Former Pakistan skipper Misbah-Ul-Haq is one the most respected former cricketers around the world. After quitting the game in 2019, he took up a coaching role with the national cricket team. He replaced Mickey Arthur after his stint came to an end following Pakistan’s exit from the 2019 World Cup. However, the former skipper has not been able to turnaround the team’s fortunes in the last couple of years.
The team has faltered in all formats of the game under him. They failed to make it to the World Test Championship final under his coaching stint as well. Pakistan finished fifth on the points table, winning just four games and losing five. They ended the tournament with 286 points.
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Misbah-Ul-Haq is Poor Man’s MS Dhoni: Ramiz Raja
Ramiz Raja said Misbah-Ul-Haq is poor man’s MS Dhoni. He said this because he is a strong character and does not show his emotions with decisions related to the team. However, Raja also said that Misbah needs to learn how to make a comeback from failures.
“Misbah-ul-Haq’s training and upbringing is different. Let me put it this way; he is the poor man’s Dhoni. MS was also restrained and not emotional. Misbah is also like this,” Raja was quoted as saying in an interview on Cricket Baaz’s YouTube channel.
He said that Misbah-Ul-Haq needs to set a new direction with the team since the team has been mostly playing with lower-ranked nations. Pakistan’s recent Test series win against South Africa at home, however, came under Misbah.
“Misbah-ul-Haq has to take a new direction because there is a need to set the GPS right for cricket in Pakistan 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. We shouldn’t be afraid of hiccups and setbacks,” he stated.
Pakistan will now play against Zimbabwe and South Africa under the mentorship of Misha-Ul-Haq. Pakistan’s tour of South Africa will begin on April 02, with the two teams scheduled to lock horns in a 3-match ODI series. After the completion of the ODI series, Pakistan and South Africa will lock horns in 3 T20Is. Pakistan will visit Zimbabwe for two Tests and three T20Is after the series against South Africa.
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