As taught in the previous term.
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS IN TESTS
Let's first rank our performers against test teams, excluding Bangladesh and Zimbos.
Pakistan's test captains:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...anval1=span;team=7;template=results;type=team
Pakistan's test batsmen:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...al1=span;team=7;template=results;type=batting
Pakistan's test bowlers:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...al1=span;team=7;template=results;type=bowling
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS IN ODIS
Pakistan's ODI captains:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...anval1=span;team=7;template=results;type=team
Pakistan's ODI batsmen:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...al1=span;team=7;template=results;type=batting
Before the T20 kids start pulling out SR-sorted lists, here is the relative ranking on an AV*SR basis:
Misbah: AV*SR of 3197
Yousuf: AV*SR of 2807
U Akmal: AV*SR of 3031
Misbah still tops the list.
Pakistan's ODI bowlers:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...al1=span;team=7;template=results;type=bowling
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CONCLUSIONS:
In the last five years,
Misbah has been our #1 test captain, #2 or #3 ODI captain, #2 test batsman, and #1 ODI batsman.
In the last five years,
Ajmal hasn't captained us, but he has been our #2 test bowler and #2 ODI bowler.
In the last five years,
Younis has been our #6 test captain, #4 ODI captain, #1 test batsman, and #7 ODI batsman.
In the last five years,
Afridi has been our #4 test captain, #1 or #3 ODI captain, a non-existent test bowler, and #11 ODI bowler.
In the last five years,
Amir hasn't captained us, but he has been our #6 test bowler and #1 ODI bowler.
In the last five years,
Asif hasn't captained us, but he has been our #3 test bowler and a non-existent ODI bowler.
And so on.
So, based on the above, it is clear that
Misbah has been our best overall captain and our best overall player in the last five years. In the player category, Ajmal comes very close (perhaps even better in some ways), but for me, it's a toss-up, and since Ajmal performed poorly (at least in tests) before Misbah became the captain, Misbah should also deserve some credit for Ajmal's turnaround.
Note that I make this distinction based on my overwhelming preference for test performances, but since that crowd can't think beyond LOIs, I have given adequate weight to the ODIs as well.
All said and done,
Misbah is the best thing to happen to Pakistan cricket in the last five years. Haters better find another line of work.