You are a level-headed guy. Tell me what has Misbah's 5+ years as ODI captain yielded. Let's ignore his test captaincy for a second and tell me what did he achieve as ODI player/captain. How many youngsters were debuted or how many future stars were nurtured or developed? Is it not a fact that Pakistan plummeted through the rankings during his era? Or is it all a conspiracy against Misbah the saviour?
I'm all for supporting your heroes, but Misbah fans are resorting to hero worship and cannot hear anything said against him.
If you can answer the questions I asked you, you will realize why I'm against him.
To be very honest with you, I was a huge fan of Misbah the ODI player and captain and I'll give you the reasons why. These reasons may hold different or lower worth to you but in my opinion, these are some of the greatest achievements by a Pakistani captain/player.
Let's first start off by the question's you asked me: How many youngsters were debuted or how many future stars were developed?
First of all, you and I both know that while the captain has some say, the entire decision of who makes the team is made by the panel of selectors we have, headed by the chief selector, mostly a corrupt man. You've lived the majority of your life in Pakistan and I know you know that the selectors are HEAVILY under the influence of politicians, businessmen and personal agenda's mostly like every other department in Pakistan.
I have extremely reliable or close sources in the PCB who have assured me that even to make a First Class team, the player has to pay at least 30,00,000. Whether or not you believe this is your choice but you know about the level of corruption in the PCB and how hard it is for players to make First Class teams, let alone the national team.
Nonetheless, I will address to your query of how many
potential future stars were given a go in the side during his tenure. First of all, let's get one thing straight, he had to choose from the available players in the domestic circuit, not like Imran Khan who would just pluck boys from the street because things don't work that way anymore.
Firstly, Saeed Ajmal. Now at 31, he wasn't exactly a youngster but Saeed was largely responsible for any ODI success we had during Misbah's time and at a point in time, he was ranked No.1 in all formats of the game and most batsmen around the world feared the sound of his name, including Sanga and Amla.
Second, whether you like him or not, Ahmed Shehzad certainly had shown glimpses of being world class and was given a consistent run only in Misbahs time. Whether he turned out to be world class or not wasn't in the hands of Misbah, all he could do was advocate for his return in the team.
Third, Yasir Shah, Misbah's teammate for his First Class team.
Even Sharjeel Khan was introduced by Misbah.
Our favorite Kaptaan Sarfraz Ahmed was given a consistent run by Misbah and we were all saved from the plague of the Akmal brothers.
As for your second question, yes. It is a fact that we plummeted through the rankings during his time but to say Misbah was the reason is your opinion, not a fact. Misbah was in fact the reason we didn't go further down the rankings. What could the poor guy do? Akmals, Afridi, Farhat and so many other players had such a strong lobby in the PCB and politics that it was impossible for Misbah to take the team to any colossal heights. Yet, the greatness of the man was exhibited through his man-managing skills where he got the best possible use out of players with limited ability when we won the Asia Cup or became the first and
ONLY team to beat SA in SA when they were at their peak in ODI cricket with a rampant Steyn running through ODI sides for fun while Amla and AB were going through one of the best peaks in ODI history.
Now coming to Misbah the ODI player himself, I don't really understand what fans want honestly. He has one of the highest averages for Pakistan ODI players and a good 5K runs. The only few matches that we did win during Misbah's time were primarily because Misbah held the ship. You and I both know that 90% of the time Misbah walked out, the team was suffering and was on the brink of a collapse. He had a couple of prolific years where he was the highest run getter in ODI's and had even shunned his haters by getting the most sixes.
I understand someone not liking a cricketer but to blame one man for everything wrong with the team when you know that's not the case is a little harsh.
[MENTION=865]Big Mac[/MENTION]
Note, not hating just asking some valid questions. I do appreciate that Misbah was a gentleman though.
