What's new

How will Misbah's legacy be remembered?

S

Saj

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 1, 2001
Runs
96,138
In years to come how will you remember Misbah-ul-Haq, the cricketer?
 
An all time great captain for Pakistan who was a resilient/mentally-tough batsman in addition to being the most dignified/honourable man to wear the green shirt. :salute
 
Years from now fans will regret the abuse they directed at him and will yearn for another Misbah but there's only one KING and no one will ever be able to shine his shoes. Much respect. #ThankYouMisbah
 
The tuk tuk masterpiece in Mohali will always be attached to his legacy. Will be more remembered for his work in the test arena.
 
On the day Misbah retires, Pakistani fighter jets should fly over Misbahs ul Haq's home town draped in the Pakistan flag which they wave and then after pay tribute to him with a 21 gun salute on the ground. #MisbahDeservesIt
 
He will be known as a Legend.

He achieved a no.1 rank with an amateur team, plus the first pakistani team to achieve no.1 rank officially and getting the test mace.

These are no small feats
 
Greatest Match Winner for India and by far the most respected Pakistani Cricketer for Indians.

No Historical Indian Victory is complete without Misbah.
 
Will be remembered as a legend. The way he brought the team together after the spot fixing saga was remarkable. He saved us from being bowled out for some embarrassing scores. A mentally tough and resilient person, he will be remembered as a legend for me.
 
One of the best Test Captains Pakistan has produced. Took us from the depth the fixing saga to number 1 in Tests recording many historic victories.

And yes he did not quite deliver with ODIs but his integrity and leadership abilities were never a question. One of the few if not only Pakistani cricketers who comanded global respect in this decade.
 
ups and down..pakistani general public will remember him for 2007 wc final loss and 2011 wc semi final...and introducing defensive mentality.....he has some great moments in UAE and england......RESPECT from my side...
 
When the chips were down, he took it by the horns and took Pak Test cricket to heights that I haven't seen in a long time.

The best part of Misbah was he wasn't creating friction in the team. He united it. His performance was top class as well, leading from the front. All this without playing a game in home soil.

Hats off to you Misbah.
 
In my mind, he killed the Pakistani essence - the natural flair that we are renowned for. Most boring era of Pakistan cricket.
 
He was not a gifted ODI player and struggled in that arena and did not really achieve anything speciel. However as test player he was one of the better batsman that Pakistan produced and represented Pakistan very well unlike many others. Well behaved, well mannered and well spoken person - very rare combo among Pakistan cricketers.

He will be remembered as a fine test player and fine test cricketer and most importantly as a decent human being.
 
One wonders what would have happened if the wrong man had been appointed as skipper after the spot fixing scandal.

This guy captained Pakistan for over 6 years, when most guys have had enough after 6 months.
 
Lows=
-Awful tactician
-Favours olders/very little young blood
-Poor limited overs mindset
-Stayed on too long

Highs=
-Beat India in India, SA in SA in ODIs
-#1 test rank
-Practically no infighting at all/Gained Pakistan respect/Brilliant Peoples manager
-Memorable victories for Pakistan (Sharjah, Lords, the SL place where they chased 370)
 
Haz95 said:
Lows=
-Awful tactician
-Favours olders/very little young blood
-Poor limited overs mindset
-Stayed on too long

Highs=
-Beat India in India, SA in SA in ODIs
-#1 test rank
-Practically no infighting at all/Gained Pakistan respect/Brilliant Peoples manager
-Memorable victories for Pakistan (Sharjah, Lords, the SL place where they chased 370)
Click to expand...

Great objective list, I'd like to add one more low and two more highs to your post:

Low=

-Failed to groom future talent (although your very little young blood point sought of covers that) and leave behind a team which does not require as much rebuilding in terms of developed youth and adequate choice to replace him as captain who has decent amount of experience as the VC

High=
-Fastest hundred in Test Cricket
-Press ups in England
 
A great ambassador for Pakistan Cricket, and a very good test player. I was never a fan of his captaincy, and in my mind he was a poor ODi cricketer in the current era. I still have a positive opinion about him at the end of the day - he is a respectable and honest man who has put a lot of effort into Pakistan's cricket.

I think the dichotomy of Misbah fans and Misbah haters is a bit silly. Appreciate him for all he has achieved, and be open to criticizing him for his downfalls. Rarely is anything black and white.
 
I will remember him fondly but 2 things also will never be forgotten tuk tuk and mohali
 
He came in at a very turbulent time for pakistan and a very calming effect on the team. As a test batsmen and captain he was exceptional.
 
A man that was respected by cricket fans who weren't Pakistani he was a really good leader and he carried himself very well as a cricketer and person. He had a lot of highs in his careers one of my favorite moments was when Pakistan won the Asia cup in 2012 under Misbah ul Haq and also ISunited winning PSL and fastest test century. His worst moment for me was not Mohali because a lot of players failed that game rather it was the WT20 2007 Final I mean the cup was in his finger tips and he played that shot granted he brought the team close to winning but to play a shot like that for me was his worst moment but regardless I have a lot of love and respect for Misbah and wish him the best of luck for the future
 
Will remember him as some who took over the squad at a very difficult time doing a great job. Effective if not the most flamboyant batsman to watch he should have made his debut much before he did. Just goes to show how poor the domestic structure is.
 
Bonafide legend & best captain our generation has seen. We didnt see IK, mushtaq mohammed or Kardar captain, but of all the captains (Inzi,Yousuf, Younis butt afridi malik etc) I have seen he is the best.
 
Carried the team in he face of the match fixing scandals with dignity and for that he has my respect. However, as a player and captain, i never rated him that highly. He was a mediocre ODI batsman and a bottler/choker who lost it at both the World T20 2007 and Mohali. Also, he never really persisted with younger talents and himself has set a terrible example by playing till the age of 43. Statistically, he may be the best test captain after Imran but he's also been captain for the worst losing streak in Pakistan's test cricket history and that cannot be ignored.
 
Chief Destroyer said:
In my mind, he killed the Pakistani essence - the natural flair that we are renowned for. Most boring era of Pakistan cricket.
Click to expand...

We need to find a balance. Growing up in the 90s, our failure to curb our natural instincts and unwillingness to grind a session or two out lost us as many matches as we won.

The 80s side under Imran was our best Test side because it had both fighters like Mudassar Nazar and Shoaib Mohammad in addition to those flair players.

What we need now is to add some flair to the solid, gritty players we have from the Misbah era to take us forward.
 
shaz619 said:
Great objective list, I'd like to add one more low and two more highs to your post:

Low=

-Failed to groom future talent (although your very little young blood point sought of covers that) and leave behind a team which does not require as much rebuilding in terms of developed youth and adequate choice to replace him as captain who has decent amount of experience as the VC

High=
-Fastest hundred in Test Cricket
-Press ups in England
Click to expand...
Don't know how I could forget this brilliant cricketing piece. And that moustache flick thingy at the end of the Sharjah chase.
 
Pakistan ATG and legend. One of the best Test captains in the history of cricket. Excellent temperament and technique as a batsman. The only flaw in his batting was the lack of a 2nd gear. 1st and 3rd gear were there. As time went on, he was stubborn in leaving the team even though his batting and reflexes were on the decline. He has molded some potentially great players for Pakistan and will be sad to see him leave after such a long tenure; But he has to go, the team doesn't need him anymore. Still, he is a real hero and great role model for the young people of Pakistan.


Looks like a saint these days does Misbah.
:misbah4 :misbah3


Thank you Misbah!
:salute
 
Misbah's greatest achievement(s) as captain

Regardless of what you may think of his captaincy, I don't think anyone can deny Misbah did a great many for which Pakistan cricket will forever be indebted to him.
And along the way, was able to win us some very important series as captain. Despite having a squad strength that was no where near the worlds best and a batting-order that was just about the most brittle one going around.

So what for you was his best achievement as captain of the side?

For me, it was the 3-0 thrashing of England in UAE in 2012, because it not only opened the door for an extended period of dominance in the UAE that continues to this day. But also because that was the first time I saw that Pakistani team truly dominate a world-class team in every aspect.
The 2-0 whitewash of the Aussies was really sweet aswell.

In ODIs, his series wins in South Africa and India were massive that never really got that much attention because they were 3 match series. But I think those were feats he deserves alot of credit for because both India and South Africa were miles ahead of Pakistan as LOI sides even then, and also because that was the first ODI series win in South Africa ever for us.
 
Last edited:
Again one of those exhaustively discussed subjects. I'll add my thoughts and leave you guys to decide which way to swing your loyalties.

In Pakistan the opinion on Misbah is either extreme left or extreme right.

For some people he is the savior of Pakistani cricket, the miracle man who somehow changed the shape of Pakistani cricket and helped them stand tall after the match fixing debacle that disbarred 2 of our best cricketers.

For others, he is just a mediocre cricketer who got lucky stint with the Pakistani team. He destroyed the team during those years and Pakistani cricket is in a mess today because of him.

I don't like to take sides on this matter. I will present you with facts. Open and straight. I won't beat about the bush and try to suck up to Misbah because I like him (and I do). I won't be myopic and hate him because some people don't like his style. And then I will leave you people to decide his place in the annals of cricket.

His Succession And Pakistan Team

But before I even embark on penning my thoughts I have to remind people that when Misbah took the helm of the team in 2010 when the team was recovering from the spot fixing scandal of our two major players Amir and Asif. But people tend to forget Pakistan cricket was in a state of perpetual decline even before Misbah took over the captaincy from Salman Butt. We performed horribly in 2003 and 2007 World Cups and were not the team that was hallmark of consistency. He didn't throw out players in 2010 who were match winners. The team was just not good enough even at that time.

Personality of Misbah

I've thoroughly seen the personality of Misbah and it is a calm and serene personality. He rarely gets affected by anything (a very unPakistani trait) and is always diplomatic in his answers. This type of personality is also seen in the cricketing field when he doesn't really shout at players but keeps captaining in his own style to try to bring the best of Pakistani team.

Of course, Pakistani people in general live their hearts on the sleeve and would never be able to accept a personality that is dull and somewhat boring as they say. But it worked for Misbah. He managed success at some levels while floundering at some other levels. Why I say it worked for Misbah is because it actually did. He remained captain till the end of his career. I did not say , it worked for Pakistan. It did to a great extent but it also created problems for the team which I shall explain later.

His Achievements

I would like to talk about Misbah's achievements first before labelling criticism. His biggest success was getting the Test Mace for Pakistan, something which other captains failed to achieve. Immediately the detractors will get on my tail and say , BUT HE LOST TO ZIMBABWE. Yes, defeats happen in cricket. It was embarrassing. What was the end result? Pakistan won the Test Mace. We can't win all games of cricket. Some games go against you and it was one of those games. We also blanked England 3-0. Should England cry about losing to Pakistan?

The 2nd creditable achievement of Misbah was converting UAE into a sort of fortress. He was smart and resourceful. He realized that Pakistan team did not have the fast bowlers to effect results in UAE and the pitches were not conducive to it either. He banked on his spinners and he ground the opposition to dust in UAE. We didn't lose a series in UAE to even top ranked number 1 and 2 teams even though we were never ranked that high when they came to tour us.

Misbah introduced a style of batting that was stubborn and made the opposition cave in. He would preserve his wicket to the extent that when the opposition got tired, he would cash and make merry. The other batsmen followed this policy and could cash on this as well. Soon UAE would be a ground where he would be known as a force and it happened over 3-4 years.

The 3rd creditable achievement was that he was a very good administrator. We rarely heard of team fighting or whispering in the team about throwing the captain out or anything like that. An extremely likeable personality who kept Pakistan off the news (even though PCB tried their best to do reverse) for the wrong reasons and helped establish the credibility of Pakistan.

Now let me list them in logical order

1. Getting the Test Mace (fact) - People can deny whatever they like and say it was not deserved or make excuse number 5001 that why it was a false ranking but at the end of the day, he got the Mace. Sour grapes here won't take the Mace or Test Number 1 from Pakistan.

2. Unbeatable Team in UAE (fact) - We didn't lose a single series in the UAE even against teams ranked much higher than us. Nothing you can deny.

3. Kept Pakistan off scandals (mostly fact) - Yes he did a good job. There may be a few incidents but which captain in the world doesn't have a few issues? He did his job well.

The 3 points are undeniable. If you deny any of these 3 points, you are a potential hater and nothing I say will make you change your mind or even consider Misbah as good for Pakistan cricket.

The Cons

1. With his calm personality comes a drawback. His stubbornness. His refusal to think out of the box. He does NOT like to take risks. He likes to play his own way and that's how he wanted to captain the side. His way. The safety first approach. It's hard to deny.

I have an opinion on this. When Misbah played that Scoop shot against India which was harshly criticized by India and Pakistan lost the match everyone questioned why he went for such a risky shot. We had a few runs to win and why did he do it? I don't think he ever got over the guilt of playing such a shot (its my personal opinion but I could be wrong over the matter).

When we saw the captain Misbah his personality was the same but he eliminated all risk from all aspects of the game. Let's look at Mohali 2011. Batsmen around him were falling, the run rate was climbing, yet he refused to budge from his position. He continued to bat and bat and then went for the final glory when it was too late. In his defense he came to the wicket and saw the score 106-4.
But he shut shop. Akmal took the risks, Razzaq took the risks, Afridi took the risks, but he refused to take a risk on his own. I thought he handled the game horribly. If he could have taken a bit of risk earlier, Akmal, Razzaq and Afridi might not have had to play those shots they played.
But we ended up 30 short. If you end up 30 short it means you timed your chase horribly. He timed it horribly. Went way too late. It was pointless at that time.

Why I say this is a con?

Lets go deeper. In ODI's if you eliminate risks, you are not going to win games most of the time. If you eliminate the factor of taking even a semblance of a risk, you are going to stay in contention most of the time, but you will also be losing games a lot of time, because the opposition can take risks and push you out of the game.

In Tests it works to an extent. Pakistan were lucky in the sense that they played in pitches of UAE. The pitches of UAE are extremely conducive to those who bide their time. The ball hardly does anything and grinding the opposition is the way to go. However we saw what happens when you try this strategy in the 5 tests Down Under. Inevitably one of the ball is going to get you. Hence the 5-0 blanking by the opposition abroad.
The England pitches were one of the best for Pakistan because they actually were sort of spin friendly wickets in which a patient came was required. Hence Pakistan came out with a respectable 2-2 draw.

Pakistan ODI ranking today is because of lack of risk takers. Something which Misbah taught to batsmen during his tenure as the cricket captain. Play it safe. Win the game. Doesn't really work. Anyone who plays professionally any sport knows if you don't go for your shots you lose the game most of the time unless the opposition self implodes.

Sometimes it worked too. Pakistan became the first South Asian team to win in South Africa in an ODI series something which hasn't happened before. But of course people who don't like Misbah would hate to acknowledge that completely.

But mostly it didn't work. And hence we are languishing in the ODI rankings.

2. Lost all Flair in the Team

Pakistan team was renowned for people who came and shook the world by storm. Natural flair. Natural talent. I am sorry to say that he had at least some part in burying that talent. He might not have killed it completely, but he did bury it to an extent.

He wanted players to play safe. Not slow but safe. People sometimes mistake playing safe as playing slow. He did not ask Ahmed Shehzad to tuk tuk. He did not ask Muhammad Hafeez to play 50 balls to score 20 runs. But he did in the psyche of the team tell them, that those who don't throw away their wickets will be respected.

If you ingrain that in a team, naturally the players will curb down on their instinctive shots and focus on safe cricket. Unfortunately for the team, there weren't many players who could play safe and at a good pace. When it worked off occasionally, Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal along with Misbah won the games for Pakistan. When it didn't, we usually plodded to less than 250 and were banking on our bowlers continuously to bail us out.

That flair, that drive, that passion was slowly weeded out of the team. Now the team is perhaps better in tests but they play a brand of cricket that perhaps no one wants to see.

I certainly don't want to see Pakistan scoring at 1.2 runs per over and bat out 2.5 days and then unleash the spinners. But I can see why it worked for Pakistan and Misbah and I wouldn't change it either for the team if it is working.

However, in the coming seasons we will see if that flair comes back or if it will take much longer for players to take risks and bring out the cricketer in them.


The 3rd problem was his stubbornness. If something is not working change it. He rarely did. He kept close a bunch of cricketers he thought were most suitable to give him the results and at least in Tests he got the results out of them. The ODI series too occasionally he got the results such as the South African series but mostly the results were negative and the rankings plummeted.

Out of the box thinking was not natural to Misbah and if there is one criticism that can be made, it was definitely this.


Contentious Issue

Did he stay on too long? Should England have been his last tour? Should NZ? Should Australia? Should West Indies?

Unfortunately there will never ever be a consensus on this one. Everyone has different opinions on this matter and you can give equal arguments for and against it.

Personally I think he should have retired after Australia even after the loss, but he got a tad greedy and wanted to retire on high. Can't blame him really, after all he did for Pakistan cricket.

So What is his Legacy


If you look at all the arguments I presented, then it's not hard to see how his legacy will be remembered.

A tough cricketer, a cricketer who brought out the best in a team of individuals culminating in his best achievement as giving the Test Mace to Pakistan. A cricketer who shined in Test Arena and developed a system of getting the best out of Pakistan Team. A defensive cricketer in ODI's best remembered for his refusal to budge from his stance , Pakistan's famous victory in South Africa with the same stubborn stance , and then again miserably flopping because of the same stance in World Cup.

A leader who brought serenity, calmness and humility among Pakistan cricketers. Someone who was highly respected by all cricketers of the game. But someone who took away the flair and natural drive of the team at the cost of victory.

What indeed is his legacy?

If cricket is about results at any cost, merciless hours of dead beating the ball till the opposition give up and winning the Test Cricket Mace, Misbah is definitely up there with the best.

But if cricket is about natural drive, ODI flair, winning the World Cup and taking risks when the situation demands Misbah turns out to be extremely average in this respect.

A mixed legacy.

I would remember him if only for the reason he caused more fans to burn then his actual effigies being burnt. When people burn like this, it only means you have done at least something right.

And he has done a lot of things wrong, but a lot of things right.

And certainly when the curtain falls down on his career in West Indies, I'll be in front of my TV cheering loudly.

For all his faults, nothing more proudeth than the splendor of seeing a Green Shirt give his all.
 
As an Indian I would always remember him for the shot he hit in the final of the inaugural T20 WC.. However he did great after taking over the side in those circumstances
 
For 1 (51) tuk tuk tuk tuk. Its his last match and hes done some good things over the years but this was a 100% typical misbah innings
 
superman said:
For 1 (51) tuk tuk tuk tuk. Its his last match and hes done some good things over the years but this was a 100% typical misbah innings
Click to expand...

Everyone wants to play their typical knock in final test and it looks like Misbah overdid it ;)
 
His era will be remembered for depressing, boring, defensive and selfish cricket.
 
Nobody will remember him. He has done nothing extraordinary our cricket has declined under him.
 
Try and appreciate the man in his last 3 days of international cricket. These discussions can be held at a later stage as well.

No need to act like Dr. Nauman Niaz.
 
His legacy is #1 test ranking which even some better Pakistani captains with better teams could not do.
 
The_Odd_One said:
His legacy is #1 test ranking which even some better Pakistani captains with better teams could not do.
Click to expand...

Yes, reached to #1 after playing non-stop in UAE but moment he lead the team outside Asia, it was all slide downward, dreadful cricket and leadership.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

shaz619
  • Poll Poll
Virat Kohli vs Misbah-ul-Haq - Who has the greater legacy in Tests?
2
Replies
84
Views
2K
just a fan
J
mominsaigol
The Legacy Challenge: Why Children and Nephews of famous cricketers often struggle to match their predecessors?
Replies
37
Views
1K
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
[EXCLUSIVE] "Misbah's defensive mindset cost us big matches": Awais Zia
Replies
47
Views
1K
RyanRyan10
RyanRyan10
RyanRyan10
Misbah-ul-Haq or Shoaib Akhtar: Who had a bigger impact on Pakistan cricket and who would be considered a better role model?
Replies
55
Views
2K
Fanboy375
Fanboy375
FearlessRoar
Will hosting a successful ICC Champions Trophy 2025 rekindle Pakistan's love for cricket?
Replies
1
Views
218
Cricket Warrior
Cricket Warrior
Back
Top