Sports

Misbahul Haq named world's best captain

Under Misbah's leadership, Pakistan have beaten teams like Australia and England and have won in Sri Lanka as well

APP/Sports Desk August 13, 2015

PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan Test skipper Misbahul Haq has been ranked number one test cricket captain by a British newspaper.

The Telegraph has published a list of world's best test captains, who have been rated and ranked according to their leadership skills, major achievements and test scores.

1. Misbahul Haq

Misbah has been ranked top in the list and called 'One of the great captains - ever'.

PHOTO: AFP

To raise Pakistan cricket, first Misbah had to save it.

When he took over the Test captaincy in 2010, Pakistan were the pariahs of world cricket. Three of its players had been banned for spot-fixing. The game was on the verge of collapse.

Four Pakistani players were named in the spot-fixing scandal out of which three were charged with the crime. PHOTO COURTESY: SPORTS KEEDA

Out of this, Misbah crafted one of Pakistan's most successful teams in history.

Under his unflappable, cerebral leadership, Pakistan have beaten Australia and England, won in Sri Lanka and ascended to number three in the world, and all without being able to play at home.

All the while, Misbah has averaged 50 with the bat and scored the joint-fastest Test century of all time.

The rest of the rankings are as follows:

2. Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, who rebuilt New Zealand from the humiliation of being bowled out for 45 by South Africa and took them to the brink of World Cup glory, has been positioned second by the paper. PHOTO: REUTERS

3. Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews Â© AFP

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, who had the captaincy thrust on him at age 25, has been placed at number three. PHOTO: AFP

4. Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh, the captain of the fastest improving Test side currently in International cricket is at number four. PHOTO: AFP

5. Alastair Cook

The captain which led England to reclaim Ashes this year, Alastair Cook, is at five. PHOTO: AFP

6. Hashim Amla

The successor of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla of South Africa is placed at number six. PHOTO: AFP

7. Virat Kohli

India's Virat Kohli, who made history by being the first player to score centuries in each of his first three Tests as captain, is at number seven. PHOTO: AFP

8. Michael Clarke

Retiring Australia captain, Michael Clarke, is positioned at number eight. PHOTO: AFP

9. Denesh Ramdin

Denesh Ramdin of West Indies is at nine. PHOTO: AFP

This list is not according to the official ranking of International Cricket Council (ICC).

COMMENTS (16)

Rabbani | 8 years ago | Reply Awesome Misbah. But I take exception to those who repeatedly claim we don't have home advantage. No, that is false; we do have a semi-home advantage in that the pitches we play on aren't that different from the ones we would have at home. Also, we have always been fantastic in Sharjah; Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not a whole lot different. What we don't have is the home crowd. The stadiums are rather empty which may have a psychological effect but players are strong enough to deal with it. But the advantage of being acclimatized to pitches and conditions similar to the ones we have back at home simply cannot be ignored. This is not a criticism on my part; but we cannot ignore this obvious fact when we talk about not being able to play at home. If we had played all our home series in England or South Africa rather than UAE and won against teams over there, then THAT would've been absolutely fabulous and we could brag about it and rightly so. Nevertheless, even winning in UAE is a great accomplishment.

Hamood | 8 years ago | Reply It is indeed a great achievement by a person who was deprived to participate in International cricket in his youth due to low profile background.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Babloo | 8 years ago | Reply Misbah Great person and great captain. misbah and lala both legends who must be put in hall of fame. both best cricketers

ANIL | 8 years ago | Reply The reason for been famous too keep low profile. Pakistan is under dog since the Lahore incident and that help Misbah in rating. I wish Pakistan cricket can be more offensive then defensive. We got all the characteristic and expertise. The foul play in cricket world is not only bound to Pakistan its phenomena but unfortunately Pakistan has been finger out. Other countries just quietly side line the foul player. Congratulate to Misbah and his team.

ali naqqash | 8 years ago | Reply Misbah had don a great job while Pakistan were under pressure at that time. I think he handles the pressure well with no big players in the team. So he deserves to be on top.

Adnan Siddiqi | 8 years ago | Reply Misbah in all honesty will go down as the most legendary cricketer and captain of Pakistan cricket since Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Abdul Hafeez Kardar was instrumental in shedding Pakistan cricket's tag as babes of cricket and putting Pakistan's cricket on the map. Misbah on the other hand alone lifted this phoenix from the ashes. Great man, great playa and the finest ambassador this country ever produced. Proud of you Misbah!

Zaheer Abbas | 8 years ago | Reply Pakistan Zindabad...

Pakistani | 8 years ago | Reply Very well deserved! We will always owe him for rebuilding a team governed by thugs and match fixers

MJ | 8 years ago | Reply One thing to note for people who don't consider Misbah a top class batsman, let alone a top class captain is his average outside the sub-continent. Here are the facts (top sub-continent batsmen when playing outside the sub-continent): Misbah 44 innings 1820 runs 60.7 average Kohli 57 innings 2143 runs 43.7 average Gambhir 34 innings 1264 runs 43.6 average Dhoni 75 innings 2463 runs 42.5 average M-Yousuf 115 innings 4090 runs 42.2 average Ganguly 131 innings 4919 runs 41.3 average Z-Abbas 32 innings 1194 runs 41.2 average Sachin 171 innings 6359 runs 40.8 average Sangakkara 150 innings 5185 runs 39.3 average Dilshan 108 innings 3544 runs 39.0 average I am doubtful that this fact based comment is going to be published by the moderators but it just shows how much better our poorly rated Misbah is. He is heads and shoulders above all the batsmen in the list above.

LIAQATALI | 8 years ago | Reply Misbah is low profile but competent and that doesnt appeal to our populist TV channels who prefer flambuoant even if careless cricketers. Nor is he favouirite of biased commentators. but record proves it . he is great .

Mtl | 8 years ago | Reply Australia's crushing defeat at the hands of an England side they dominated a few months earlier show epitomizes how important a home advantage has become in test cricket. Misbah has never captained at Pakistan at home, yet he has still taken the test team to no3 in the rankings. So to those thinking about making snide remarks, please save your energy.

Ch. Allah Daad | 8 years ago | Reply Misbah deserves top position. Now Younus Khan will shut up for time being.

Shahid | 8 years ago | Reply @Lala jani: You must have seen better, we have seen better BUT the news article is about the present captains of the world. Please read the articles properly before making comments.

Karachi Wally | 8 years ago | Reply Well the British Newspaper only states and proves the obvious. In current scenario Misbah is number one skipper in test matches! I think Hashim Amla should be higher than Cook and Mushfiqur.

Lala jani | 8 years ago | Reply I've seen better

Shahid | 8 years ago | Reply Well deserved!

Replying to X