Would you pick Misbah-ul-Haq over Inzamam-ul-Haq in ODIs?

[Mamoon]

Would you pick Misbah over Inzamam in ODIs?

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] is not willing to accept the fact that it is utter madness to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman than Inzamam.

The gulf between the two is immense. Misbah is not worth of being mentioned in the same sentence as Inzamam.

As far as Inzamam vs Misbah is concerned, it is like comparing Umar Akmal to de Villiers. Misbah was a decent ODI batsman who did a very crucial job in a very fragile lineup but he is not worthy of lacing Inzamam’s boots. The gulf between the two is humongous.

You just can’t have an all-time Pakistan ODI XI and pick Misbah over Inzamam, Yousuf, Zaheer Abbas and Saleem Malik. That is completely crazy.

As far as Inzamam and World Cups are concerned, it is true that he underperformed from 1996 onwards. However, the gulf between him and Misbah is too big for that to be a deal breaker.

Will all due respect, you can’t just pick Misbah over Inzamam and Yousuf in an ODI XI and expect others to respect this opinion.

1. Inzamam was a terrible batter in ICC tournament. Has to be the most over rated batter ever. Misbah performed in ICC tournaments and has been amongst the top 5 highest avg batsman in odi.

Misbah over Inzi every day. Inzi did jack in ICC tournaments. Misbah's batting avg in odis is 43, the guy was beast and used to perform in every icc tournament and did not bow down to icc tournament pressure. 2003 and 2007 world cups are there for everyone to see.

Saleem malik avg 30 and was also a match fixer so no thanks. Zaheer Abbas played only 60 games, thats like having Jonathan Trott in your team.

An argument could be made for Mohammad Yousuf, however, Yousuf could not bat low like Misbah did. Yousuf can only play at no.3,4 or 5 but not 6.

When Inzi couldn't do jack in ICC tournaments why should he be added?

Misbah over Inzi any day. Inzi was a walking wicket in ICC tournament and every world cup we lost was because he never showed up. Took no responsibility. I hated the fact that in a series this guy can rack up runs easily but when an ICC tournament would come he would become the worst batter ever.

I remember that under him when we went to an ICC tournament, the teams morale would be down and it was expected Pakistan would lose. I found the guy to be over rated.

Yousuf argument can be made, but Misbah is battting at no.6 while Yousuf was a top order or middle order batter.

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] please defend your argument in this thread. I feel this deserves a separate thread. Please convince the audience that Misbah was a better ODI batsman than Inzamam.

 

[Rana]

Hahahahah

Nice joke

 

[Rana]

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] also put Rizwan at 4 and Miandad at 5 in his all time Pakistan ODI XI

I think he also picked Shadab ahead of Afridi/Razzaq

Major is a great cricketing mind

 

[msb314]

There is no comparison. Inzy was a borderline ATG in LOI who could handle pressure better than anyone. Could pace his innings incredibly well.

/ Thread

 

[Rana]

Inzimam was our Stalwart during the Tendulkar/Dravid/Ganguly era

Ask the old West Indian cricket fanatics about Inzimam. They all rave about him and his ability to play pace

Absolute legend of the game let alone Pakistan

 

[heddie19]

What a stupid thread is this? Inzi playing leftie would still be a better ODI batter than Misbah.

 

[salman24]

Lol this is a dumb thread Misbah was a decent ODI player but didn't even score a century.

Having said that, Inzi and Yousuf were both way ahead of Misbah.

Even Shoaib Malik was better imo.

Misbah was better than Younis though.

 

[gazza619]

Gosh. No comparison.

Inzi all the way!

 

[Suleiman]

Too many people these days think it’s cool or edgy to disrespect legends of the game simply because they are not the greatest of all time, or top 3, 5, 10 or whatever number of all time.

None of that matters. Inzi is a Pakistani legend and a well respected batsman across the world. I said the same about Waqar when few months ago it seemed cool for whatever reason to hate on him as a bowler.

Inzi and Misbah had similar roles. Both used to steady the shape due to unstable top order. But Inzi did it at another level Misbah never could… there’s a reason Misbah doesn’t have a hundred.

Respect to both, but there’s no way Misbah goes ahead of Inzi. Lol.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Not a chance.

Major must be kidding here.

 

[Major]

God dammit now [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] is gonna be angry

But im being serious here, Inzamam could not perform in an ICC tournament. He avg 23 in 35 World Cup games, and 21 in 5 Champions trophy games. Guy could not bat under pressure. We all know how poor the attitude of the team was under him. He couldn't even score against West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe

Misbah batted his heart out in every ICC tournament game. Misbah had an avg of 49 in 15 world cup games and 53 in 7 champions trophy games. Misbah stood up in games that mattered.

Also do a breakdown of Inzamams scores in SENA,

Avg of 26 in 45 odis in Australia
Avg of 34 in 31 odis in England
Avg of 24 in 23 odis in New Zealand
Avg of 26 in 34 odis in South Africa


Meanwhile Misbah avgs in Sena

Avg of 55 in Australia (All world Cup Games)
Avg of 86 in England
Avg of 54 in New Zealand
Avg of 47 in South Africa

Career avg, Misbah was at 43 while Inzi was at 39 even after bashing on flat track. Inzi was a flat track bully that couldn't do anything in ICC tournaments.

I know no one is gonna agree here, and the discussion will go no where. Not here to convince anyone as i am already convinced

 

[Mamoon]

I respect the fact that Major started watching cricket after 2010. I’m sure he would have had a completely different opinion had he watched Inzamam play live.

For example, the innings that he played in the 1st ODI of the 2004 series vs India in Karachi is alone a big enough reason to put him ahead of Misbah, and Inzamam has played such knock numerous times in his career.

However, not watching a player live is not a good enough reason to disrespect the player in this fashion. I never watched Gavaskar, but that doesn’t mean I can say that KL Rahul is a better Test opener than him.

Putting Misbah over Inzamam is just disrespectful. [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] there is nothing wrong in change one’s opinion. We all learn something every day. I hope this thread will help you reconsider your opinion and educate you. It is not meant to criticize you.

 

[Sher Khan]

From what I saw of Inzamam he seemed terribly overrated. Not too mention his pathetic fitness meant he was always on the cusp of being runout.

Misbah had the fitness to convert singles to doubles and also had a power game. Their stats in terms of average and strike rate are similar, but I would take Misbah over Inzamam any day.

Inzamam was a boring, unimaginative captain who also failed during World Cups unlike Misbah.

 

[salman24]

I respect the fact that Major started watching cricket after 2010. I’m sure he would have had a completely different opinion had he watched Inzamam play live.

For example, the innings that he played in the 1st ODI of the 2004 series vs India in Karachi is alone a big enough reason to put him ahead of Misbah, and Inzamam has played such knock numerous times in his career.

However, not watching a player live is not a good enough reason to disrespect the player in this fashion. I never watched Gavaskar, but that doesn’t mean I can say that KL Rahul is a better Test opener than him.

Putting Misbah over Inzamam is just disrespectful. [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] there is nothing wrong in change one’s opinion. We all learn something every day. I hope this thread will help you reconsider your opinion and educate you. It is not meant to criticize you.

That explains it. If you didn't see Inzi play, you can't form an opinion on him.

 

[Major]

I respect the fact that Major started watching cricket after 2010. I’m sure he would have had a completely different opinion had he watched Inzamam play live.

For example, the innings that he played in the 1st ODI of the 2004 series vs India in Karachi is alone a big enough reason to put him ahead of Misbah, and Inzamam has played such knock numerous times in his career.

However, not watching a player live is not a good enough reason to disrespect the player in this fashion. I never watched Gavaskar, but that doesn’t mean I can say that KL Rahul is a better Test opener than him.

Putting Misbah over Inzamam is just disrespectful. [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] there is nothing wrong in change one’s opinion. We all learn something every day. I hope this thread will help you reconsider your opinion and educate you. It is not meant to criticize you.

bro i never take your posts or threads as criticism and enjoy reading whatever you post and having discussion with you (that being said, you are needed back in the timepass section )

I infact started watching cricket from 2005 onwards, and became more religious follower of the game from 2007 but 2010 onwards is where i started doing discussion. I remember watching Inzi during few series in 2005 and 2006, but I couldn't really digust the no show Inzi at the champions trophy we had in before 2007 and his performance at the 2007 world cup. You dig up his stats, they arn't that impressive, just played alot of games and scored more on flat tracks

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION]

Please try to understand that performances in ICC tournaments are only the defining factor if the two players are of similar level. For example, Rohit Sharma and Hashim Amla as ODI openers.

One can say that Rohit was the better ODI opener because he performed brilliantly in the 2019 World Cup while Amla has always failed badly in tournaments.

However, you cannot conclude that someone like Grant Elliott was a better ODI batsman than Hashim Amla because he performed in tournaments.

The gulf between Misbah and Inzamam as ODI batsmen is far too great for ICC tournament performances to have any weightage and besides, Inzamam’s innings in the 1992 Semifinal alone is far bigger than any knock Misbah has played throughout his ODI career let alone in any tournament.

 

[salman24]

bro i never take your posts or threads as criticism and enjoy reading whatever you post and having discussion with you (that being said, you are needed back in the timepass section )

I infact started watching cricket from 2005 onwards, and became more religious follower of the game from 2007 but 2010 onwards is where i started doing discussion. I remember watching Inzi during few series in 2005 and 2006, but I couldn't really digust the no show Inzi at the champions trophy we had in before 2007 and his performance at the 2007 world cup. You dig up his stats, they arn't that impressive, just played alot of games and scored more on flat tracks

I've been watching regularly since 1994. Have seen almost all of Inzi's career and all of Misbah's. Trust me. Without any bias, Inzi was WAY AHEAD of Misbah as a player. Inzi was up there witht eh best batsman in the world during his time.

 

[Sher Khan]

Inzamam played 378 ODIS and only scored 10 hundreds. Babar has played 99 and has 18 hundreds.

No way, was Inzamam some ATG. He is terribly overrated in ODIS.

 

[Major]

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION]

Please try to understand that performances in ICC tournaments are only the defining factor if the two players are of similar level. For example, Rohit Sharma and Hashim Amla as ODI openers.

One can say that Rohit was the better ODI opener because he performed brilliantly in the 2019 World Cup while Amla has always failed badly in tournaments.

However, you cannot conclude that someone like Grant Elliott was a better ODI batsman than Hashim Amla because he performed in tournaments.

The gulf between Misbah and Inzamam as ODI batsmen is far too great for ICC tournament performances to have any weightage and besides, Inzamam’s innings in the 1992 Semifinal alone is far bigger than any knock Misbah has played throughout his ODI career let alone in any tournament.

still ICC tournaments will always be the standard because thats where your performance really matters. Inzamam only played one good knock. Where were these knocks in all other icc tournaments? He couldn't emulate them cause he needed flat tracks and couldn't handle such pressure.

The gulf is just perception, there are people that would say Zaheer Abbas was a great in odis even though he played just 60ish odi games but still discuss him at the level of someone who might have played more than 150 or even 200.

Performance in ICC tournaments will always carry more weightage. Plus i have posted the stats of of Sena pitches for both players. Inzimam was no where near Misbah there

 

[Major]

I've been watching regularly since 1994. Have seen almost all of Inzi's career and all of Misbah's. Trust me. Without any bias, Inzi was WAY AHEAD of Misbah as a player. Inzi was up there witht eh best batsman in the world during his time.

a guy who says even shoaib malik is better than Misbah goes on to say trust me without bias. No thanks

 

[Rana]

Inzamam played 378 ODIS and only scored 10 hundreds. Babar has played 99 and has 18 hundreds.

No way, was Inzamam some ATG. He is terribly overrated in ODIS.

Oh chal Mama

He has 80+ 50s in one of the toughest bowling era’s in cricket history

 

[salman24]

still ICC tournaments will always be the standard because thats where your performance really matters. Inzamam only played one good knock. Where were these knocks in all other icc tournaments? He couldn't emulate them cause he needed flat tracks and couldn't handle such pressure.

The gulf is just perception, there are people that would say Zaheer Abbas was a great in odis even though he played just 60ish odi games but still discuss him at the level of someone who might have played more than 150 or even 200.

Performance in ICC tournaments will always carry more weightage. Plus i have posted the stats of of Sena pitches for both players. Inzimam was no where near Misbah there

Inzi won Pakistan their only World Cup in 1992. Misbah lost that semi final in Mohali.

 

[Major]

Also do a breakdown of Inzamams scores in SENA,

Avg of 26 in 45 odis in Australia
Avg of 34 in 31 odis in England
Avg of 24 in 23 odis in New Zealand
Avg of 26 in 34 odis in South Africa


Meanwhile Misbah avgs in Sena

Avg of 55 in Australia (All world Cup Games)
Avg of 86 in England
Avg of 54 in New Zealand
Avg of 47 in South Africa

look at this breakdown [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION], inzi was seriously over rated. I remember in 2007 he became the most hated guy but he was forgiven for the 2007 world due to woolmers death, people may not like this but that saved Inzi's reputation at the end. All the blame of the world cups that should had been given to Inzi was all ignored due to the death of our coach.

 

[salman24]

a guy who says even shoaib malik is better than Misbah goes on to say trust me without bias. No thanks

Malik was a decent ODI player but that's debatable and I don't have a problem with anyone having an opinion either way.

Misbah just cannot be compared to Inzi or Yousuf. They were miles ahead. Not even a discussion.

 

[Snowflake]

I respect the fact that Major started watching cricket after 2010. I’m sure he would have had a completely different opinion had he watched Inzamam play live.

For example, the innings that he played in the 1st ODI of the 2004 series vs India in Karachi is alone a big enough reason to put him ahead of Misbah, and Inzamam has played such knock numerous times in his career.

However, not watching a player live is not a good enough reason to disrespect the player in this fashion. I never watched Gavaskar, but that doesn’t mean I can say that KL Rahul is a better Test opener than him.

Putting Misbah over Inzamam is just disrespectful. [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] there is nothing wrong in change one’s opinion. We all learn something every day. I hope this thread will help you reconsider your opinion and educate you. It is not meant to criticize you.

Did not know this, but this explains so much.

 

[Major]

Inzi won Pakistan their only World Cup in 1992. Misbah lost that semi final in Mohali.

Azhar Ali scored a 52+ in a Champions trophy final and played a crucial role. WOuld you give him the same respect even though it was just that game and the semi finals of the champions trophy aswell.

Point is, that was one game, he played like 4 world cups, and i think more than 2 or 3 champions trophy. No performance to show and got Pakistan kicked out of the world cup by losing to Ireland

 

[Major]

Malik was a decent ODI player but that's debatable and I don't have a problem with anyone having an opinion either way.

Misbah just cannot be compared to Inzi or Yousuf. They were miles ahead. Not even a discussion.

and yet you are trying to have a discussion here.

Like i said, it goes no where. I still remember 2007 world cup

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Misbah wouldn’t even be in my 3rd xi for Pakistan.

Imagine coming in around the 20th over most of his career due to our openers getting out early and still failing to get an ODI hundred.

95% of Misbah’s runs in ODI’s had no impact on the match. He’d get his runs at a tuktuk rate and then leave it all for Afridi.

Misbah and Younis have been 2 of the worst players to have played ODI’s for Pakistan for such a long period of time.

Also, Shadab over Afridi lol

 

[Suleiman]

and yet you are trying to have a discussion here.

Like i said, it goes no where. I still remember 2007 world cup

Aka his final World Cup? You do know he retired right after from cricket for a reason right? He was finished. Why are you clinging to his final playing days as if that makes his whole career?

 

[Major]

Aka his final World Cup? You do know he retired right after from cricket for a reason right? He was finished. Why are you clinging to his final playing days as if that makes his whole career?

If he was finished he should not had played the world cup. You cant give leeway that oh he was finished so it was ok that he didnt do anything agaisnt Ireland and allowed us to to get humiliated. Infact he did the same thing in the champions trophy of 2006 and the world cup of 2003. Its not like he was scoring in the other icc tournaments.

 

[Mamoon]

Did not know this, but this explains so much.

Well it shouldn’t, we all started watching cricket at some point but that doesn’t mean you should not be able to respect the greats who came before you.

It is just ridiculous to claim that Misbah was better than Inzamam. You don’t need to watch Inzamam live to know this.

 

[moghul]

[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] is not willing to accept the fact that it is utter madness to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman than Inzamam.

The gulf between the two is immense. Misbah is not worth of being mentioned in the same sentence as Inzamam.









[MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] please defend your argument in this thread. I feel this deserves a separate thread. Please convince the audience that Misbah was a better ODI batsman than Inzamam.

For Major, Misbah was better than Bradman, Richards and Tendulkar combined . I'm not a big fan of Inzamam, the person but he was a great batter and its almost an insult to Inzamam to talk Misbah and Inzi in the same breath. Inzi won a WC for us and Misbah lost two with his tuk tukking.

 

[Markhor]

I've had some heated arguments with the OP but there's times he hits the bullseye, and this is one instance.

Major has an irrational dislike for Inzamam and as much as he denies it - it's because deep down he believes Inzamam as captain deliberately kept Misbah sidelined which is untrue. Misbah was not good enough to break up the middle order trio of Younis, Yousuf and Inzamam in the mid-2000s.

Moving onto the comparison of Inzamam vs Misbah in ODIs. Misbah was a good "rebuilder" of innings and was our sole quality batsman in a shocking era of Pakistani batsmanship in the early 2010s. However Inzamam had a better conversion rate whereas Misbah didn't score a single ODI hundred, and an extra gear that Misbah lacked. His career ended 8 years earlier yet still had a higher ODI SR than Misbah.

While Inzamam undoubtedly after 1992 failed in ICC tournaments, he averaged 59 in Asia Cups and 42 in triangular and quadrangular tournaments which were a regular feature of the 1990s and 2000s so he wasn't a bad tournament cricketer.

Handling pressure cannot be judged by ICC tournament records solely. You don't score 90* chasing 259 vs West Indies in 1993 (with Ambrose, Walsh and Bishop and only 45 overs) in a must-win game to keep the series alive; 122 off 102 vs India in 2004 chasing a seemingly improbable 350; or 60* chasing 315 vs India in 2005 in a bearpit atmosphere in Ahmedabad on the last ball (and another must-win game to keep a series alive) if you cannot handle pressure. There are many other innings I could mention.

What prevented more consistent performances was a vulnerability to LBW early in his innings and poor running between the wickets. Misbah was definitely fitter and had a better work ethic, but that's where the comparison ends.

 

[Bilal7]

As a Misbah fan, this is a ridiculous comparison. Misbah was the big fish during a time when Pakistan's batting was made up of minnows. Inzamam was Pakistan's premier ODI batsman when Pakistan's batting was much stronger.

Just looking at their stats, without taking into account how cricket changed over the years, is silly.

 

[proud_pakistani]

Lol Inzi is one of the best ODI batsmen we have ever had. His range of strokes was incredible. He was in many ways like Kohli in the sense if Inzi was batting at the end in a 50 over game you knew Pakistan would be on the winning side. That's how good he was. Misbah was a blocker and six hitter and nothing in between. Please don't make such ridiculous comparisons. The only thing similar is they batted right handed and their last names.

 

[Savak]

"Absolutely not" Imran Khan style.

Opposition will be very happy to have Misbah at the crease versus Inzamam.

 

[gazza619]

Inzamam could not perform in an ICC tournament

He played arguably the best ever knock in ODI history in the 1992 semi final, followed by another blazing knock in the final.

I don’t know why people are obsessed with averages.

 

[Major]

He played arguably the best ever knock in ODI history in the 1992 semi final, followed by another blazing knock in the final.

I don’t know why people are obsessed with averages.

because avgs show the true picture

 

[Savak]

Inzamam's performance and match winning knocks in the ODI WC 1992 SF and Final trumphs Misbah's entire career.

 

[Savak]

Also Inzamam could handle the pressure of being the only batsman in the team and still play match winning knocks for victories in comparison to Misbah.

 

[Rana]

because avgs show the true picture

No they don’t!

Shan’s list A average is 58 loool

 

[shariqnoor]

There's no comparison with Inzamam. The only two places where Misbah trumps Inzamam is fitness and captaincy.

 

[hitthestump]

Inzamam played 378 ODIS and only scored 10 hundreds. Babar has played 99 and has 18 hundreds.

No way, was Inzamam some ATG. He is terribly overrated in ODIS.

No comparison. ODI cricket was completely different in Inzi's era.

When Inzi was on song, which he was most of the time, he was comparable to the likes of Tendulkar let alone Misbah.

 

[Ahmed216]

For someone who didn’t watch Inzy bat live I can assure you Inzy was miles ahead ahead of misbah both in terms of talent and match winning ability. There’s just no comparison. Once set at the crease Inzi was one of the most dependable batsmen ever

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Misbah should not have even been in the ODI 11, forget about being better than one our all time great ODI players. To make matters worse, he was captain for a while.

Those were dark, dark days. I believe he took us to like no. 8 in the rankings.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

As a long time cricket fan, it was like being lost in a sea of darkness, a fog of such thickness....I thought pak was lost forever. Guys like Major were proliferating everywhere. never mind that in the WC semifinal when were were getting crushed by required run rate, Misbah was scoring 1 run off 19 balls. Then when we lost, as the people at the other end were hitting out to make up for Misbah's insanely bad s/r, Misbah's defenders came out in droves and tuk tuk was born.

Rizwan and Babar striking at 130 or so - we compalin about that. Imagine what one had to live through with Misbah around. It was pure torture for so long - in white ball cricket. His blocking crap worked ok for our team in tests.

 

[salman24]

and yet you are trying to have a discussion here.

Like i said, it goes no where. I still remember 2007 world cup

Not gonna entertain this comparison further besides one more point. For those who watched the careers of Inzi and Misbah, Inzi was considered to be better than Tendulkar by many people due to his match winning ability and ability to play under pressure. Compare his match winning innings versus other great players of that era and you'll know why he is so highly regarded.

 

[Rana]

Misbah 0 ODI hundreds is better than Inzimam

 

[Jazx]

Inzamam played 378 ODIS and only scored 10 hundreds. Babar has played 99 and has 18 hundreds.

No way, was Inzamam some ATG. He is terribly overrated in ODIS.

Yes, he is a bit overrated and underachiever but still miles ahead than misbah. And one of the finest batsmans ever produced by pakistan.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

As an aside, Misbah was a Wile E. Coyote genius in tests. He would bore the bloody hell out of not only the spectators, but the opposition. They got so bored to death. And then like a cobra, in one out of a hundred innings or so, Misbah would suddenly strike...at an opportune moment when things were heavily already stacked in Pak's favor and there was no way we could lose, no matter what he did. Then, he would strike with sudden venom and score a quick 50 or 100, in fact, surprising even himself more than the rest of his somnambulant spectators with a high strike rate....as with his 100 against Aus.

 

[Rana]

As an aside, Misbah was a Wile E. Coyote genius in tests. He would bore the bloody hell out of not only the spectators, but the opposition. They got so bored to death. And then like a cobra, in one out of a hundred innings or so, Misbah would suddenly strike...at an opportune moment when things were heavily already stacked in Pak's favor and there was no way we could lose, no matter what he did. Then, he would strike with sudden venom and score a quick 50 or 100, in fact, surprising even himself more than the rest of his somnambulant spectators with a high strike rate....as with his 100 against Aus.

The comparison isn’t on Test cricket, but even in this format there is no comparison between Inzimam and Misbah

 

[salman24]

Misbah 0 ODI hundreds is better than Inzimam

I think this should be the end of this thread lol. Nothing else needs to be said. Ridiculous comparison.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

The comparison isn’t on Test cricket, but even in this format there is no comparison between Inzimam and Misbah

Wow.

I bet you're really fun at parties.

 

[Major]

Not gonna entertain this comparison further besides one more point. For those who watched the careers of Inzi and Misbah, Inzi was considered to be better than Tendulkar by many people due to his match winning ability and ability to play under pressure. Compare his match winning innings versus other great players of that era and you'll know why he is so highly regarded.

Yes a guy avg 39 was better than tendulkar )

 

[Rana]

Yes a guy avg 39 was better than tendulkar )

You started watching cricket in 2010

You clearly never saw the battles India and Pakistan had in 2004-2007

Inzimam was always regarded as clutch between the two sides. He was the prize target for India. By 2006, Dhoni and Yuvraj were India’s big wickets who always took the game away from Pakistan. Head to head, Inzimam and Tendulkar had different impacts on the game

Tendulkar without a doubt overall achieved much more than Inzimam but between the India and Pakistan games the value of the wicket of Inzimam was massive

 

[salman24]

Yes a guy avg 39 was better than tendulkar )

Lmao Averages are helpful but don't tell the whole picture. You didn't watch his career so you will never understand. Also , you are acting like Tendulkar averaged over 60.

Inzi averaged a little over 40 most of his career and fell off towards the end.

 

[Hitman]

Lmao Averages are helpful but don't tell the whole picture. You didn't watch his career so you will never understand. Also , you are acting like Tendulkar averaged over 60.

Inzi averaged a little over 40 most of his career and fell off towards the end.

Tendulkar played at a strike rate of 86.23, Inzamam played at a strike rate of 74.24

Don't worry, I have followed the game since the 1992 World Cup. The only people who ever compared the 2 are some Pakistani fans (mind you, some, not all). Outside of them, people wouldn't put the 2 in the same sentence.

 

[Major]

You started watching cricket in 2010

You clearly never saw the battles India and Pakistan had in 2004-2007

Inzimam was always regarded as clutch between the two sides. He was the prize target for India. By 2006, Dhoni and Yuvraj were India’s big wickets who always took the game away from Pakistan. Head to head, Inzimam and Tendulkar had different impacts on the game

Tendulkar without a doubt overall achieved much more than Inzimam but between the India and Pakistan games the value of the wicket of Inzimam was massive

I started watching 2005 onwards

 

[salman24]

I started watching 2005 onwards

You saw 2 of his worst years. You have no right to judge his career. That would be like someone just watching Miandad's performance in the 1996 World Cup and judging his career based on that lol

 

[Rana]

I started watching 2005 onwards

Yeah

I genuinely don’t believe that. You wouldn’t put Misbah before Inzimam and Shadab before Afridi if you really did.

 

[reversehook]

Inzi even if he walked in blind...

 

[Rana]

View attachment 119423

You saw 2 of his worst years. You have no right to judge his career. That would be like someone just watching Miandad's performance in the 1996 World Cup and judging his career based on that lol

He did that too.

In his ATG pakistan ODI team he put Rizwan at 4 and Miandad at 5

 

[Mamoon]

Samsung Cup 2004, game 1.

Full house National Stadium Karachi for the long awaited India’s tour of Pakistan.

I remember checking the scorecard in school. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the spanking Sehwag and Tendulkar were giving to Shoaib, Sami and Razzaq.

When India finished on 349, it was game well and truly over. Chasing 350 in 2004 was unthinkable. If Pakistan were to chase it, it would have been the highest chase ever.

Few days before that game, I remember Pakistan A chasing a 330+ total against India in the warmup game with Taufeeq Umar scoring a century. Still, you wouldn’t expect Pakistan to chase 350 against India in the actual series.

Inzamam came to the crease when Pakistan were 30/2 and scored one of the best ODI hundreds you will ever see. He gave Pakistan the game on the platter and it took a massive choke job by Moin and Malik to screw up the chase.

Pakistan scored 344 which was then the highest second innings total in ODI history.

That 122 of 102 balls was better than any innings Misbah has played in ODIs.

You simply cannot compare the two. It is blasphemous. Inzamam was not without his faults, he most definitely underachieved but it is absolutely ridiculous to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Markhor]

Samsung Cup 2004, game 1.

Full house National Stadium Karachi for the long awaited India’s tour of Pakistan.

I remember checking the scorecard in school. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the spanking Sehwag and Tendulkar were giving to Shoaib, Sami and Razzaq.

When India finished on 349, it was game well and truly over. Chasing 350 in 2004 was unthinkable. If Pakistan were to chase it, it would have been the highest chase ever.

Few days before that game, I remember Pakistan A chasing a 330+ total against India in the warmup game with Taufeeq Umar scoring a century. Still, you wouldn’t expect Pakistan to chase 350 against India in the actual series.

Inzamam came to the crease when Pakistan were 30/2 and scored one of the best ODI hundreds you will ever see. He gave Pakistan the game on the platter and it took a massive choke job by Moin and Malik to screw up the chase.

Pakistan scored 344 which was then the highest second innings total in ODI history.

That 122 of 102 balls was better than any innings Misbah has played in ODIs.

You simply cannot compare the two. It is blasphemous. Inzamam was not without his faults, he most definitely underachieved but it is absolutely ridiculous to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman. Absolutely ridiculous.

It's the best ODI I've ever seen live. Like two heavyweight boxers going punch for punch.

Lot has been said about the poor crowds in Karachi but that day the atmosphere really came through on the TV. It was near hysterical, and it's such a shame Inzamam's hundred came in a losing cause having set things up perfectly for the lower order.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Back in the 90s and early nougties every game Pakistan played was a pressure game.

Cricket was something else back then. It was the pinnacle of one day cricket full of high intensity duels and packed crowds.

Pakistan games in England has atmospheres that are difficult to describe to someone who wasn't there, and I bet the games in Sharjah were even more intense affairs.

Pakistanis now casually look at scorecards on their phones, back then it was life and death affairs.

The concept of (allegedly) pressure free games is a modern one. The overhyping of ICC events exists because ODIs have lost their value now.

If I could, I would gladly exchange our champions trophy win for the 2004 series v India.

Inzi didn't have the best record in ICC events but he stepped up a lot when it counted countless times.

He is a titan of our game.

And lets be realistic while it is difficult to compare across eras I am 100% certain that Misbah would have flopped in Inzis era ( he basically did by not being able to be selected) and Inzi would have had a better average and strike rate than Misbah had he played in Misbahs era.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Samsung Cup 2004, game 1.

Full house National Stadium Karachi for the long awaited India’s tour of Pakistan.

I remember checking the scorecard in school. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the spanking Sehwag and Tendulkar were giving to Shoaib, Sami and Razzaq.

When India finished on 349, it was game well and truly over. Chasing 350 in 2004 was unthinkable. If Pakistan were to chase it, it would have been the highest chase ever.

Few days before that game, I remember Pakistan A chasing a 330+ total against India in the warmup game with Taufeeq Umar scoring a century. Still, you wouldn’t expect Pakistan to chase 350 against India in the actual series.

Inzamam came to the crease when Pakistan were 30/2 and scored one of the best ODI hundreds you will ever see. He gave Pakistan the game on the platter and it took a massive choke job by Moin and Malik to screw up the chase.

Pakistan scored 344 which was then the highest second innings total in ODI history.

That 122 of 102 balls was better than any innings Misbah has played in ODIs.

You simply cannot compare the two. It is blasphemous. Inzamam was not without his faults, he most definitely underachieved but it is absolutely ridiculous to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman. Absolutely ridiculous.

Well said. That game had more pressure and more riding on it that any ICC event game Pakistan have played barring the 92 world cup final.

It seemed like the whole world came to a standstill.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I've had some heated arguments with the OP but there's times he hits the bullseye, and this is one instance.

Major has an irrational dislike for Inzamam and as much as he denies it - it's because deep down he believes Inzamam as captain deliberately kept Misbah sidelined which is untrue. Misbah was not good enough to break up the middle order trio of Younis, Yousuf and Inzamam in the mid-2000s.

Moving onto the comparison of Inzamam vs Misbah in ODIs. Misbah was a good "rebuilder" of innings and was our sole quality batsman in a shocking era of Pakistani batsmanship in the early 2010s. However Inzamam had a better conversion rate whereas Misbah didn't score a single ODI hundred, and an extra gear that Misbah lacked. His career ended 8 years earlier yet still had a higher ODI SR than Misbah.

While Inzamam undoubtedly after 1992 failed in ICC tournaments, he averaged 59 in Asia Cups and 42 in triangular and quadrangular tournaments which were a regular feature of the 1990s and 2000s so he wasn't a bad tournament cricketer.

Handling pressure cannot be judged by ICC tournament records solely. You don't score 90* chasing 259 vs West Indies in 1993 (with Ambrose, Walsh and Bishop and only 45 overs) in a must-win game to keep the series alive; 122 off 102 vs India in 2004 chasing a seemingly improbable 350; or 60* chasing 315 vs India in 2005 in a bearpit atmosphere in Ahmedabad on the last ball (and another must-win game to keep a series alive) if you cannot handle pressure. There are many other innings I could mention.

What prevented more consistent performances was a vulnerability to LBW early in his innings and poor running between the wickets. Misbah was definitely fitter and had a better work ethic, but that's where the comparison ends.

Misbah should have been in there instead of Faisal Iqbal in Tests. But our ODI team was so stacked up then, that the only two positions Misbah could realistically break in was in the top 3 and Misbah isn't a top 3 batter. Woolmer was big on Younis Khan and Younis had started to transform into a world class batter in Tests around 2004-05, and Woolmer was expecting Younis to turn the tide in ODIs too.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

If he was finished he should not had played the world cup. You cant give leeway that oh he was finished so it was ok that he didnt do anything agaisnt Ireland and allowed us to to get humiliated. Infact he did the same thing in the champions trophy of 2006 and the world cup of 2003. Its not like he was scoring in the other icc tournaments.

If I remember correctly, Inzi was banned from playing Champions Trophy 2006 (due to the Ovalgate) and Younis captained instead.

 

[Suleiman]

View attachment 119423

You saw 2 of his worst years. You have no right to judge his career. That would be like someone just watching Miandad's performance in the 1996 World Cup and judging his career based on that lol

/thread.

I do have some sympathy for him. Imagine all the old timers on here who see the young bucks here say that some of the 60s-80s legends weren’t all that, when we never watched them save for some grainy highlights on YouTube and spreadsheets on statsguru.

They will have a better idea generally speaking.

Same thing here. He saw Inzi in the last 2 years of his career and in his last few matches ever which happen to be in the 2007 WC.

 

[Suleiman]

Samsung Cup 2004, game 1.

Full house National Stadium Karachi for the long awaited India’s tour of Pakistan.

I remember checking the scorecard in school. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the spanking Sehwag and Tendulkar were giving to Shoaib, Sami and Razzaq.

When India finished on 349, it was game well and truly over. Chasing 350 in 2004 was unthinkable. If Pakistan were to chase it, it would have been the highest chase ever.

Few days before that game, I remember Pakistan A chasing a 330+ total against India in the warmup game with Taufeeq Umar scoring a century. Still, you wouldn’t expect Pakistan to chase 350 against India in the actual series.

Inzamam came to the crease when Pakistan were 30/2 and scored one of the best ODI hundreds you will ever see. He gave Pakistan the game on the platter and it took a massive choke job by Moin and Malik to screw up the chase.

Pakistan scored 344 which was then the highest second innings total in ODI history.

That 122 of 102 balls was better than any innings Misbah has played in ODIs.

You simply cannot compare the two. It is blasphemous. Inzamam was not without his faults, he most definitely underachieved but it is absolutely ridiculous to say that Misbah was a better ODI batsman. Absolutely ridiculous.

Man, some bittersweet memories here. Still remember Inzi getting out… still remember that moment so clearly. It’s like all the hype and excitement drained instantly, but then all you could do when he was walking back was just realize what an epic innings just took place.

 

[todfod 11]

This must be a joke thread. Mentioning Misbah in line with Inzy is a sin.
Inzy is an ATG. No point there to mention his achievements here. If anyone thinks Misbah even comes close Inzy, then please concentrate on league cricket.

 

[gazza619]

Misbah 0 ODI hundreds is better than Inzimam

Well if your profile pic is that of Misbah’s, and your username is Pakistani Major, then that serves you every right

 

[Rana]

Man, some bittersweet memories here. Still remember Inzi getting out… still remember that moment so clearly. It’s like all the hype and excitement drained instantly, but then all you could do when he was walking back was just realize what an epic innings just took place.

Inzimam and Yousuf did enough for Pakistan’s lower order to see it through. Malik, Razzaq and Moin Khan couldn’t get the job done at the end. It was very much doable in the last two overs

 

[Suleiman]

Inzimam and Yousuf did enough for Pakistan’s lower order to see it through. Malik, Razzaq and Moin Khan couldn’t get the job done at the end. It was very much doable in the last two overs

Yeah, it was so anti climactic.

I truly believe after the 2003 WC loss to India, Pakistan passed the torch of Pak-Ind domination in cricket to baby brother India.

A good amount of choke jobs took place to Ind since then. The 2 anomalies were the 2004 CT and 2009 CT, they began turning the screws 2011 onward until the 2017 final.

And yet Pakistan fought tooth and nail in all the ODI series Vs them in the 2000s despite them having an ATG ODI batting line up while we made do with Inzi + moyo + pinch hitter galore

 

[BunnyRabbit]

I am a fan of both Haqs but there's a big difference in batting quality. Inzi shepherded tail like no other. Inzi had a great power game as well and could the bowlers well. Misbah was a much better captain than Inzi and Inzi was a pathetic captain in all formats.

One thing I strongly disliked about Inzi back then was him playing favorites to below par players like Sami, Rana, Butt etc by bullying selectors into selecting his players (something people involved in PCB those days accepted). PCB increased the powers of selectors after the wc 07.

Misbah himself had a bias especially in ODIs by consistently giving guys like Asad Shafiq, Azhar, Rahat, Wahab etc. Pak's tail had become exceptionally long then with none of Ajmal, Junaid, Irfan being able to bat.

As a batter, Inzi was easily the better batter although he was pretty weak against Australia (the whole Pak team had an Australianphobia after 99 wc).

Two things that goes under the radar is under Inzi, Pak was almost unable to win a match batting first and Inzi always wanted to chase. He even chose to field in the 1st ODI vs SA in 2007 when SA racked up around 400. He later said I thought 350 would be chaseable on that wicket. In 2006, Pak didn't win a single ODI where they batted first.

Reverse was the case for Misbah, he was more comfortable batting first and using scoreboard pressure (sort of) to use the likes of Junaid, Ajmal and others well. Misbah didn't have the game to bat with the tail especially when chasing.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Yeah, it was so anti climactic.

I truly believe after the 2003 WC loss to India, Pakistan passed the torch of Pak-Ind domination in cricket to baby brother India.

A good amount of choke jobs took place to Ind since then. The 2 anomalies were the 2004 CT and 2009 CT, they began turning the screws 2011 onward until the 2017 final.

And yet Pakistan fought tooth and nail in all the ODI series Vs them in the 2000s despite them having an ATG ODI batting line up while we made do with Inzi + moyo + pinch hitter galore

Nah Pak did well to beat India 4-2 in India. The 2004 Indian team was exceptionally good (Indian bowlers had the trend of doing well initially and then declining quickly. Balaji and Pathan were the new stars in 2004).

It was that 2006 series at home, where Yuvraj and Dhoni kept beating Pak to submission. (Inzi never liked playing proper spinners in ODIs and relied on Afridi and Malik), had a soft spot for serial chokers like Sami and Rana. And his preference to bat second had Pak no strategy on what to do if they were to bat first. Salman Butt got 2 ducks in that series I believe and was dropped for the last match. Everyone was pleading with Inzi to please come up the order but he was like nope I'll bat at 5. We still drew the later series in Abu Dhabi 1-1. It was only around 2007 that India really soared with Dhoni and departure of Chappell (although he had done the good thing of installing Raina and making Yuvraj a permanent fixture in the team and dropping the likes of Laxman and past prime Ganguly from the team) And we know the dread of 2007-10 of Pak team with controversies and stuff.

 

[emranabbas]

Kids won't understand this thread and will rate misbah and babar above inzi

In the 90's 300 was a very good total now teams are scoring 500 for fun, it's foolish to compare averages of players of previous era to the the players of current era

Inzi's average of 35 is probably equivalent 50 in this era

 

[topspin]

Wow I thought I heard it all.

As I've said before, anyone who sees cricket through the lens of Misbah doesn't have a shred of credibility on cricketing matters.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan should have won the 2004 series especially after taking a 2-1 lead in Peshawar.

Inzamam batted brilliantly in that series but his captaincy was exposed. The way he let India off the hook in the fourth ODI in Lahore after India were reduced to 90/4 while chasing 292 was very disappointing.

There is no way Pakistan should have lost that game and the series should have been wrapped up 3-1 there and then.

India’s fight back in that game meant they had all the momentum in the decider which was played at the same venue. Losing the toss didn’t help either and Pakistan couldn’t cope with the pressure of chasing in the decider.

Pakistan did really well to fight back from 2-0 down to win the series 4-2 in India in 2005, but it was the 2006 series where you could tell that India was leapfrogging Pakistan in the format.

Pakistan just couldn’t deal with Yuvraj and Dhoni. Young Dhoni with that vampire helmet and long hair was something else.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=51465]DeadlyVenom[/MENTION] makes a very pertinent point. This over emphasis on ICC tournament performances and degrading bilateral cricket is a 2010s and 2020s concept.

In the 90s and 2000s, bilateral cricket had immense pressure and importance. This was also the era of Sharjah Cups and tri-series, quadruple tournaments that were no less important than ICC tournaments and had massive fan following and carried so much weight of expectations.

Discounting all of that and focusing on World Cups only and concluding that Misbah was better than Inzamam is just nonsense. This is something [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] needs to understand. Context matters a lot.

Besides, even if we only talk about World Cups, Inzamam has won Pakistan a World Cup and played the greatest innings ever played by a Pakistani batsman in a World Cup. That alone kills any debate with Misbah even if we are strictly talking about World Cup performances.