'Misbah-ul-Haq is a poor man's MS Dhoni' : Ramiz Raja

[MenInG]

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja described Misbah-ul-Haq as ‘the poor man's MS Dhoni’, saying the Pakistan head coach needs to adopt a ‘modern thinking’ approach to guide the team.

Ramiz said Misbah also possesses the calm demeanour of former India captain MS Dhoni but he has to change and adapt according to the modern demands of the game.

"Misbah's training and upbringing is different. Let me put it this way, he is the poor man's Dhoni. MS was also restrained, no expressions and not emotional. Misbah is also like this but I think now he has to go on modern thinking," Ramiz said in an interview on the Cricket Baaz YouTube channel.

Ramiz said Misbah at times gets too protective when Pakistan lose a match.

"Misbah has to take a new direction because there is a need to set the GPS right for Pakistan cricket because aggression is in our DNA. I think at times he gets too protective and he gets cagey as soon as we lose a match. But if our products and talent is right we shouldn't be afraid of hiccups and setbacks."

Ramiz also called for the appointment of a chief executive for the Pakistan team who would oversee only technical cricket matters related to the team selection, coaches, players etc.

He also felt that time has come for Pakistan to stop reliance on foreign coaches.

"In the past I could understand we needed foreign coaches because we were young to this field but now we have grown ourselves in this area. "In fact I think there is no need to have permanent coaches with the team for all tours and we should only be appointing specialist coaches as required on tour to tour series to series basis.

"Appointment of coaches should be tour-based and opposition based. Use their expertise for a series and move on rather than carry on with them for a long period."

Talking about the World Test Championship, Ramiz said: "The current format was lopsided and prolonged and it made no sense not having India and Pakistan series.

"Teams didn't play the same number of matches and even the points system was weird. Next time when the WTC is held no cricket should be held at that time, No ODIs or T20s, if you want to promote test cricket and infuse life into it and also attract sponsors to this format," he added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...istan-batsman-ramiz-raja-101616203992862.html

 

[Shafi]

Misbah-ul-Haq is poor man's MS Dhoni

What an insult to legend Dhoni!!!! The guy brought India 2 World Cups with lots of average players due to his cricketing brain.

Pakistan to stop reliance on foreign coaches.

Then you stuck with wannabe coach Misbah, Mohsin, Waqar, Miandad......

 

[Varun]

If Misbah had connected his scoop in 2007, today's quote would have been 'Dhoni is the poor man's Misbah-ul-Haq'.

The most consequential delivery in world cricket.

 

[Ab Fan]

Disagree.

The inning that Misbah played in T20 WC final 2007 is a kind of inning Dhoni is not capable of playing in T20I format.

 

[rhony]

If Misbah had connected his scoop in 2007, today's quote would have been 'Dhoni is the poor man's Misbah-ul-Haq'.

The most consequential delivery in world cricket.

For IPL to have kicked off at that feverish pace, three things had to have gone India's way. India and Pakistan to the final, India winning the game, India winning a very close game. Misbah's shot changed Indian cricket forever.

 

[Ab Fan]

People who think Misbah's shot turned the wheel for India fail to understand that when Afridi got out for 0(1), it was write then established that this is India's game to win.

Misbah played a sublime knock and brought back Pakistan into game from nowhere by hitting back to back sixes of Harbhajan but ultimately India prevailed in the final over.

It was India's game to lose, not Pakistan's to lose.

 

[Shafi]

If Misbah had connected his scoop in 2007, today's quote would have been 'Dhoni is the poor man's Misbah-ul-Haq'.

The most consequential delivery in world cricket.

Misbah was accumulator not a finisher. He would have out long ago if he played with intent. We were lucky to be in the final under Misbah.

 

[Shafi]

People who think Misbah's shot turned the wheel for India fail to understand that when Afridi got out for 0(1), it was write then established that this is India's game to win.

Misbah played a sublime knock and brought back Pakistan into game from nowhere by hitting back to back sixes of Harbhajan but ultimately India prevailed in the final over.

It was India's game to lose, not Pakistan's to lose.

Team play under in a crucial match are bound to fail 99 out of 100, can only win once if the opposition has a really bad day. The guy has lack of inspiration to motivate any team member.

 

[MHN1293]

What is similar between dhoni and misbah other than both being captains of their teams and both practicing tuk tuk at the end of their careers.

 

[fasihulhaq94]

If Misbah had connected his scoop in 2007, today's quote would have been 'Dhoni is the poor man's Misbah-ul-Haq'.

The most consequential delivery in world cricket.

True.

Just imagine how team and career trajectories could have been impacted.

 

[Energy]

Makes sense when you look at the term 'poor man'. While Dhoni has achieved almost everything that one can hope for, Misbah has come close to that by winning the odd series. Batting wise, Dhoni's 50+ average would have a lot of successful chases, wins, while Misbah's average mostly comprises of losses.

 

[zarak]

Makes sense when you look at the term 'poor man'. While Dhoni has achieved almost everything that one can hope for, Misbah has come close to that by winning the odd series. Batting wise, Dhoni's 50+ average would have a lot of successful chases, wins, while Misbah's average mostly comprises of losses.

Fair enough but our team has not played at home for a decade. A lot of records are made in home conditions. The playing field is not even in terms of the opportunities for performance

 

[Energy]

Fair enough but our team has not played at home for a decade. A lot of records are made in home conditions. The playing field is not even in terms of the opportunities for performance

That is true but Misbah had found a mantra to win at UAE so that cannot be ignored.

 

[moghul]

Please not another thread on the man who caused so much damage to Pakistan cricket in every role he took.

 

[moghul]

That is true but Misbah had found a mantra to win at UAE so that cannot be ignored.

That mantra was nothing but two chuckers,

 

[Markhor]

Usual meaningless buzzwords from Ramiz.

"Aggression is in our DNA" - can we just win cricket matches and move on from this 90s era crap about aggression, pace is pace yaar, cornered tigers etc ?

 

[Zaz]

Its not clever of ramiz to call him a poor man of anyone

Would ramiz not get offended if he was called a poor mans nasser hussain?

Ramiz once again not thinking before opening his mouth Theres a way of making a point without offending people

 

[MHN1293]

Its not clever of ramiz to call him a poor man of anyone

Would ramiz not get offended if he was called a poor mans nasser hussain?

Ramiz once again not thinking before opening his mouth Theres a way of making a point without offending people

When nasser himself batting wise is a poor mans misbah then i wonder what rameez is.

 

[Kroll]

Usual meaningless buzzwords from Ramiz.

"Aggression is in our DNA" - can we just win cricket matches and move on from this 90s era crap about aggression, pace is pace yaar, cornered tigers etc ?

I think he's just holding back from what he really wants to say.

"Misbah is a parasite that has leeched on the team for far too long."

 

[Bilal7]

It's Ramiz who needs to change. He's a proper dinosaur and sounds very out of touch whenever he opens his mouth these days.

 

[Hasan123]

Misbah and Dhoni have some similarities in terms of personality but I don’t see Misbah as a poor mans Dhoni.

 

[Mesozoic]

Goodness me....No filter

 

[Mamoon]

The only thing in Pakistan cricket’s DNA is mediocrity, and Ramiz himself was an illustration of that mediocrity.

There is no doubt Dhoni was a vastly superior cricketer and captain than Misbah but the latter does not deserve to be disrespected in this manner.

In spite of having very little talent at his disposal, he captained Pakistan to more Test wins than anyone in Pakistan’s history including Imran Khan.

Misbah is among the greatest cricketers to come out of Pakistan and he certainly ranks higher than a middling player like Ramiz.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

It is a such a disrespectful statement from Ramiz. Should know better.
I don't understand what is the thing with ex-Pakistan players to compare Pakistanis with Indian players.

 

[RickyG]

Disagree.

The inning that Misbah played in T20 WC final 2007 is a kind of inning Dhoni is not capable of playing in T20I format.

Agreed. Because Dhoni would've finished the innings with a 6 not a lame scoop when Joginder Sharma is bowling at you.

 

[Suleiman]

Usual meaningless buzzwords from Ramiz.

"Aggression is in our DNA" - can we just win cricket matches and move on from this 90s era crap about aggression, pace is pace yaar, cornered tigers etc ?

Also this is coming from Ramiz, the least aggressive batsman to play 50+ games for Pak lol.

I would always choose Dhoni overalll over Misbah, but that t20 final innings and the 100 vs England at Lords in 2016 are two innings Dhoni would probably not have been able to play given his international t20 record and overseas test performances. Outside of those two innings Dhoni is superior in every way (debatable who is better in tests)

In any case, poor from Ramiz. Naming and shaming in public.

 

[topspin]

Lol what an insult to Dhoni. Misbah isn't even fit to tie his shoelaces let alone be cited in the same sentence.

 

[sivanand82]

Tuk Tuk Masters.Best in Business.

 

[CleverSir]

2021 Ramiz Raja is a poor mans 2000-2010ish Ramiz Raja.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Difficult to understand who Rambo has ended up insulting. Lol

 

[Savak]

The only thing in Pakistan cricket’s DNA is mediocrity, and Ramiz himself was an illustration of that mediocrity.

There is no doubt Dhoni was a vastly superior cricketer and captain than Misbah but the latter does not deserve to be disrespected in this manner.

In spite of having very little talent at his disposal, he captained Pakistan to more Test wins than anyone in Pakistan’s history including Imran Khan.

Misbah is among the greatest cricketers to come out of Pakistan and he certainly ranks higher than a middling player like Ramiz.

It's funny how you selectively decide who deserves to be respected and disrespected.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Usual meaningless buzzwords from Ramiz.

"Aggression is in our DNA" - can we just win cricket matches and move on from this 90s era crap about aggression, pace is pace yaar, cornered tigers etc ?

These 90s era crap will be brought again and again. I thought ramiz can speak well but in this post , he sounds clueless. His suggestions of coaching , appointing coaches in series to series basis, generalising on local vs foreign coaches. If local coach is a better candidate than a foreign coach, then no issues.
If the local coaches are still naive, inexperienced and not good enough to coach international teams , then obviously you look outside. Not all best players are good teachers or speakers to motivate players , so they don’t end up as good coach.

 

[jiduguravindra]

Tuk Tuk Masters.Best in Business.

Dhoni does that tuk tuk later half of his career where misbah starts and ends as a tuk tuk player

 

[GreenKhan]

If Misbah had bottled it in 2007 like the others around him then we won’t have even be talking about that final as being a game changer .

Had that ball gone for 6 it still won’t have made that much difference to Pakistan . We are an inconsistent side who mostly turn up for big tournaments.

Following the heartbreak in 2007 we won the T20 World Cup in 2009. It never turned us into world beaters .

2017 we won the CT and annihilated India , and yet our trajectory remains inconsistent.

2007 would have made Misbah a folklore legend , but to say it would have changed Pakistan cricket or anything like that is a far fetched statement .

Having said that Pakistan zindabad .

 

[topspin]

Dhoni does that tuk tuk later half of his career where misbah starts and ends as a tuk tuk player

Couldn't agree more. Misbah is the king of all tuk tuks.

 

[Greenstorm]

Misbah should take that as compliment.

 

[Ab Fan]

Agreed. Because Dhoni would've finished the innings with a 6 not a lame scoop when Joginder Sharma is bowling at you.

Depends which Dhoni was playing. But in international T20s, Dhoni hasn't played a knock of that standard.

If you ask me, would Dhoni chase down 13 in final overs with just 1 wicket left? The answer is Yes!

But would Dhoni chase down about 81 runs in 8 overs in the final of WT20 with 4 wickets left? I guess it will depend on the kind of innings others will play at the non-striker end.

 

[Varun]

Depends which Dhoni was playing. But in international T20s, Dhoni hasn't played a knock of that standard.

If you ask me, would Dhoni chase down 13 in final overs with just 1 wicket left? The answer is Yes!

But would Dhoni chase down about 81 runs in 8 overs in the final of WT20 with 4 wickets left? I guess it will depend on the kind of innings others will play at the non-striker end.

If we were to win such a scenario, then Dhoni would have left the grunt work to the likes of Raina/Jadeja at the other end, while hitting a pretty 4 or 6 in the end and walking off to cheers of "Captain Cool" and picking up an undeserved MoM, while Raina/Jadeja politely applaud in the background.

We've seen this happen only 50 times over his career.

 

[Mamoon]

It's funny how you selectively decide who deserves to be respected and disrespected.

When you captain your country to more Test wins than anyone in history, you deserve to be respected. There are no ifs and buts and it is not up for debate. There is nothing subjective about it.

 

[Mamoon]

That dumb suggestion to suspend white ball cricket while the WTC is going on takes the cake.

Imagine not playing ODIs and T20Is for two years and every team playing Test cricket only. What a terrible idea.

Ramiz should drop this fake expert and analyst act and focus on providing entertainment and comic relief in the commentary box which is his speciality.

 

[Savak]

When you captain your country to more Test wins than anyone in history, you deserve to be respected. There are no ifs and buts and it is not up for debate. There is nothing subjective about it.

Sarfaraz has a CT win on his record, he should be eternally respected for that as well as no one has that achievement in Pakistan. Same goes for YK for the 2009 T20 WC win.

Not calling for Misbah to be humiliated but everyone call dig into his number of test wins and see that it is all padded with UAE wins and a win against a weak 2010 NZ team and a poor WI team. Sure, give Misbah respect but let's not consider him the best captain in Pakistani history

 

[Varun]

Sarfaraz has a CT win on his record, he should be eternally respected for that as well as no one has that achievement in Pakistan. Same goes for YK for the 2009 T20 WC win.

Not calling for Misbah to be humiliated but everyone call dig into his number of test wins and see that it is all padded with UAE wins and a win against a weak 2010 NZ team and a poor WI team. Sure, give Misbah respect but let's not consider him the best captain in Pakistani history

And a draw against England in 2016 to become Test #1 in the world. Like you say, nobody has that achievement in Pakistan - not even Imran Khan.

 

[Savak]

And a draw against England in 2016 to become Test #1 in the world. Like you say, nobody has that achievement in Pakistan - not even Imran Khan.

Lol that ranking was exposed for what it was when Pakistan lost a test to a very poor WI team in the UAE a few months later and then got pummeled in NZ and Australia as well. Ian Chappell is a call a spade a spade commentator who doesn't buy into these subcontinent emotions and he bluntly called Misbah's captaincy the worst piece of captaincy he saw on Australian soil and later he even ridiculed the then PCB chairman's SK statement that the board will allow Misbah to take a call himself on his future and said that the selectors should just drop him immediately.

 

[Zaz]

It is a such a disrespectful statement from Ramiz. Should know better.
I don't understand what is the thing with ex-Pakistan players to compare Pakistanis with Indian players.

This

People are free to say what they like but lets show some respect and decorum for his position and standing
Calling anyone this is disrespectful and pakistanis do it all the time

Instead of supporting someone and helping the team in effect pakistanis generally love to demean them and drag them down whilst comparing them with the neighbours

Some people need to have a good hard look at themselves

 

[Varun]

Lol that ranking was exposed for what it was when Pakistan lost a test to a very poor WI team in the UAE a few months later and then got pummeled in NZ and Australia as well. Ian Chappell is a call a spade a spade commentator who doesn't buy into these subcontinent emotions and he bluntly called Misbah's captaincy the worst piece of captaincy he saw on Australian soil and later he even ridiculed the then PCB chairman's SK statement that the board will allow Misbah to take a call himself on his future and said that the selectors should just drop him immediately.

I was just using your Sarfraz CT 2017 logic to bring up that example. I'm sure you know that CT 2017 team barely won anything after the event too.

 

[Major]

Misbah has played out his career, and he will go down as a Pakistani great whether anyone likes it or not.

Few years down the lane, he will be added to the ICC hall of fame aswell.

What these so called experts want to say changes nothing now.

 

[Mamoon]

Sarfaraz has a CT win on his record, he should be eternally respected for that as well as no one has that achievement in Pakistan. Same goes for YK for the 2009 T20 WC win.

Not calling for Misbah to be humiliated but everyone call dig into his number of test wins and see that it is all padded with UAE wins and a win against a weak 2010 NZ team and a poor WI team. Sure, give Misbah respect but let's not consider him the best captain in Pakistani history

A fluke Champions Trophy win on the back of 3-4 ODI matches that came within the first 2-3 months of his captaincy tenure is not comparable to winning 26 Test matches as captain. Sarfraz couldn’t handle the Test captaincy and lost Test series to Sri Lanka and New Zealand in UAE.

In terms of captaincy achievements he is a nobody compared to Misbah.

 

[topspin]

A fluke Champions Trophy win on the back of 3-4 ODI matches that came within the first 2-3 months of his captaincy tenure is not comparable to winning 26 Test matches as captain. Sarfraz couldn’t handle the Test captaincy and lost Test series to Sri Lanka and New Zealand in UAE.

In terms of captaincy achievements he is a nobody compared to Misbah.

If Sarfraz had Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal (prior to his ban) his test record wouldn't have been any different.

The bottom line is Misbah was carried by his spinners and Younis Khan and was very fortunate to have captained all of his home series in UAE. If Sarfraz had the same team he would have enjoyed the same success in the desert.

If Pakistan were playing their home matches in Pakistan (instead of UAE), his record wouldn't have been anywhere near as good. You've made this point yourself on numerous occasions about how Pakistan were fortunate to have been playing in the UAE. On this point I totally agree with you, we weren't the worthy no.1 test side in the world. Lets also not forget Misbah averages in the 20s on Pakistani wickets.

Sarfraz wasn't a good captain but he wasn't as bad as Misbah. Both of them have captained Pakistan in a CT tournament in England. The difference in fortunes are in the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Misbah's Pakistan were beyond awful during the 2013 CT. They lost all their games and crashed out of the tournament during the group stage. But I guess that's what he deserved for picking the likes of Imran Farhat and Umar Amin.

Sarfraz's Pakistan went on to win the same tournament which was also held in England. Yes it was a flash in the pan moment but for crying out loud give him some credit. The 2019 WC was also a better showing than what we saw from his predecessor in the previous edition of the tournament.

Misbah deserves all the credit for lifting the Pakistan team when it had reached all-time low following the spot fixing scandal. However, he should have retired in 2013 due to the team's poor showing in the series played in Zimbabwe, South Africa and in the CT.

He should also be remembered for his chokes during the 2007 WT20 and 2011 WC. Furthermore he's the worst captain I've seen for tests played in Australia.

Pakistan cricket is in a mess and has not progressed much since the 90s. Part of the reason for this mess is because of Misbah who epitomises the lack of progression with his outdated cricketing ideas.

Since the Mohali match, no one has done more damage to Pakistan cricket than this man has.

 

[Mamoon]

If Sarfraz had Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal (prior to his ban) his test record wouldn't have been any different.

The bottom line is Misbah was carried by his spinners and Younis Khan and was very fortunate to have captained all of his home series in UAE. If Sarfraz had the same team he would have enjoyed the same success in the desert.

If Pakistan were playing their home matches in Pakistan (instead of UAE), his record wouldn't have been anywhere near as good. You've made this point yourself on numerous occasions about how Pakistan were fortunate to have been playing in the UAE. On this point I totally agree with you, we weren't the worthy no.1 test side in the world. Lets also not forget Misbah averages in the 20s on Pakistani wickets.

Sarfraz wasn't a good captain but he wasn't as bad as Misbah. Both of them have captained Pakistan in a CT tournament in England. The difference in fortunes are in the opposite ends of the spectrum.

Misbah's Pakistan were beyond awful during the 2013 CT. They lost all their games and crashed out of the tournament during the group stage. But I guess that's what he deserved for picking the likes of Imran Farhat and Umar Amin.

Sarfraz's Pakistan went on to win the same tournament which was also held in England. Yes it was a flash in the pan moment but for crying out loud give him some credit. The 2019 WC was also a better showing than what we saw from his predecessor in the previous edition of the tournament.

Misbah deserves all the credit for lifting the Pakistan team when it had reached all-time low following the spot fixing scandal. However, he should have retired in 2013 due to the team's poor showing in the series played in Zimbabwe, South Africa and in the CT.

He should also be remembered for his chokes during the 2007 WT20 and 2011 WC. Furthermore he's the worst captain I've seen for tests played in Australia.

Pakistan cricket is in a mess and has not progressed much since the 90s. Part of the reason for this mess is because of Misbah who epitomises the lack of progression with his outdated cricketing ideas.

Since the Mohali match, no one has done more damage to Pakistan cricket than this man has.

Misbah was a poor LOIs captain but he did well to win 26 Tests as captain. The number 1 ranking itself was flukey because the only reason Pakistan got there was because the 4th Test between India and West Indies was washed out. However, to achieve the number 2 ranking with that Pakistan team was an achievement.

As far as the notion that he was lucky to have the likes of Younis etc., it is a moot point because every captain needs quality players to win matches. No captain has ever succeeded in the long-term with poor players.

Sarfraz had a weaker team but he himself performed poorly apart from one Test vs Australia in UAE. On the other hand, Misbah played really well as captain. Sarfraz didn’t handle the pressure of captaincy but Misbah did.

Younis could have become the most successful Test captain but he was a poor man manager and lost the dressing room within a year. Butt could have as well but he proved to be a fixer.

Misbah did very well to captain for 7 years and win 26 matches as well average 50+ with the bat, and he deserves due credit and respect.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

...And Ramiz Raja is a rich man's Athar Ali Khan