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Misbah-ul-Haq vs MS Dhoni - Who is the better Test batsman?

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hafeezrocks

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Both have been fighting Captains for their respective sides .

Misbah averages 48 in Test Matches while Dhoni averages 38.

But there is more to Cricket than just overall stats so who do you think is the better batsman between the two ?
 
Why is this even a comparison lol!

No brainer, Misbah is way better and in a different league.
 
Dhoni can only dream of emulating and putting up a good fight like Misbah in Tests.
 
desi_launda said:
:)))
Dhoni should be compared to someone like Hafeez
Click to expand...

With a record like this, no way. Misbah is even more useless in alien conditions.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/28081.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/41378.html?class=1;template=results;type=batting

_________________________

Can't believe the hype around Misbah :facepalm:

The only places he scores runs are India and UAE. He is not even an Ashwin outside these regions.
 
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Dhoni is a gun ODI player may be best of our time and he is not a test batsman. On the flip side Misbah is a poor ODI player and can play specific role in Test cricket, we have seen in past Misbah playing some good knocks and saving some matches. I dont think Dhoni is suited to play the role Misbah plays for his team.

Also with comparison we must keep in mind that Misbah plays for a very poor batting line up with a lot more responsibility than what Dhoni normally have on his shoulders.
 
Dhoni is a very underrated Test batsman while Misbah is overrated.
 
Misbah hasn't played a single knock in Test cricket that Dhoni hasn't played or is incapable of, while Dhoni has played knocks like the 200 vs Australia which Misbah can only dream of.

In the subcontinent, Dhoni is clearly better. Not only can he consolidate but he lands the killer blows as well while overseas he isn't as bad as people think. Misbah is a bunny overseas as well.
 
Mamoon said:
Dhoni is a very underrated Test batsman while Misbah is overrated.
Click to expand...

Dhoni cant grind. This makes him very vulnerable overseas. In subcontinent he is devastating though.

To be honest Misbah would walk into out current test team. We need someone who can take the blows and shut shop when needed

Mamoon said:
Misbah hasn't played a single knock in Test cricket that Dhoni hasn't played or is incapable of, while Dhoni has played knocks like the 200 vs Australia which Misbah can only dream of.

In the subcontinent, Dhoni is clearly better. Not only can he consolidate but he lands the killer blows as well while overseas he isn't as bad as people think. Misbah is a bunny overseas as well.
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As I said, in subcontinent Dhoni is another player alltogether.
 
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eradicator said:
True . All Test runs scored by Dhoni are worthless compared to the knocks played by Kami at Mohali and Karachi.
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Pointless post. Bringing Kami in isn't Misbah's defense. :facepalm: As a Test batsman, Kami has a lot more raw-talent than both Misbah and Dhoni.

Misbah is hopeless outside subcontinental pitches, and even someone like Dhoni is substantially better. Even in the subcontinent, Dhoni has an edge because of the way he scores.
 
:)))

Even a 100 Dhonis won't make up for Misbah in Tests.
 
Noobosauras said:
Dhoni cant grind. This makes him very vulnerable overseas. In subcontinent he is devastating though.

To be honest Misbah would walk into out current test team. We need someone who can take the blows and shut shop when needed




As I said, in subcontinent Dhoni is another player alltogether.
Click to expand...

Contrary to popular belief on PP, Misbah isn't a competent bat overseas. He was rubbish in SA and if you take him to England now, he will struggle and won't do much in Australia either.

There is very little difference between Misbah and Dhoni overseas. The latter has played pretty decent innings on recent overseas tours though in NZ and England.
 
Hawkeye said:
Nah won't argue over this. Was expected Mamoon would pick Dhoni when even his countrymen won't :P
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Misbah's conversion rate is very poor. He is nothing more than 35-40 averaging Test batsman.

His average really flatters him.
 
Noobosauras said:
Dhoni cant grind. This makes him very vulnerable overseas. In subcontinent he is devastating though.

To be honest Misbah would walk into out current test team. We need someone who can take the blows and shut shop when needed
Click to expand...

Why do you find it so hard to accept that Misbah is even worse outside subcontinental pitches? Dhoni ain't great, agreed. But how is Misbah better overseas?
 
Mamoon said:
Misbah's conversion rate is very poor. He is nothing more than 35-40 averaging Test batsman.

His average really flatters him.
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So is Mathews'. Both have played almost similar number of innings.

Doesn't put Dhoni above him.
 
And once again Misbah the legend departs with a baby 60 and this is how he has maintained his average.

Only if 50-60s won you Tests.
 
Hawkeye said:
So is Mathews'. Both have played almost similar number of innings.

Doesn't put Dhoni above him.
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Mathews has really transformed in the last year or so. The innings he played in England, Misbah isn't capable of.

Misbah is a poor man's Mathews.
 
The much revered away averages for both players against swing and bounce -

Misbah :
Australia - 25
NZ - 41
South Africa - 22
England - Hasn't played.

Dhoni :
Australia - 19
England - 37
New Zealand - 54
South Africa -28

Reactions in this thread don't do justice to the reality. One batsman underrated, while the other massively overrated./
 
Mamoon said:
Mathews has really transformed in the last year or so. The innings he played in England, Misbah isn't capable of.

Misbah is a poor man's Mathews.
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Misbah is 40. He will only decline. Whereas Matthews is young.
 
Misbahs record looks decent cos he hasn't played enuf outside Asia . Dhoni scored a double hundred last time he played this oz side . Overall both are avg test players
 
Strange thread.

Will anyone ever compare say Ross Taylor with Brad Haddin or Graham Gooch with Ian Healy?
 
Let Misbah play a few overseas tests in places like ENG/AUS regularly then we can compare.
 
Dhoni people underrate him im Test because of how great he is in ODIS and expect that kind pf form in Tests too. But he is much better than Misbah a much more devastating batsman. In the SC both are good but Dhoni scores at a far quicker rate and can score big tons. Unlike Misbah who regularly makes 50s and 60s and gets out he has a very poor conversion rate. 50s and 60s arent matchwinning scores in Tests. If Misbah played in AUS and ENG he would struggle big time.
 
Electron said:
The much revered away averages for both players against swing and bounce -

Misbah :
Australia - 25
NZ - 41
South Africa - 22
England - Hasn't played.

Dhoni :
Australia - 19
England - 37
New Zealand - 54
South Africa -28

Reactions in this thread don't do justice to the reality. One batsman underrated, while the other massively overrated./
Click to expand...

Thats pretty decent record for an Ind keeper tbh. In fact I doubt any Asian keeper apart from Sanga has better stats than that. Yet MSD is slacked as if we have Gilly's and Sanga's waiting in the bench.
 
Dhoni vs Asad Shafiq would be a better comparison. He is so hopelessly poor in tests sometimes i am confused whether to laugh or cry at his ridiculous technique and struggles. :)))
 
Averages don't do justice to a player.

Both Dhoni and Matt Prior average the same in Test cricket.

Are both of them equal as batsmen in Test matches?

Hell no. Matt Prior is twice the test batsman Dhoni is.

There is a reason why Samaraweera and a few other 50 averaging aren't rated as high as ATGs are rated even though all of them have similar averages.

Its NOT just because of overseas Tests. Some of the 50 averaging batsmen have very good overseas records but STILL aren't rated as ATGs.

Why so?

Its because what matters is crucial knocks.

I am not talking about knocks where you win the match. That is dependent on bowlers but crucial knocks is different.

Crucial knocks that will setup games or win games or where you valiantly fight BEFORE the result of the match is a foregone conclusion. Of course, if you are team is beyond hopeless, great knocks where you valiantly fight get noticed. Eg - Dravid in England 2011

Take Kohli for example.

Has a good average in NZ but NO crucial knock that really helped the team. Its easy to score a century in one of the games where the result is already known. Stats will say he had a successful NZ tour. I would say if Kohli had got 3 ducks and scored in the first Test (last innings) taking India to victory, people would have rated Kohli more. Rahane, on the other hand, scored a brilliant ton to setup a win which our bowlers blew. He was hailed.

Another example.

In ODIs, Umar Akmal averages MORE than Yuvraj Singh.

Will any neutral fan say Umar Akmal has performed better than Yuvi?

Hell no. Why? Cos when needed Umar Akmal goes missing (more often than not). Yuvi on the other hand delivers.

If Umar in important matches where his team needed him, he would have been hailed a brilliant match winner (with the same 38 average and same amount of runs).

I am not a big fan of using blind averages to judge players.

Dhoni, apart from his recent England tour, has done didly squat in overseas tours. In SC, he has been a very good batsman. But to call Dhoni an under rated batsman is wrong. Dhoni is ANYTHING but under rated. Be it Tests or ODIs. He is rated perfectly.

As for comparison, its an absurd one. Both play a different role for their teams which makes it very hard to take a pick.

Dhoni isn't reliable as a Test batsman like Misbah but he can blast off in the end if given a platform.

Purely judging batsmanship, I would go with Misbah.

In SC, Dhoni usually comes in at the end to smash a few. If Indian team had a weak batting, Dhoni's average would have taken a big hit.

Misbah wins.
 
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Overall its MISBAH. He seems to have a better defence than Dhoni. Plus he has scored in TOUGH situations of 3/4 down for few runs, OUTSIDE the SC also. Misbah's outside SC performances puts him ahead of MSD.
Dhoni is though a different batsman, and this comparison bears no worth. But Misbah is ahead of MSD in terms of number of runs scored successfully in PRESSURE situation, where later batsmen could crumble like an old biscuit; in Misbah's case.
 
Dhoni in pressure situations in Tests is useless (more often than not).

Dravid was our best Test batsman in complete pressure situations.
 
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sensible-indian-fan said:
Averages don't do justice to a player.

Both Dhoni and Matt Prior average the same in Test cricket.

Are both of them equal as batsmen in Test matches?

Hell no. Matt Prior is twice the test batsman Dhoni is.

There is a reason why Samaraweera and a few other 50 averaging aren't rated as high as ATGs are rated even though all of them have similar averages.

Its NOT just because of overseas Tests. Some of the 50 averaging batsmen have very good overseas records but STILL aren't rated as ATGs.

Why so?

Its because what matters is crucial knocks.

I am not talking about knocks where you win the match. That is dependent on bowlers but crucial knocks is different.

Crucial knocks that will setup games or win games or where you valiantly fight BEFORE the result of the match is a foregone conclusion. Of course, if you are team is beyond hopeless, great knocks where you valiantly fight get noticed. Eg - Dravid in England 2011

Take Kohli for example.

Has a good average in NZ but NO crucial knock that really helped the team. Its easy to score a century in one of the games where the result is already known. Stats will say he had a successful NZ tour. I would say if Kohli had got 3 ducks and scored in the first Test (last innings) taking India to victory, people would have rated Kohli more. Rahane, on the other hand, scored a brilliant ton to setup a win which our bowlers blew. He was hailed.

Another example.

In ODIs, Umar Akmal averages MORE than Yuvraj Singh.

Will any neutral fan say Umar Akmal has performed better than Yuvi?

Hell no. Why? Cos when needed Umar Akmal goes missing (more often than not). Yuvi on the other hand delivers.

If Umar in important matches where his team needed him, he would have been hailed a brilliant match winner (with the same 38 average and same amount of runs).

I am not a big fan of using blind averages to judge players.

Dhoni, apart from his recent England tour, has done didly squat in overseas tours. In SC, he has been a very good batsman. But to call Dhoni an under rated batsman is wrong. Dhoni is ANYTHING but under rated. Be it Tests or ODIs. He is rated perfectly.

As for comparison, its an absurd one. Both play a different role for their teams which makes it very hard to take a pick.

Dhoni isn't reliable as a Test batsman like Misbah but he can blast off in the end if given a platform.

Purely judging batsmanship, I would go with Misbah.

In SC, Dhoni usually comes in at the end to smash a few. If Indian team had a weak batting, Dhoni's average would have taken a big hit.

Misbah wins.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking out the time to write this long post highlighting the correct difference.

Dhoni's Test average is all stat boosting exercise in conditions when the match was already over . Not to mention he looks like a Chicken caught in headlights while batting outside SC.
 
Dhoni doesn't deserve to play test matches, come to that.
 
Even 9 Tests Old Sarafraz Ahmed seems to have played more meaningful and impactful knocks than MS
 
Dhoni is a hack in test matches, no matter what anyone says. I haven't seen enough of Misbah to judge him, so won't. But all I can say is that Dhoni is unnecessary for India in tests..
 
eradicator said:
Even 9 Tests Old Sarafraz Ahmed seems to have played more meaningful and impactful knocks than MS
Click to expand...

Hmm, to be fair Dhoni played few good knocks in the suncontinent. Just watch his 224 against Aussies in 2013.. But he goes missing in important away tours.
 
Well taken care of by [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION] , don't think my reply is needed :misbah
 
Why would you even compare them. Misbah is a top order Batsman while Dhoni is a WK and a lower order batsman.

The only thing common is they are captains of their teams.

Next thread, who is better wk, misbah or dhoni.
 
Both of them are FTBs with Dhoni being marginally better away.

Misbah's position of batting however gives him better chances of constructing a score. Two totally different positions requiring totally different jobs. Strange comparison.
 
I am saying Dhoni is not a Test Cricketer because mentally he is never involved in long format, going through motions. Wants to remain boss in Indian cricket, that's sole reason for occupying space. Afridi averages 35+ with bat in Test cricket that doesn't mean we should judge his test capabilities when we all know he too doesn't enjoy this format.

Most of Dhoni's runs in Tests are meaningless.

Misbah is nowhere near Dhoni when it comes to capability, but with sheer hardwork he is clinging. Whereas Dhoni has freedom from top brass in BCCI, who pass comments like 'We will whitewash them on OUR soil'. Dhoni is capable of averaging 10 more with better administration.
 
If we are talking about a better test batsman then it is Misbah.
 
Apart from a 224 in Chennai and a 70-odd* at Lord's, Dhoni has accomplished nothing when put to the grind in a test.

No, I'm not talking about those occasions where Sehwag has belted a 150 up front and Dravid and Sachin took us to 450/5 and then he comes out and scores a 60, no.
 
Not a fair comparison - you're comparing a specialist batsman to a wicket-keeper batsman.
That said, Misbah is a better Test batsman.
 
Dhoni. In the subcontinent Dhoni is a better player whereas out side of the subcontinent they have both been pathetic.
 
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Tera Gawaandi said:
I am saying Dhoni is not a Test Cricketer because mentally he is never involved in long format, going through motions. Wants to remain boss in Indian cricket, that's sole reason for occupying space. Afridi averages 35+ with bat in Test cricket that doesn't mean we should judge his test capabilities when we all know he too doesn't enjoy this format.

Most of Dhoni's runs in Tests are meaningless.

Misbah is nowhere near Dhoni when it comes to capability, but with sheer hardwork he is clinging. Whereas Dhoni has freedom from top brass in BCCI, who pass comments like 'We will whitewash them on OUR soil'. Dhoni is capable of averaging 10 more with better administration.
Click to expand...

That was GG I think.
 
Noobosauras said:
That was GG I think.
Click to expand...

N Sreenivasan started the trend -

"England won 5-0 in England. They came here here within a month or two and they lost 5-0. Last time, after our loss to England, I had said that we will beat them when they visit India," Srinivasan said.

"It is a case of Australians played better in their home conditions," he added.

Srinivasan feels that everyone will feel very happy when India starts winning at home in the coming months.

"Next New Zealand is coming to India and it will be followed by England and Australia. We will beat these three teams on our own soil. They cannot beat us here and we will feel very happy," said Srinivasan.
Click to expand...

He spoke too soon, England thrashed India in India.

That's why I say Dhoni is most tension free, chilled player. He has full backing of BCCI. Nobody cares about his Test batting, he just occupies the space so that no threat appears and at best mediocre Karthik/Parthiv play few 'ODI' games when he is rested.
 
hafeezrocks said:
Thanks for taking out the time to write this long post highlighting the correct difference.

Dhoni's Test average is all stat boosting exercise in conditions when the match was already over . Not to mention he looks like a Chicken caught in headlights while batting outside SC.
Click to expand...

I would love to see Mishab bat like Dhoni did in the last series in England .
how many matches has Misbah exactly won or even saved that hes supposedly better than dhoni ?
 
lalaafridi said:
Overall its MISBAH. He seems to have a better defence than Dhoni. Plus he has scored in TOUGH situations of 3/4 down for few runs, OUTSIDE the SC also. Misbah's outside SC performances puts him ahead of MSD.
Dhoni is though a different batsman, and this comparison bears no worth. But Misbah is ahead of MSD in terms of number of runs scored successfully in PRESSURE situation, where later batsmen could crumble like an old biscuit; in Misbah's case.
Click to expand...

where did Misbah perform outside the SC ? you mean UAE ?
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Dhoni in pressure situations in Tests is useless (more often than not).

Dravid was our best Test batsman in complete pressure situations.
Click to expand...

are we comparing MSD to an ATG here ?
IN comparison with MIsbah , who gets 10 times more opportunities than him to play big knocks and more impactful innings ..Dhoni has done well .
 
Dhoni's double hundred against Australia was a far better knock so the debate is far from settled. Dhoni is a deadly batsman on SC tracks, irrespective of the format.
 
hafeezrocks said:
Fastest Test Centurion. I think the debate has been settled now.
Click to expand...

Why do debates have to be settled when Pakistani players hit a high point?

This thread will get more bumps, and is being far from being settled. Both these batsmen are FTBs, and a few rare knocks will keep happening.
 
Indians are under this delusion that Dhoni is a spent force in Test cricket and should be replaced as captain. With the resources he has, you won't find a better leader even today and Indians will realize his worth only when he leaves.

Whatever India has achieved in world cricket from 2007 onwards is 90% down to his leadership and India will be back to the drawing board once he retires. There are capable candidates to replace him as captain and no matter how hard India tries to mold Kohli into a leader, he's clearly not. Pujara looks too soft to be Test captain as well and Rahane has only started to find his feet.

Dhoni needs to remain at the helm for another 2 years at least. Ashwin could take over as Test captain in 2016-2017 but he needs to stop bowling filth overseas. Can't have a captain who won't merit a place in the team in the first place.
 
Electron said:
Why do debates have to be settled when Pakistani players hit a high point?

This thread will get more bumps, and is being far from being settled. Both these batsmen are FTBs, and a few rare knocks will keep happening.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? There still has to be a better one among the two and it's Misbah by a country mile!
 
Varun said:
Are you serious? There still has to be a better one among the two and it's Misbah by a country mile!
Click to expand...

Not at all. You seem to be going by reputations rather than reality. Dhoni is actually a slightly better batsman overseas, while in the subcontinent too, he is equal to Misbah. ( Maybe better because of his superior striking ability).

This comparison shouldn't have existed at all, because both have very different roles, but since the comparison has been made, I will have to stick with reality.
 
Misbah hands down however if we take in to account Dhoni's wicket keeping also then they become cricketers of equal value in test cricket
 
Mamoon said:
Indians are under this delusion that Dhoni is a spent force in Test cricket and should be replaced as captain. With the resources he has, you won't find a better leader even today and Indians will realize his worth only when he leaves.

Whatever India has achieved in world cricket from 2007 onwards is 90% down to his leadership and India will be back to the drawing board once he retires. There are capable candidates to replace him as captain and no matter how hard India tries to mold Kohli into a leader, he's clearly not. Pujara looks too soft to be Test captain as well and Rahane has only started to find his feet.

Dhoni needs to remain at the helm for another 2 years at least. Ashwin could take over as Test captain in 2016-2017 but he needs to stop bowling filth overseas. Can't have a captain who won't merit a place in the team in the first place.
Click to expand...

No delusions bro.

What about the way he manages the pacers. Bhuvi was so overworked that his body couldn't take it in the final 2 tests. I mean for his size, he couldn't bowl so much.

Dhoni also used an out and out pacer like Aaron for a 7-8 over stretch (if I remember correctly). Mitch is used by Clarke for 4 over spells.

Dhoni does a lot of side damage which doesn't get noticed by non Indians. He's not just a poor tactician in test cricket.

Plus his Southampton move was the turning point of the series (I agree a good team wouldn't get rolled over after that but that move was atrocious).

I do agree there is no proper successor for Dhoni in Tests but inspite of that many Indians want someone (anyone) to do it. Just shows what Dhoni is. I personally don't mind a poor test captain as long as he selects the right playing XI and manages pacers properly overseas.
 
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Strike Rate said:
Mamoon hyping a failure in Test like Dhoni as the next big thing lol
Click to expand...

That failure in Test Cricket has somehow managed better "Overseas" stats compared to the next superstar. Not to mention that the "failure" doesn't get to bat out dull draws on Lankan/UAE battas.
 
Electron said:
That failure in Test Cricket has somehow managed better "Overseas" stats compared to the next superstar. Not to mention that the "failure" doesn't get to bat out dull draws on Lankan/UAE battas.
Click to expand...

And where in my comments i mentioned Misbah name? I wasn't even comparing them but Mamoon is Hyping Dhoni in Tests
 
Misbah is better Test captain, and way better test batsman than Dhoni. Its joke to compare Dhoni as a test batsman with Misbah. But Don't forget Dhoni is a wicket keeper too! .In tests, His stats are not that bad for a wicket-keeper batsman though. A fair comparision would be if we compare both in tests+odis combined.
 
Electron said:
That failure in Test Cricket has somehow managed better "Overseas" stats compared to the next superstar. Not to mention that the "failure" doesn't get to bat out dull draws on Lankan/UAE battas.
Click to expand...

I would trust misbah to save a test match rather than dhoni. Dhoni is good for LOI's only.
 
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