session and none of the 3 tests went into day 5 believe it or not. 110 wickets fell in 11 days with over 3 wickets falling per session.

There were several reasons for this –

a) High quality bowling, both teams bowled exceptionally and it was refreshing to see some top class spin bowling in particular from both of the sides because as Nasser mentioned we had seen some ordinary, average, mediocre spinners for some time in world cricket, but here we had talented finger spinners from both sides and a mystery bowler from Pakistan in the form of Ajmal who injected fear in batsmen and posed some serious questions
b) DRS and batsmen being paranoid as a result of getting struck on the pad with a record number of LBWs falling for a 3 match series in this tour
c) Out of form batsmen who were short of runs and confidence
d) England’s batsmen struggling to adapt to the slow paced nature of scoring rates in this part of the world and lacking patience and application to play long old fashioned dogged test match innings
e) Ajmal’s pre series talk really playing in the minds of England’s batters
f) England’s preparation not being up to scratch while Pakistan were playing the Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis as I incidentally said in my preview for why they had a slight advantage over England coming into this series
g) England Not being able to lift themselves after losing 5 wickets in the opening session of the series of their top 5 batsmen without 60 on the board at the lunch interval with Ajmal bagging 3 wickets in his first 10 deliveries he sent down. Starting a series well is so often so important for what goes to happen at the end of it all
h) Underestimating the Pakistan team after the spot fixing scandal and how far they had come under Misbah ul Haq and talking of underestimating they also did so for the Pakistani bowler Rehman and Gul whereas they were taken a bit by suprirse by Hafeez who got 5 left handers dismissed at just 16 as all the talk was surrounding Saeed Ajmal

Combined Series 11

1) Mohammad Hafeez
2) Alastair Cook
3) Azhar Ali
4) Younis Khan
5) Misbah ul Haq (C)
6) Asad Shafiq
7) Matt Prior (WK)
8) Stuart Broad
9) Abdur Rehman
10) Saeed Ajmal
11) James Anderson

Pakistan’s ODI Squad

Batsmen

Misbah ul Haq (C)
Younis Khan
Azhar Ali
Asad Shafiq
Imran Farhat
Shoaib Malik (added on the request of Misbah ul Haq)

Wicket Keepers

Umar Akmal
Adnan Akmal

All Rounders

Mohammad Hafeez
Shahid Afridi
Hammad Azam

Fast Bowlers

Umar Gul
Wahab Riaz
Aizaz Cheema
Junaid Khan

Specialist Spinners

Saeed Ajmal
Abdur Rehman

Sessions WON

Pak 21
Eng 12

1st test: 6-3 Pak
2nd test: 6-6
3rd test: 9-3 Pak

Test Win Number 9 For Misbah ul Haq

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Greenwashed


Before Misbah took over Pakistan were in 6th place on 83 points and after 15 tests as captain Pakistan are in 5th place with 108 points and just 3 points behind the number 3 ranked side

18 more months as test captain and Misbah would have WON more test matches than any Pakistan captain ever - there have been 29 captains at test level for Pakistan - Misbah has the most impressive record by any of them by a country mile - not to forget his ODI record as both a player and captain which is even better than his test record - Mr Consistent and the unstoppable stopper

Previously Misbah already had the highest W/L ratio in ODIs + overall, but now he is at the top in test matches as well

Year Defining Win

Whatever else they do this year, nothing can beat what we have seen this month. Pakistan may go on to win many series and tournaments this year such as the Asia Cup, T20 Championship, ODI series win against England BUT nothing and I mean nothing comes in front or comes harder than what has been achieved over the last few weeks with a high profile test series win against the world number 1 ranked side and that too with a whole test match to spare. It was a major obstacle to compete with, but the hosts have overcome it in triumphant fashion.

England came into the series as favourites and Pakistan although they had had an impressive run with series wins without a single defeat against New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as a commendable drawn series against South Africa and a test win coming back from behind in the Caribbean to level the series, their best bet was considered a drawn affair against England and even the keenest optimists were only settling for a 1-0 series win, but yet Pakistan exceeded expectations which no one could have predicted to break England's unbeaten test run where they hadn't lost any of the previous 9 series, winning 8 of them and standing tall at the number 1 ranking going into the series, but 2 emphatic victories for Pakistan in the end gives them the serious honours and that is that.

There was even some talk of comparing this England team to the West Indies of the 80s and the Aussies under Steve Waugh, that's how highly they were rated coming into this series, but Pakistan have beaten them convincingly once and from the jaws of a certain defeat in another. Team Misbah have caught England off guard and when we look back at the year that 2012 is it will be hard to consider a bigger and more symbolic triumph than this test series win over a dominant England side.

Test 2 | Day 1

Toss: Misbah won the toss and elected to bat first. This is only the 2nd time that they are batting first in the 14 tests that he has captained. Last time they did so they beat the West Indies in Guyana to square the 2 match series in May.

Selection: Junaid Khan, the Lancastrian overseas player in 2011 who claimed a memorable 5 wicket haul against the Sri Lankans here in October came in for Cheema whereas for the visitors Monty got a go with Tremlett’s injury ahead of Finn and Onions as England fielded 2 specialist spinners for the first time since the opening Ashes test match at Cardiff in July 2009. Apart from that both parties were unchanged.

Pitch and conditions: It was meant to be placid and extremely unresponsive. A dreading experience for the bowlers was awaited. However, there was turn and purchase and to some degree extravagant turn on day 1 for the slower men and it was chillier than usual in the UAE. The crowd was by and large disappointing and rather empty.

Ball of the day: There were several - Monty getting Hafeez with an arm ball the very next delivery after he spilled a caught and bowled opportunity. Hafeez misread the length as he went back looking to cut, but the ball skidded through straight to shatter the furniture. Monty was delighted.

Shot of the day: Taufeeq off driving Anderson with a firm push down the ground to beat mid off and race away to the fence with excellent timing to open his account and get off the mark on the first delivery he faced in the very first over and 4th ball of the test match with the close to perfect off drive as he capitalised on somewhat of a half volley, probably looking for some swing in the air.

Action: Misbah taking Monty on with consecutive 6s over long with some clean striking early in his innings as he took the attack to the bowler coming in at the usual 3 down position in just the 44th over. In the 94th over Misbah took Monty again, it was the last over of the day and he got back to back 6s again with some big blows.

POD: Misbah ul Haq who registered his 2nd half century of the series with a classical old school test innings where a time consuming crease occupation was demonstrated to grind out the bowling, churn out the runs gradually, frustrate the opposition, overcome passages when the going was tough, hold the innings together, set a foundation and try and squeeze the venom out of the bowling over a longer period. The key was valuing, respecting and priding his wicket as if his life was depending on it and showing a chanceless approach for digging in deep and long. Misbah, the Pakistan captain will want to add at least 40 more to his score tomorrow in order to earn a well deserved and hard fought gutsy and enduring century.

Sessions

Morning: 73/2 (31) – Eng

Afternoon: 104/2 (34) – Pak

Evening: 79/3 (29) - Eng

Day: England

Series:Pak 7 Eng 5 /12

Statistics

Hafeez and Taufeeq have 10 50+ stand in 30 test innings together and got their 2nd of the series in effectively 2 innings

All top 4 batsmen had their stumps pegged

Cook and Strauss will become the 1st English pair to appear in 100 innings together during this test match

Team Pakistan have posted 330 or more 10 times in the 1st innings in 13 tests under the leadership of Misbah ul Haq

Azhar Ali has been dismissed by Broad 4 times in the 36 test innings he has had at test level with 10 coming against England

Pakistan have fielded the same top 6 for 7 tests in a row now

Both test matches which have been played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium have ended in high scoring draws

The Electric Fence aka Misbah has scored 13 50+ scores in 22 test innings as captain including 7 NOs in that package

Shafiq has 5 50+ scores in 16 test innings

Prediction for tomorrow: Pakistan 345 AO (all depends on Misbah)
England: 179/3

Looking ahead: Misbah needs to bat right to the end and take the odd calculated blow in between and stretch this total as far as possible. If he could last at least 90 minutes or more in the morning and help Pakistan get above 330 that will be a job well done. 300 has to be the minimum target. I feel from an early look that this test will be decided in the 3rd innings and if Pakistan batsmen do not falter they should be able to hang on for at least a draw if not better. It looks like if England have improved on their batting display in Dubai that they will at least get a lead and go in front here and then unleash their spinners in the 3rd innings hoping to get Pakistan skittled relatively cheaply with enough time to knock off the runs and square the series. Pakistan will be more than happy to draw this test and maintain the series lead. The top order MUST bat considerably better 2nd time around, especially Azhar and Younis who have failed so far in the series in order to avoid getting bowled out quickly and give England a strong shout of coming back and pushing for the win. Killing and taking time out of the game will be important from their point of view.

Ajmal Too Strong For England In Dubai

England were woefully out of sorts in the 1^st test at Dubai as Misbah ul Haq’s men outplayed the world number 1 ranked test side to win by 10 wickets inside 3 days and take an influential 1-0 lead in the series. Now, 2 dead draws will be more than enough to give Misbah ul Haq’s side the series honours which will be nothing short of a monumental achievement in Pakistan’s test history and also represent a phenomenal run of rich test form under Misbah’s captaincy which includes beating the very best in the business who went into this series full of energy and optimism for beating Pakistan and even walking over them. Pakistan was expected to compete, but the manner and margin of victory was astounding and least expected. This is the first time since 2003 that Pakistan have won 3 consecutive tests in a row when they whitewashed Bangladesh in their tour of Pakistan in 2003, the series famously known for the match winning knock played by the Sultan of Multan to save the hosts from utter embarrassment. Pakistan has won the most test matches since January 2011 and has been the best test side in the world since then. England have stressed that they are not going to panic,but some decisions need to be made and they will need to get their acts together sooner than later, otherwise this tour could turn out to be a long and miserable one for them. Ian Botham on commentary had suggested one of the reasons Pakistan have been performing so well is by sticking by the same bunch of guys and not chopping and changing too much. This is backed up with the fact that Pakistan have fielded the same 11 in all the last 3 tests that they have played and won. Just like in 2011, Pakistan have started 2012 on a winning note by beating the opposition in the whites inside 3 days by 10 wickets. 2011 went on to be a record breaking year for Pakistan Cricket. 2010 started with the SCG defeat and a shambolic year followed. Early indications are promising for Pakistan for 2012.

Test Win Number 7 for Misbah ul Haq. What stands out is the margin of all the wins under his captaincy:

- 10 wicket win inside 3 days against New Zealand

- 196 run win against the West Indies

- 7 wicket win against Zimbabwe

- 9 wicket win against Sri Lanka

- An innings win against Bangladesh -

- 7 wicket win against Bangladesh

- 10 wicket win inside 3 days against England

Only 6 out of 29 Pakistan captains have led Pakistan to more test wins, although all of them had lost significantly more:

- 8 Mushtaq Mohammad

- 10Waqar Younis

- 11 Inzamam

- 12 Wasim Akram

- 14 Javed Miandad

- 14 Imran Khan

Misbah has the highest W/L ratio by a Pakistan test captain of all time

Misbah ul Haq: Won 7 Drawn 5 Lost 1 (7.0)

Rashid Latif: Won 4 Drawn 1 Lost 1 (4.0)

Zaheer Abbas: Won 3 Drawn 10 Lost 1 (3.0)

Captaincy Record across All Formats: Played 32 Won 25 Drawn 5 Lost 2 (W/L ratio of 12.5)

Described by cricket journalist Rob Steen as one of the 5 men of the year in 2011 and for his exact quote have a read below: “Kudos for the current Pakistani resurgence, though, goes primarily to Misbah, whose calm leadership and even calmer batting have lent stability to the most storm-tossed vessel on the high seas. The contrast to his disgraced predecessor could hardly have been starker. Among the new, true allrounders - i.e. those picked across all three formats - none averaged more than his 57.20. The first 40-year-old national skipper since Imran Khan? Don't put it past him." - Rob Steen Cricinfo Mid December 2011

Saeed Ajmal was the chief destroyer of the English batting in this match, but do you know how Ajmal managed to get into the team in the first place? Misbah ul Haq recommended and pushed for his inclusion to the board and eventually when Misbah captained for a one off in 2008 he got his chance ... since then the off spinner has not looked back and dominated There is a direct link between educated... cricketers becoming outstanding captains:

Mike Brearley (who was purely in the team for his captaincy as he averaged in the low 20s)

Imran Khan

Nasser Hussain

Michael Atherton

Kumar Sangakkara

Rahul Dravid

Sourav Ganguly

Andrew Strauss

Similarly, Pakistan’s current captain has a master’s degree. You doubt an MBA at your own peril.

Player Ratings In The Last 3 Tests

Taufeeq Umar 9/10: The latter stages of the Sri Lankan test series turned out to be pretty disappointing for him after that marathon double ton in Abu Dhabi which was the 2nd highest by a Pakistani opener after the little master’s Bridgetown epic in the 1950s, but Taufeeq bounced back hard in Bangladesh with a noteworthy score at Chittagong and Dhaka to end 2011 as Pakistan’s leading test run scorer with over 800 runs at average just above 45. Taufeeq was expected to be batsmen who will struggle against England with his technical deficiencies against spin and his unhealthy habit of being trapped LBW frequently when planting down the front pad early, but with his guts and persistence some felt he will be able to get through and he did by being one of the 4 half centurions in Pakistan’s innings which gave them an invaluable lead of 146. Taufeeq was looking solid throughout and drove fluently when the opportunities was there, but received a close to unplayable delivery from Broad which he had no answer to as it shaped in from around the wicket and straightened to disturb the top of the off stump bail.

Mohammad Hafeez 8/10: scored a century in Chittagong with his pleasing to the eye timing and placement all around the wagon wheel,unfortunately he had a poor test match at Dhaka and failed to make any constructive impact there, but much to his credit he came back hard in the first test of the series at the DSC where he claimed the wicket of ICC test cricketer of the year and the first wicket of the test series, coming into the attack in just the 6th over before going on to register a crafty 88 and knock off the required runs in the 4th innings unharmed as Pakistan cruised to victory.

Azhar Ali 6/10: missed out in Chittagong where he was caught behind looking to drive a full and wide delivery, but registered a resilient half century in Dhaka and played a crucial accelerating hand in the 4th innings chase in the fading light with limited time where he expressed him, was willing to gamble and looked assertive in his strokes to ensure Pakistan got over the line. He missed out at the DSC where he was caught behind fishing at a delivery outside the off stump to nick off after just 8 deliveries. We have been used to better from him, but I’m sure he’ll come back hard and bounce back. Azhar has featured in 9 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in the 19 consecutive test matches he has represented Pakistan.

Younis 7/10: scored a double century in Chittagong and an unbeaten one too, he fell one short of getting to the 50 mark in Dhaka where he edged behind to a sharp turning delivery in the early minutes of day 4, but ensured he got the team over the line with Misbah batting 2nd time around.
Younis only managed 37 in a total of 338 at the DSC in the first test against the Poms before getting trapped in front to the part timer Jonathan Trott who got one to nip back sharply off the seam. However, after 11 tests since Younis has resumed his career Pakistan are yet to lose with 6 victories.

Misbah ul Haq 7/10: also missed out in Chittagong when he was trapped in front for 20, but made a 70 odd in the first innings in Dhaka with some sublime strokes down the ground against the pacers and swept to the fence authoritatively, either reversed or dealt with in orthodox fashion against the spinners before getting an edge to slip which was taken as he attempted to sweep extravagantly towards mid wicket. The unstoppable stopper, irremovable barrier, electric fence and successful national captain concluded 2011 with a humungous 2nd ball mighty six over long off against the slow left arm orthodox spin of Sunny to end 2011 as Pakistan’s 2nd joint leading run scorer with fellow middle order batsmen in Younis Khan. Misbah started 2012 just as he finished 2011 by notching up a patient, disciplined, preserving, resilient, determined, resolute half century which means that he has now got 50+ scores against ALL test playing nations raging from Australia right down to Bangladesh as he delivered the goods in his first test against England in the Gulf. Misbah has now featured in 10 test wins for Pakistan and 10 defeats in 32 tests and as a captain he has 7 wins in 13 tests with only 1 narrow defeat and had been undefeated for 8 tests in a row, winning 6 of them. Misbah is eyeing a 4th consecutive test series win for Pakistan now with Pakistan 1-0 up in the series against England after seizing the initiative and putting England on the trailing button in Dubai in emphatic fashion. Misbah needs 4 more international wins for 100 wins as Pakistan player overall across all 3 formats combined in less than 150 internationals which is a reflection of the calm influence his presence has in the side.

Shafiq 8/10: scored his maiden test century in Pakistan’s run feast in Chittagong and made a 40 odd in the next innings he got. As often has been the case in the 16 months he has been in the side he was dismissed out side the off stump whilst looking to hang the bat out there as Anderson’s outswinger gobbled him up in the first over with the 2nd new ball. Nevertheless as always he brings confidence and reliability in the field with his top notch catching credentials and athleticism in general which was evident in the 2 catches he held on to as England were rolled over in no time in the 3rd innings as Misbah ul Haq’s side tasted an overwhelming result.

Adnan 9/10: Adnan did not really get a chance to bat properly in Chittagong when Misbah ul Haq decided enough was enough with a lead of over 400, but made a half century, his first one at test level in Dhaka to provide the bowlers with a lead of 132 in a test match which they went on to win relatively comprehensively. Adnan played a vital role in Pakistan’s 10 wicket triumph over the world number 1 ranked test side at the Dubai Sports City when he compiled a crucial 60 odd. Adnan came into bat when the England bowlers had their tail up, were applying the pressure and really bending their backs as they smelled blood to reduce the Pakistani deficit to a minimal and manageable one, but he hung in there and toughed it out to overcome the 2nd new ball. The following morning Pakistan had a lead of 96 with 3 wickets in hand and Adnan was left with the tail. Studio experts such as Butcher and Willis were backing England to restrict the lead to 110-120 maximum, but Adnan spent valuable time at the middle and stretched the Pakistani lead to 146. His presence and stay at the crease resulted in frustration for the English batsmen who would have been looking forward to getting back in the pavilion and just focussing on batting better 2nd time around. His innings must have disturbed their mindset. Adnan held on to 7 catches behind the stumps and hardly put a foot wrong with the gloves.

Abdur Rehman 8/10: Underappreciated, underrated. Rehman was the leading wicket taker in Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh with 11 scalps in 2tests as his slow arm spin troubled the Bangladeshis on the slow and wickets. His presence enables Ajmal to attack more and also pushes him to strive forthat extra mile knowing that he has another performing and dependable spinner in the team. Rehman produced some peaches with his left arm spinners in the 1st test at the DSC, particularly referring to the dismissal of Swann in the first innings which turned marginally to beat the bat and disturb the stumps.

Umar Gul 7/10: Gul collected 7 wickets in 2 tests in Bangladesh, but during the 3rd innings of the 2nd test the pacer claimed 2 wickets in successive deliveries in a short burst on day 4 just before tea as he removed Tamim with a bouncer and had Nafees LBW first up with one pitched up. In the first innings he produced an unplayable bouncer to Nafees in the same test which totally stunned him and denied him what would have been a well deserved 3 figure score. Although Gul went wicket less in the first innings at the DSC and was ineffective in his 2nd spell, his first 4 overs were rather tidy and he didn’t give much away. In the 3rd innings at the DSC the experienced seamer was on the money to strangle Cook and Strauss down the leg side, catch KP in a trap bowling short and provide the breakthrough of Trott just before he got to 50.

Aizaz Cheema 7/10: Cheema was extremely impressive in Dhaka where he troubled the Bangladeshis with swing and seam in overcast conditions and went on to pick up 6 in the match and 10 in the series with his fast medium pacers. Cheema strangled Trott down the leg side at the DSC and although he didn’t get any 2nd time around he looked threatening particularly to Strauss when sending down some probing lengths drawing the left hander into the stroke. With 21 wickets in 5 tests and a handful of more in LOIs Cheema has been a superb find as a late bloomer in the Pakistan ranks.

Saeed Ajmal 8/10: The 2011 New Road overseas star performer ended 2011 as the leading wicket taker in tests and got to exactly 50 scalpsafter picking up 9 in Bangladesh where he bowled well in patches, but wasn’t ruthless as he could have been, but fair play to the Bangladeshis who picked him reasonably well and also didn’t allow him to settle. Where do we start at the DSC? Ajmal was all over England like a rash to claim a match winning 10 for as the England batsmen were bowled out under 200 not once, but twice on a surface which aided batsmen. The hype he had generated was well justified as he spun webs around the English batsmen who were clueless and answerless to his variations in trajectories, lengths, flight, pace, angle, revs and turn. Saeed was named in the ESPN cricinfo team of the year for both ODIs and tests in 2011 and was the only one to feature in both teams which was a testimony to his performances and consistency for Pakistan in a magical 2011 where he bagged 89 international scalps for the green shirts. He started 2012 just where he finished 2011 and showed why he is regarded as the most threatening and best spinner in the world at the moment, in fact the best bowler in the world at the moment. Saeed has not only won fans like no tomorrow with his talent and game changing bowling displays, but with his comical interviews and million dollar smile. England will need to negotiate with him considerably better to stand any chance in this series as they didn’t see that one coming. Ajmal dominated and ripped England out and it wouldn’t surprise anyone whatsoever to see him going on to be MOTS here and also the leading series wicket taker. Saeed was simply in a different league to everyone else.

Quotes on Misbah

“He has a statesman like demeanour. He has the best cricketing brain and intellect in the country. He has a rare quality which so many Pakistani captains have lacked with that he handles adversity analytically and not emotionally. He is a clear winner; note his outstanding domestic record as captain. A very suitable candidate to repair the damage Ijaz Butt and some players have done with the international cricketing community. Ideally he should have been appointed captain 6 years ago” : Geoff Lawson in October 2010

“Youngsters are benefiting from Misbah’s professional approach”: Mohammad Akram September 2011

“Misbah is very wise and is handling things very well”: Wasim Akram (December 2011)

“Misbah deserves credit for the recent success of the team”: Basit Ali (October 2011)

“Brace yourself. Barring injury or something drastic between now and the end of the England tour Misbah would have led in 15 tests straight. That is a record only bettered by Waqar and Inzamam as long as the days of Imran and Miandad. How would he have managed this period of unimaginable stability? I’m still unsure and how would he have managed it to the extent that no one thought was possible” – Osman Samiuddin. (November 2011)

“He has one of the best techniques in the world when it comes to defending watchfully and tightly prodding forward against spinners with bad pads around”: Waqar Younis (November 2011)

Maravan Atapattu: “Best Pakistan team since the team with the 2 Ws” (November 2011, when Misbah was captain)

“This is the best Pakistan team I have played in” – Younis Khan (November 2010)

“Misbah saved Pakistan cricket, In this melee, entered Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s go to man at the age of 37. Why the nation’s most naturally gifted cricket captain since Imran Khan has stayed on the sidelines for so long is an intriguing question. Great credit should be given to him though, for he has gradually becalmed a swirl-pool of ill-discipline and inconsistency marring Pakistan cricket for so long. ” – Saifur Umair from Express Tribune

“There is calmness and brightness when Misbah is at the crease”: Ramiz Raja

“Misbah is Pakistan’s best player and he should be batting in the top 4”: Imran Khan

“Misbah deserves the credit for uniting this broken team”: Aamir Sohail (March 2011)

“The Misbah question is why there is a question? Pakistan undefeated in a test series since the shameful tour of England. Away wins against New Zealand and Zimbabwe, draws against South Africa and West Indies. And a ‘home’ success against Sri Lanka. A sequence of results which exceeds expectations. As a captain Misbah has the 2nd highest average by a captain after Don Bradman (minimum qualifications of 10 tests). Why the murmurings of discontent” – Kamran Abbasi (November 2011)

“He is calm, disciplined and calculated” – Waqar Younis (November 2010)

“Misbah should be appointed test captain” – Ramiz Raja (October 2010)

“Misbah is an educated person and has the respect of the team” – Younis Khan (December 2011)

“Misbah should captain Pakistan in the World Cup” – Abdul Qadir (pre 2011 CWC)
Rameez pointed out that like him, Misbah had done his MBA and given a new lease of life to his career at the age of 33, when most contemplate retirement."I admire that person who is respected in the dressing room. I don't bother about what he does off the field in his spare time. But at an age (33) when most people think about retiring, Misbah has shown strength of character by excelling at the top level and surprised everyone with his performances," Rameez said. (2008)

"I have to give full credit to Misbah as he has stabilised the team and leads from the front. His performance is also outstanding. He makes the boys feel comfortable and relaxed so they actually enjoy their cricket. He is mature and willing to listen. The only unfortunate thing is the age factor which is not in Misbah's side." - Waqar Younis (2011)

"His brain works like a computer" - Sunil Gavaskar (2007)

"This man has nerves of steel under pressure" - Ravi Shastri

"I've said this before, I was asked about Misbah before the [2011] World Cup on who should be captain, and back than I was quoted as saying Misbah should be captain. A lot of people went to Shahid [Afridi], said a few things, saying “Azhar said Afridi shouldn't be captain”. I had a reason for saying it – the reporter I was talking to, I was just chatting with him like a normal person talks to another. What I said was “The World Cup is a big competition. Therewill be a lot of pressure on Afridi, and he is a match-winner. Afridi should just concentrate on his game. If he does concentrate on his game, he will win us matches. If he has the pressure of captaincy, then he will have the captaincy, the media pressure, handling the team and also his own performance. There will be so much pressure on him, and it will affect his performance.”From that point, I said Misbah should be made captain, Misbah is a very sensible individual, whereas Afridi is a little hyper. And he can't control his emotions in the way Misbah can, which is there for all to see. " - Azhar Mahmood (Decmber 2011)

"Misbah is calm and composed, tactically astute and, every now and then, willing to gamble. Not long ago, Pakistani observers were convinced he could not re-enter a middle order populated by talented newcomers. Now fans are ruing the fact that he is already 37 and won't be around for much longer" - Saad Shafqat

"Misbah may have copped a lot of criticism for his painfully slow batting in ODIs, but he still averaged above 50 with 9 fifties in 2011. His slow approach may not be suited to the modern demands of the game, but he ensured that the word 'collapse' was taken out of the equation when Pakistan were playing." - Cricbuzz.com. One of Cricket's most leading sites across the globe.

"Younis and Misbah have set high fitness benchmark" - MKH Oct 2011

Responsibility. Some thrive on it, others crumble under its weight.
Being made captain of an international cricket side is certainly a responsible position. Being made captain of Pakistan in the wake of the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal that had consumed the previous skipper Salman Butt had even more responsibility attached to it.
Such was the burden placed on Misbah-ul-Haq’s shoulders.
Pakistan could easily have imploded. But it didn’t and Misbah must take a lot of credit for that.
At the Reverse Sweep, we find it absurd that Misbah attracts so much criticism from Pakistan cricket followers on blogs and Twitter. - November 2011

Kudos for the current Pakistani resurgence, though, goes primarily to Misbah, whose calm leadership and even calmer batting have lent stability to the most storm-tossed vessel on the high seas. The contrast to his disgraced predecessor could hardly have been starker. Among the new, true allrounders - i.e. those picked across all three formats - none averaged more than his 57.20. The first 40-year-old national skipper since Imran Khan? Don't put it past him. - Rob Steen Cricinfo Mid December 2011

"I think Misbah is an intelligent player and composed captain, and he communicates well with the players. He has also quickly picked up the confidence to push for victories, plus he is batting extremely well. I tell him to just go out and get runs and don't waste any innings. He has served Pakistan cricket very well." - Mohsin Hassan Khan December 2011

Younis Khan at Pakistan's dinner function : "I have played under so many captains but found Misbah - the best ever captain in my career" - Younis Khan via Umar Farooq Kalson Pakistan's cricinfo correspondent who attended Pakistan's dinner evening function along with the squad for the England series to celebrate their success in 2011 today

"Misbah, with the team that Waqar built, has been able to get Pakistan back to the 1980s formula: lay the foundations at the top – regardless of the format – and then proceed; when bowling, force the team to give their wickets away, rather than pursuing them. In the absence of bowlers the quality of Imran and Wasim, it’s the trio of spinners who are the stars. And each of the trio takes his wicket by choking the batsman until he submits rather than the swift blow to the head preferred by the stars of the 80s and 90s. But, this is a strategy acceptable to Pakistan only under Afridi, but not under Misbah, it would seem.

The indifference towards Misbah stems from his refusal to go for targets, firstly in the South Africa series last year, then again in the recently concluded Sri Lanka series. However, what he does is logical. A team with the history of poor chasing and collapses – particularly in fourth innings – has every reason to be cautious. Furthermore, isn’t that what Imran did? After all, Pakistan’s greatest captain – that paragon of aggression – drew more than half the matches he led. His reputation as the leader is built upon his captaincy in ODIs. But isn’t that what Misbah does: cautious in Tests, attacking in ODIs?" - Medigag from Dawn

“The way Misbah is captaining the Pakistan team in test matches; Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should appoint him as captain for ODI series against New Zealand and also in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.His own performance with the bat is also very impressive which adds to the team confidence" - Zaheer Abbas February 2011

“Afridi has failed to lead from the front and on the other hand, Misbah has taken the pressure on himself and led from the front in test matches which is more difficult form of cricket. I think Misbah is the right choice to lead Pakistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011,” - Sikander Bakht February 2011

"Long-term success in any top-level sport begins first with learning how not to lose. Pakistan’s great team of the 1980s boasted Mudassar Nazar as its opening batsman, the scorer of the slowest century in Test cricket. The next step is learning how to win from different positions. The final milestone is domination. Team Misbah are finishing stage one, and the England series will be a proper examination of their progress." - Kamran Abbasi December 2011

"The level headed, intelligent and sensible captain of Pakistan. A cricketer who has flourished since taking over the role of Pakistan captain and thankfully has let his cricket do the talking. A man who doesn't feel the need to give interviews to the media every other day to justify his popularity.A man who feels he doesn't need to invite the media around his house to keep them "on side".A man who doesn't feel the need to pay for the media for their meals whilst on tour. A man who has done the hard yards in domestic cricket over the years and deserves every success. A humble, hard working cricketer who has the respect of the dressing room, the PCB and all the backroom staff. He'll have his work cut out in the upcoming series against England, but one thing is for sure, Misbah will give his all ! " - Saj from Pakpassion in January 2012

Misbah's updated profile description on ESPN cricinfo after all his success in 2011 reads as follows: it was in 2011 that Misbah truly rose above the crowd and established his credentials as a top-class batsman and a leader of men. Perhaps it's his degree in business management that has helped him manage, and get the best out of, a team as unpredictable as Pakistan - January 2012

"Spoke to Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq today. Came across very well and seems to be handling a difficult job with grace and good humour" - Dean Willson from the Mirrow January 2012

"His captaincy has had a calm influence on the players. He sets good examples and his own game has improved by a mile," added Raja, referring to a Test batting average touching 76 since Misbah's appointment."It was an important phase that was handled manfully by everybody - the captain, the board and the players." - Rameez Raja January 2012

"Yet under Afridi’s captaincy, the Pakistani team could internally combust any second. A brainwave was always just around the corner. A captain’s temperament reflects largely on his team’s performances. Mercurial leaders often breed unpredictability. Precisely for this reason, the calm and composed Misbah is an ideal man for leading Pakistan.Far more important than the results is the unbridled joy of watching a Pakistani team playing consistently solid, controversy-free cricket. These are attributes which a cricket fan like me has longed to witness. Finally, we have a captain who can collar his players, and on the back of stellar personal performances, command enough respect to instill a fighting spirit into the team. " - Safwan Umair

"For now, results are the only way to be taken seriously. On that count Misbah-ul-Haq’s team have over-delivered. Does it matter how they have done it? To my mind, it matters little. Pakistan cricket was a shipwreck waiting for a Viking burial. There was only one way to go and that was down to the depths of obscurity with the wailing of legends for a death song." - Kamran Abbasi December 2011

"Pakistan have played to their strengths (their bowling attack) and within their limitations (the pace of their batting). Simply put, Pakistan have wicket-taking bowlers and defensive batsmen, a formula that has succeeded thus far. Asking this batting line-up to score at four an over would be suicidal." - Kamran Abbasi December 2011

"Many were, at best, indifferent about Misbah before the tour, but he has begun to gain greater acceptance; some are relieved to have come upon such a calming influence, others resigned to a successful streak of pragmatism. His 66 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, which laid the way for a shaky three-wicket triumph but a thumping 4-1 series win over Sri Lanka, captured the effect well. It was not a flashy intervention, but it was serene and came precisely in the kind of middling chase Pakistan often fluff." - Osman Samiuddin November 2011

"Not least of Misbah's achievements as captain - and this includes the series with South Africa - is that it went off without anybody being killed. No one ran away and no bookies have yet been sighted. Daniel Vettori even completed his press conference duties without insinuating anything untoward about Umar Gul's fine fourth-evening spell in Wellington. It is a minor triumph. There is no shortage of remarkable stories in Pakistan cricket but Misbah's is something else altogether" - Osman Samiuddin January 2011

"History may not remember Misbah as the most dynamic or visionary captain. But bearing in mind the hand fate dealt him and the context in which he took on the job, he may prove to be exactly the right man in the right position at the right time. Pakistan cricket has had plenty of flamboyant, unpredictable individuals. It could, perhaps, do with a little more calm, a little more predictability and a little more teamwork. Pakistan may yet come to be very grateful for Misbah-ul-Haq." - George Dobell from ESPN cricinfo

"Misbah is a very cool and calm character and what I saw in the Tests was very impressive, he handles things well and is somewhat like Ranatunga and he has the patience to wait until he achieves what he wants to," said Atapattu of the 37-year-old. November 2011

"Misbah became a professional cricketer late in his career, after completing an MBA degree aged 25. He was always considered to be one of the smartest men in the team, but only secured a permanent place when the selectors were looking for someone to take over from Salman Butt. A shrewd and pragmatic captain, the only trouble is that at 37 he may be too old to lead the side for long." - Andy Bull From Telegraph January 2012

"Comparing the 13 Tests under Misbah with the 13 before them shows that Pakistan have conceded almost the same number of runs (7007 versus 6964) and taken wickets with a more or less similar average (29.07 versus 33.16), but the batting average under Misbah has almost doubled, from 24.30 to 41.80. In other words, Pakistan's bowling was strong before, and continues to be strong under Misbah, but now the batsmen are giving their bowlers enough runs to play with. The result is that Pakistan have won seven of the 13 Tests under Misbah, compared with three wins and eight losses in the 13 previous Tests." Saad Shafqat

"Misbah has got it right. He may be risk-averse by nature, but he has managed to translate that into a cohesive unit that is showing results. That is a remarkable achievement." - Sikander Bakht January 2012

"Leadership has enhanced Misbah's batting, in particular his responsibility in constructing an innings and that is a handy trick. Certainly he hasn't looked out of depth, or naïve, on the field, to some extent proving Lawson's assessment that he handles problems analytically not emotionally. Years of domestic leadership have no doubt helped.PS Misbah would make a great chairman of the PCB in another 15 years!!! Lawson once signed off. Best reserve a copy of that book now." - Osman in January 2011

Misbah has been a knight in shining armour, if there ever was one, for Pakistan cricket. If it weren't for him, who knows where we might have been today. - Well Pitched

"Misbah has regenerated Pakistan, averaged 80, and held them together again today. The most important cricketer in the last year" - Wisden editor Scyld Berry

"He has learnt that he does not need to have a charismatic authoritarian stature or exhibitionist religiosity to bag the players’ and the media’s respect. He just needs to be Misbah — a contemplative selfless professional who articulates only on matters he knows best but is extremely private about his social and religious musings. Perhaps every other player needs to become a Misbah (and seems to have become); and maybe so does the Pakistani society as a whole." - Dawn

Misbah is the CEO, and Mohsin is the supportive and watchful chairman, standing steadfastly behind him. What they are doing together is not merely working, it is working wonders - Saad Shafqat ESPN cricinfo

Geoff Lawson on Pakistan's test series win:" I predicted that they would win the series before it started. I just think Pakistan has been playing some terrific cricket, particularly under Misbah. I have been saying for several years that he should have been the captain. They play very consistently and he’s a great leader and tactically he is outstanding. Obviously the players have a lot of respect for him, and it seems to be that everyone is playing for the team and no one is playing for themselves, which you couldn’t say that for a lot of past Pakistan teams."

Aamir Sohail on Misbah ul Haq talking to Pakpassion.net says : I will be as diplomatic as possible, but whoever criticises Misbah ul Haq does not know anything about cricket at all. Those that criticise Misbah need to read coaching manuals and sit down with ex cricketers and to learn about the psyche of cricket. His critics were waiting for his team to fail against England and they were saying that they have only beaten the likes of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Critics were saying that the Pakistani players that did well against the lesser teams will fail against higher profile opposition like England. Even the great Pakistani teams of the past lacked cricketing discipline and relied mainly on talent. Misbah’s philosophy is based on discipline and I am sure his philosophy will have a major impact on Pakistan cricket in years to come.

"England need to look at the way Misbah-ul-Haq plays the spinners. He plants his front foot down and either plays through extra cover or hits over the top. Unless you are a brilliant sweeper, that is the way to play." - Michael Vaughan

England were good in Abu Dhabi but Pakistan were better, ripping an absorbing Test match from the grip of their formidable opponents. A series win in such a thrilling manner has surprised even Pakistan’s careworn supporters. Misbah’s Pakistan, of steel, unity, and joy, has given the whole nation a cause to celebrate. - Kamran Abbasi from ESPN cricinfo

It would be an exaggeration to say that Pakistan’s cricket could have died of shame after the spot-fixing, but it could have wilted and declined, scandalous and homeless. But Misbah has stopped that happening, by averaging 80 as Test captain, and by his leadership. In his calm, cautious and cunning way, Misbah has been the most important cricketer in the world in the last year. Misbah is not as good a player as Inzamam-ul-Haq, But Misbah has something of Inzamam’s lordly demeanour, and he is a far more impressive captain. But his characteristics were just what Pakistan needed after the manic captaincy of Shahid Afridi and the criminal one of Salman Butt." - Scyld Berry Wisden Editor

"The performance of the team recently is down to Misbah Ul Haq. Mohsin Khan will be doing nothing. I am quite aware of what his capabilities are, from the time I was coach of the Pakistan team. He was in charge of the National Academy in Karachi and not very 'cluey' in his job. This is down to Misbah and his senior players and his organisation. I still think if Pakistan wants to go ahead, they still need a quality coach. Dav Whatamore is the right person." - Lawson

Michael Atherton - "Misbah ul haq is a Natural leader, A Natural player. He took over this side after the series here in England which would be remembered for all the wrong reasons and he has united this side I mean Pakistan are now looking like a much better team than before and Misbah has done outstandingly well for this Pakistan side and has so far let nothing come in his way"

"Pakistan confirmed to me this week that they are by far the best team in the Sub Continent at the minute.... By a country mile.." - Vaughan January 19th 2012 when Misbah led Pakistan to a 10 wicket win over the world number 1 ranked side to go 1-0 up in Dubai

"It is only because of the happy environment that Pakistan went out there believing they could win and they floored the best team in the world. It was an outstanding performance." - Raja Jan 2012

Serene characters like Misbah are few and far between in Pakistan cricket. We’ve seen the hot-headedness from Younis Khan, Ijaz Butt and Shahid Afridi in recent times and the chaos created by the match-fixers Salman Butt, Mohammeds Asif and Amir. Misbah is a man with such wide ranging qualities (also holds a MBA in business management) that he could easily take up the coaching role or a board position once he retires form playing – something I hope he does. This man should be backed to the hilt. - Stani Army June 2012

"Pakistan should be proud of their skipper and all he has achieved. I like his stoic nature and canny leadership. Appointing him as captain is the best decision the PCB has made for a long, long time." "At the heart of Pakistan’s revival has been Misbah himself." "He was entrusted with the seemingly thankless task of rejuvenating the side."... "He has shown the way, top scoring for Pakistan since he became captain with 1037 runs at an impressive average of 74.07. He clearly relishes leading the side." "There was much work to be done to restore pride in Pakistan’s cricket and to achieve this, the PCB made their best decision for many years – they turned to Misbah." By Miles Reucroft http://www.thecricketblog.com/

"Misbah is very mature and he has been in and around cricket for a very long time.Having an older, calm, experienced player in charge of the team has been a very positive move for Pakistan, he is doing an excellent job.” - Former Pakistan Captain Majid Khan

"Misbah annoys you as a bowler at times, because we couldn’t seem to get him out for anything less than fifty the last time he was here. He is a great batsman but tends to get under your skin the way he plays. But I think that’s more credit to his game and us not being able to get him out more than anything else." - Tim Southee

"Then during the match when Kohli was out, Shahid Afridi approached me and said to me Yuvraj is in now, what are you going to do? I said I wanted to bowl a yorker straight away. But Shahid asked me to bowl a length ball so he [Yuvraj] would get out in the slips. However, I urged Shahid to let me bowl the yorker regardless of the consequences. I was prepared to be hit for a six or four, but I really wanted to bowl a yorker to him first up. Misbah was standing close by, so he also suggested to Shahid to let me bowl the yorker. So Shahid agreed and said alright bowl the yorker. In the end, by the grace of God, I was able to do what I had said a couple of days before the match. I bowled him out on the first ball – it was definitely a joyous moment." - Wahab Riaz

"Misbah bhai has pushed me a lot. I have played under him under Faisalabad and SNGPL. He’s always behaved very well as captain and I always thank him for whatever opportunities I’ve been given such as touring and league cricket - his backing has helped me a great deal along the way. He even says that I am his favourite bowler!" - Asad Ali

"So often, the best innings are not about the strokes a batsman plays, but those he does not. They are about discipline. About concentration. About denial. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq defied England on a day when the bowlers, led by Stuart Broad, were on top. Misbah is the spine of the Pakistan team. Without him their batting would appear fragile and, in both Tests so far, he has provided resistance at a time when it appeared England's bowlers could take the initiative. " - George Dobell in Abu Dhabi January 25, 2012

Mark Nicholas in his piece for his cricinfo debut:
"And finally to the Test team of the Northern Hemisphere winter and to Misbah-ul-Haq. Not since Imran Khan has a group of Pakistani cricketers looked so comfortable with one another. Probably it was the winning but there was something quite patrician about Misbah's leadership - aloof and yet complicit. He never looks much of a batsman but averages 45 in 34 tests. He knows how to get it done and has passed this instinct to the others. How he loved it when they swarmed upon England, gloaters all. It was at Lord's that the storm clouds of spot-fixing had gathered and on supposedly neutral ground that the score was settled. How England must have suffered from this glaring portrayal of redemption. Misbah may not last, at least not like Clarke surely will, but he will not forget 3-0 against the colonial father in the Middle East. That was the Pakistan dream."

"A huge bonus for you will be that Misbah-ul Haq has taken over the captaincy. He is a bright, well-educated man, who understands the game exceptionally well. When in doubt, ask Misbah who should be in the team and he will give you players who aren't someone's second cousin's brother's uncle but rather are the most skilled for that position. He is a winner and plays no favourites, and will be an excellent sounding board for whatever strategy you feel will work best with the team. He sets a perfect example in work ethic and discipline, and it does make a difference when the senior players are doing all the right things, especially in their culture of age and respect going hand in hand." - Letter to Whatmore A former coach welcomes the new arrival with a few words of advice Geoff Lawson

Misbah's real problem - and it is a problem without a solution - is that he is not Afridi. The populist adoration for Afridi - for his charisma, his talent and his aura - is boundless. Misbah, with his more prosaic qualities of reliability, calm and consistency, is overshadowed by comparison. While logic might back Misbah, emotions are with Afridi. When Afridi drops a batting glove a nation stoops to pick it up. When Afridi fails with the bat - and, unpalatable though it will be to Pakistan supporters, he fails with the bat rather too often - a nation mourns his ill fortune. When Misbah scores 50, a nation frowns upon the slow pace at which he scored it. Misbah could invent a cure for cancer and someone will claim that Afridi would have done it with more panache. - George Dobell

“Everyone is impressed by the fact that he speaks well and sensibly before the media and secondly he is not fond of giving unnecessary or controversial statements in the media on any issue. He is seen as not only a good captain but an excellent ambassador for Pakistan cricket” - PCB Chairman on Misbah as Captain

Rambo recently said: “You can bet your bottom dollar on Misbah in tough situations.”

"Questions about Misbah’s suitability for the captaincy will persist, the nature of the beast is at odds with the mood of the herd, but sport is a results business first and Misbah has them aplenty to support his case for caution. This Misbah fellow might not be to everybody’s taste but he is tenacious and capable of surprise." - Kamran Abbasi 11/11/11

"Misbah is a very fine player and a top captain; previously he whitewashed world’s number one team. Actually Pakistan nation’s mindset is to be blamed here, they remember your bad performances but never appreciate your good ones. People remember and curse Misbah bhai over his innings against India in Mohali, but they don’t really understand the fact that had Misbah not stuck around, Pakistan would have been bundled under 140; and would have lost by 130 runs. I’d take a 30 runs loss over a 130 runs loss on any day. I don't find it much a worry, it's a Mentality that's come over the last few years." - Sadaf Hussain

"Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan has a layer of ice smothering the fire in its veins, unlike any Pakistan team that has blown hot and cold before it. Forget rankings, Pakistan cricket and its supporters are feeling on top of the world." - Kamran Abbasi January 28, 2012

"But Ajmal’s ascent would have been difficult without the stability of Misbah’s captaincy. Misbah has flirted with Pakistani hearts before, only to break them. In Test cricket, as captain of his country, he has discovered a river of love. The only debate about Misbah’s captaincy is the run-rate of his batsmen, such a trifling matter in the grand order of Pakistani controversies that it speaks volumes about the success of his methods. Misbah has brought tenacity to Pakistan cricket, best exemplified by the fascinating partnership between Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq in Pakistan’s second innings. Previous Pakistan teams would have succumbed to a base instinct to blast their way out of trouble, yet Misbah’s young troopers dug in, deeper and deeper. A partnership alien to the Pakistani spirit, albeit hewn of Misbah’s cool resolve, forged the winning margin." - Kamran Abbasi 28/01/12

"This was the examination of Pakistan's progress that was anxiously awaited, a bout with the world's No.1 Test team, a tussle that might expose the illusion of Pakistan's cricketing resurrection. Instead, Misbah-ul-Haq's team moved their supporters a few steps closer to heavenly rapture." - Kamran Abbasi 19/01/12

"With Saeed Ajmal in such mesmeric form and Misbah's leadership more impresive by the day, Pakistan are capable of turning their Middle East abode into as much of a fortress as Karachi once was. On this evidence, Pakistan can be a power again in Test cricket and the world game will be better for it." - Kamran Abbasi 19/01/12

"But the first match after that shameful day at Lord's in 2010 was always going to carry a thrilling significance for players and spectators of both teams, Pakistan's in particular. Team Misbah's stylish victory has restated that precious ability of sport to cleanse sins and lift hearts. For its manner and its poignancy, Pakistan's ten-wicket triumph will rank among the greatest in its gripping cricket history." - Kamran Abbasi 19/01/12

"Determination and tenacity are trademarks of this new Pakistan, although there is no shortage of skill in the spin attack, the best in Asia, or the pace of Umar Gul, a threat with new ball and old. In Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, Pakistan have young batsmen of sound temperament, a trait often lacking in emerging Pakistani talent. At the helm, Misbah, the mild-mannered miser of Mianwali, has galvanised his troops in a fashion unseen since the days of Imran Khan." - Kamran Abbasi 06/02/12

"Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan worked a miracle to inflict a whitewash on the world’s top side, only the fifth occasion that a Pakistan team has achieved that landmark. England were expected to be formidable opponents, likely to expose Pakistan’s progress as superficial. England improved with the series but not enough to challenge Pakistan’s dominance. The rapid progress that Pakistan have made in the last 12 months was sealed with an English kiss." - Kamran Abbasi 06/02/12

"When Misbah ul Haq took over the captaincy, it was an emergency for Pakistan cricket. I’d liken him taking over the captaincy to a time when a serious accident had just occurred. It was an accident where emergency treatment was required to stop the bleeding. Firstly the bleeding had to be stopped, the minor injuries had to be addressed and then finally long term medication being administered to enable healing to take place. Initially Misbah stopped the bleeding that was happening in Pakistan cricket, then he looked into the minor injuries and now we are seeing the right kind of medication being given to the Pakistan team by Misbah to enable them to recover fully. He has approached the situations and scenarios that he has had to encounter since taking over as captain very methodically and the best thing that he has brought with him is putting the emphasis on cricketing disciplines." - Aamir Sohail