Pakistan need to rethink Misbah’s place in team: Gavaskar
“Some serious thought needs to be applied to Misbah’s position in the team.” -Photo by AFP
Former India great Sunil Gavaskar termed Pakistan’s abject surrender in the 3rd ODI against India “baffling display of timid batting” and suggested captain Misbah-ul-Haq rethink his place in the shorter-form of the game.
Pakistan, who won the three-match ODI series 2-1, lost the last game in New Delhi by 10 runs chasing a paltry total of 167. Although the defeat was drowned in euphoria at Pakistan’s triumph, the Indian batting legend said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needed to take some tough decisions.
“One would have thought that the experienced Misbah-ul-Haq would have been able to handle the situation, but he inexplicably went into a shell and at the other end the excitable Umar Akmal was just waiting to do something rash,” Gavaskar said in his columns for Gulf News.
“It was the approach of Misbah that cost Pakistan the game, much as it did in the semi-finals of the World Cup two years back. Pakistan may have won the one-day series 2-1, but if they are to carry on winning then some serious thought needs to be applied to Misbah’s position in the team. He is not getting any younger and it was his dropped catch in Chennai that allowed Dhoni to go on to a century,” he added.
Gavaskar also tipped Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s captain in T20s, to take charge of the ODI side.
“Hafeez is looking a good leader and the way he is batting and bowling, as well as taking superb catches, he could be the man that Pakistan needs to win glory again. With the World Cup just a couple of years away, Pakistan, like India, should be looking at building a nucleus for that event — just like India seemed to be doing with the messages sent to two senior and prolific players by leaving them out of the team,” he said.
Whether Pakistan are ready to follow India’s lead it remains to be seen, but they will need to iron out the chinks fast as their next assignment pits them against the top-ranked South Africans in a three-match Test series, two T20s and five ODIs. The long tour starts on January 25 and will run until March 24.
Who can forget the innings he played in Mohali? rewind a few years back and you can see what he did in South Africa in t20 final. He is over his peak, just dragging on and keeping the door shut on some deserving youngsters. PCB should seriously decide to ask Misbah to retire from the ODIs. He can play in tests as long as his form is there. Its an irony that he was overlooked at a younger age, but, at that time we had a very formidable middle order,
This is Gavaskar’s personal opinion. Every one has his right to give his opinion,whether anyone agrees or not. Once again, Pakistan cricket team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory! Now that World Cup is round the corner, Its high time that PCB should help restore Mohammad Amir and Asif. If that happened, then, Pakistan’s bowling attack will be able to demolish any batting line up in the game, it’ll be a World beater team, will achieve many “grand slams” in the future.
hunh? Asif? seriously? are you kidding?! That guy is a farce, a habitual wrong doer!
no cheats please. We ca win without them. Pakistan won 92 WC without one of the greatest bowlers ever to grace the field i.e Waqar Younis, we can stil do it without these two cheats
Some players aren’t just born for fast pace games, we have an excellent example of Justin Langer from Australia, he was a regular pick along with Mathew Hayden for Test Matches, but he was not playing ODIs. Misbah can play a key role in Test matches playing at number 3 or 4 for Pakistan, as there are no doubts on his defense and technique but when it comes to scoring runs at some “Required rate” Misbah just doesn’t work there … Sunny is right Hafeez should replace him in ODIs
I think Misbah is the best as long as he wins the series. chill out .
Pakistan won the series despite Misbah’s inclusion, and lost the last game because of it.
i think misbah have no place in playing eleven. The mgt should give chance to new tallent. The way misbah bating is boring and brought team under tention .
I respect Gavasker for his great batting. However, his opinion about Misbah is totally wrong. Misbah came to Pakistan during a very difficult time. He was able to stablise things and bring in good leadership. Please have a look at his track record. Gavaskar’s comment about Misbah dropping a catch is senseless. Yuvarj dropped Nasir’s catch so that does mean he should be dropped from the Indian team. Pakistan knows that Misbah has a couple of years and is working on a transition plan. Please remember that under Misbah’s leadership we won the ODI series against India in India.
Yeah, he did steady Pakistan cricket and the team, but things have moved on since then. Its time now for Misbah to hand the reins to Hafeez.
I don’t have a problem with him as a captain, if he had a place in the team to begin with! Its about time we gave others extended runs, Azhar Ali can develop into a good ODI batsman and the poor Hammad Azam, when will he ever get a chance! he is a decent enough batsman
Gavaskar’s jealousy is justified. The Captain who defeated his “Team India” at their home ground “must” be removed.
If you look carefully just see what the team runrate is when Naasir,Hafeez are batting and Misbah just comes in and starts digging a hole for the whole team with his strike rate 50 and 60 which is totally unacceptable in ODIs.
Middle order batsmen are very big players they are century makers and they take the game away from the opposition they dont sink their own team !
I wanted the same too,but since an indian said it,so now i hope they keep misbah in team as captain
I don’t know why Misbah was even born !
I agree with Sunny . Pakistan need another capt . Please keep Afridi away .
I totally agree with one of the batting greats, In the third ODI Misbah should have finished the game for Pakistan instead he gone into a shell and allowed pressure to be built on his team mates. Keeping in veiw the forthcoming world cup, a young batsman like Haris Sohail should be groomed and Misbah must say farewell to ODI for Pakistan
Gavasker is absolutely correct. Misbah made 39 in 82 deliveries, am not even counting the dot balls he played here. He has lost matches for Pakistan in a similar fashion on three other occasions against India. The two games in the first T20 WCs and the 2011 ODI WC. The guy never learns. Kamran Akmal too needs to be chucked out. Hafeez is an aggressive and an intelligent captain and he leads by example. Misbah brings the whole team down with his strike rate in the middle. He should go. It’s happened too many times.
I agree 100%,. its time to send Umar, Kamran and Misbah home. Margin of defeat would have been lot bigger if these 3 werent part of the team. Bring new ppl in that are performing in domestic not the old failures that had let the team down again and again.
Not agree with Gavaskar. See stats of Misbah as Captain. Then Speak Sunny Paaji and other bashers.
I think MISBAH is the best captain Pakistan ever had.PCB must keep him until he turns 65, then they can let him go. Afridi needs some “Peshawari Naswar”, it will bring him back in full form.
PCB can hire Sachin T. as a Batting coach and Dhoni as Fielding coach. It bring bring back those glorious old days when we used to lose every damn match.
Kamran Akmal Pak won becoz of the good baller Junaid not becoz of Misbha drop catcher….
Aside from his batting style, the decisions and strategy of misbah works against the team. Like when india was 29/5 he just took away all the attack and allowed dhoni to score his century with singles. How can you not attack after such a great start??? I was expect 110 all out by then.
Also if you have less than 200 total against india, you should focus on wrapping the match in early 40 overs. Junaid khan was given 9 overs eventhough he got 4wickets in that match?!
He simply lacks aggression as a player and as a leader.
I think that Gavaskar has made a good comment as he understands the game very well. It was Gavaskar who said Pakistan was a strong contender to win the world cup in Australia when we actually thought we were down and out.
I think Sunil Gavasker is absolutely right in this and i think ,pakistan cricket board has to make decision in favor of the cricket rather politics. Misbah has no place in the team rather they can use afridi as a bowler if needed.
For my opinion He and Kamran Akmal required for cricket diplomacy, They do what the board ask them to do. That’s why both are in the team.
you are correct Raza, like when to throw the game and when not to…………this is pathetic or what………….