In two days time, Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq will take the field for the very last time for Pakistan. Many feel they are leaving too soon, while many think that they have timed it perfectly.

No one really knows when the best time is to hang up their boots, but one thing I am sure of...

Both Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq are still at the top of their game, still the best test batsmen Pakistan have, and still have some years left in them.

In my opinion, the best 5 batsmen to play test cricket for Pakistan are:

All five of them are Pakistani stalwarts; however some of them overstayed their welcome.

If you take a look at the last three years of their careers, it is apparent that Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf had lost their touch.

Younis in fact has averaged more than his career average in his last three years; while Misbah has been quite consistent. Inzamam also performed in line with his career performance in his final few years.

Miandad and Yousuf though were below par.

Probably best for Younis and Misbah to call it time while they are still at the top of their game.

I found this quite interesting so I took a look at the final three years of the leading 5 run scorers of all time in test cricket. This is what I found:

While Kallis, Dravid, and Sangakkara were still at their peak; Sachin and Ponting went through a significant dip in form in their final few years.

Like Younis, Sangakkara too averaged more than his career average in his last three years.

It is also interesting to note that Younis, Ponting, and Kallis scored double centuries in their last three years; while Sangakkara managed a triple century!

Even more interesting is the fact that Kallis and Sangakkara managed their career highest score in their final three years.

So much for legends overstaying their welcome; besides a few all of them retired with grace and while they were at the top of their games.

Misbah Ul Haq is currently captaining Pakistan in a test match for the 49th time, 1 more than the number of times Imran Khan captained Pakistan.

Misbah has not only captained Pakistan in more matches than anyone before him, he has also won more and scored more than any Pakistan captain before him. On many other fronts, he has surpassed all other captains from not only Pakistan, but also the subcontinent! He is undoubtedly at the helm of the most successful test team Pakistan has ever had, and is without a doubt the best test captain Pakistan has ever had.

1. Most Successful Asian Captain

While there are a few captains from around the world who have had far more success, Misbah is the clear leader among all captains from the subcontinent.

With 24 wins, he is well ahead of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, and just behind MS Dhoni who registered 27 test wins.

However, in terms of series wins, Misbah now has 10, which is the most by a captain from the subcontinent. The current series win over the West Indies took Misbah ahead of Dhoni and Ganguly who has 9 series wins each.

2. Most Successful Pakistan Captain

Misbah has 10 more test victories than Imran Khan and Javed Miandad did as captains. He is well ahead of them, and will remain as Pakistan's most successful captain ever for a long time to come.

The past 6 years under Misbah have been magical for the test team. There is a stark difference between Pakistan's performance in the 6 years before Misbah and the 6 years under him.

3. Most Successful Batsman as a Pakistan Test Captain

Out of all Pakistan test captains who have batted in at least 20 innings, Misbah has the most runs, highest average, most hundreds, and most fifties.

He is at the top of the pile and will probably remain there for a very long time.

4. Best Test Average among all Test Captains

Among all captains who have batted in at least 75 test innings, only Brian Lara averages more than Misbah does.

5. Most Runs as Captain Batting at Number 5

Which test captains are most remembered for their sterling batting performances at number 5?

For me, Steve Waugh tops the list. Inzamam, Allan Border, Arjuna Ranatunga, and Hansie Cronje also come to mind.

Misbah is above all of these names and many others as a batsman at number 5 while captaining his team. He has more runs than anyone else, and only Michael Clarke averages more than him as a number 5 test batsman as captain.

6. Most Century Partnerships and Partnership Runs for Pakistan

When Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan posted their 15th century partnership during the second test against the West Indies, they also went past Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf's record tally of 3,137 partnership runs for Pakistan.

Misbah and Younis now stand 5th in the world in terms of most century partnerships ever in test cricket. Not to mention that they are right at the top for Pakistan.

Their average is also right up there with very few pairs of batsmen (Hobbs & Sutcliffe and Langer 7 Ponting) ahead of them.

To think that Misbah has achieved most of this after the age of 35 is nothing short of remarkable. Most captains have retired before that age. Misbah is 42 now and still going strong, creating record after record for Pakistan in test cricket.

He has captained them to the top of the rankings (currently at two), he has led them to victories over all nations in the UAE where Pakistan remain unbeaten for 6 years, and he has created one of the most successful test sides in the history of the game.

Misbah is captain magnificent.

Nasir Jamshed may not have done much as batsman besides scoring three ODI centuries against India, but he has definitely started a trend in Pakistan. He is the showstopper of Pakistan Cricket Parody accounts on Twitter. There are so many parody accounts on Twitter now that it has become hard to keep a track of all of them. I don't know which one of them came first but they are all doing a fine job. None better than BIG NAS however.

Here are some of the prominent ones:



1. BIG NAS @NasirJamshed_

Overview: The account has been around for over a year but it truly gained popularity during the World Cup and with close to 60,000 followers is easily the most popular parody account in Pakistan. He is absolutely hilarious and borderline racist (ask the Bangladeshis). Every single tweet from that account leaves you in splits.

Pet Tweets: about his buffalo, his love of food, the love affair brewing between Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad, and a take on everything related to Pakistan cricket.

Funny Scale: 9.5/10

2. Javed Miandad @SirJavedMiandad

Overview: The account has been around for a while and is an extremely funny take on the great batsman's accent. Ith all aboul la way he thpeaks. Almost as funny as BIG NAS.

Pet Tweets: about everything from cricket to football, bollywood, and politics. He doesn't hide his love for the fairer skin either.

Funny Scale: 9/10

3. Mohammad Yousuf @MoyoTalks

Overview: This one is not as funny as the above two but he surely packs a punch like the batsman. This is a brilliant take on the bitter man that MoYo is and leaves no stone unturned in criticizing Afridi, Misbah, and the entire PCB establishment. Much like MoYo the cricketer.

Pet Tweets: about Pakistan cricket news and his take on it, bashes the entire Pakistan cricket establishment, and he also gets involved in educated discussions on the game. This is one of the few parody accounts that you can have an actual discussion with. Expect a lot of sarcasm.

Funny Scale: 8/10

4. Misbah Ul Haq @MisbahulSkipper

Overview: Even though this one does not claim to be a parody account, it is. For a long period many people actually followed it thinking it was Misbah Ul Haq. The account has been around for quite some time and is very popular.

Pet Tweets: mostly about Misbah's grievances with his critics as well as his own team. Bashes Sikandar Bakht, MoYo, Shoaib Akhtar, and his team members. Funny at most times, but not always.

Funny Scale: 6/10

5. Azhar Ali @AzharAliSkipper

Overview: This one seems to be a fairly new one. Going by the name it probably came into being once Azhar Ali was announced as ODI captain. The account hasn't yet gained as much popularity as the other ones but has the potential to be quite popular.

Pet Tweets: about his kaala til (black mole), calls his team the spirited leopards, and keeps no secret about his love for Sarfraz, Asad, and selfies.

Funny Scale: 7.5/10

6. Shahid Afridi @SAfridi0fficial

Overview: This one is not really a parody account per se, but it is a sneakily smart take on Shahid Afridi's official twitter handle. He is not funny but he tweets acting as if he is actually Shahid Afridi. There are plenty of people out there who have fallen for him thinking that its actually Afridi tweeting.

Pet Tweets: about Afridi, his lover Shehzad, and all other activities related to them. Speaks to other cricketers as if he's Afridi.

Funny Scale: 5.10

7. Fawad Alam @SirFawadAlamm

Overview: Another account that claims to be a parody account and has no affiliation to the real Fawad Alam. Came into being during the time Fawad was dropped from the team. Funny at times only.

Pet Tweets: about bringing Fawad Alam back, support for his Pakistan team mates, and digging at the Indians.

Funny Scale: 5/10

8. Umar Akmal @UmarAkmalNot

Overview: Like the cricketer, this account has been inactive for quite some time, but when it was around it had people in fits in short bursts, like his innings.

Pet Tweets: about his talent, potential, Misbah's tuk tuk, and hafeez' sideburns.

Funny Scale: 6.5/10

There might be more of these parody accounts out there. There are several under the name of Shoaib Akhtar and Inzamam Ul Haq, which don't have the Twitter verified tick nor do they claim to be a parody account. They aren't funny however.

If you know any others from Pakistan, please do share with us!

Misbah the ODI captain and Misbah the ODI batsman are two very different people.

While the captain was timid, defensive, weak, and lacked imagination; the batsman was calculated, strong in both defence and attack, imaginative, and a giant of the game.

If only he had translated the latter into his captaincy, he might not have as many critics as he does.

Despite ODI series wins in India and South Africa and an Asia Cup title under his belt, Misbah was just an average ODI captain. Some say that he didn't have the right resources and a captain is just as good as his team; I argue that men like Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi inspired average teams to do great things. Misbah just could not.

Misbah has won more ODIs as captain than he has lost, but his Win % is far less than most of Pakistan's ODI captains.

Despite that amazing record as a batsman, Misbah failed in inspiring his team to ODI wins. He has a phenomenal record as an ODI batsman in matches won by Pakistan; however as captain that record doesn't look as phenomenal.


Misbah averages almost 50 in ODIs won by Pakistan, however Yousuf, Miandad, Anwar, and Inzamam have superior records. Not only in terms of average but also the volume of runs scored in ODI victories. Even Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed scored more centuries and fifties in ODI wins for Pakistan.

Misbah's average decline by about 3 runs when we look at his performance in matches that Pakistan won under his captaincy.

It should be noted that the record above does not include ODIs played in the UAE. No one even comes close to Misbah's average of 48.6, which is a good 10 runs higher than the next batsman on the list. What is even more interesting is that Misbah's strike rate in ODIs played away from home is bettered by only Yousuf, U Akmal, Razzaq, and Hafeez. In matches played away from home, Misbah has striked at a better rate than Inzamam!

This record for Misbah is not exclusive to Pakistan. Among all Asian batsmen, Misbah is just at another level when it comes to ODIs played in foreign countries.


Misbah averages a significant 16 more runs than the next batsman on the list in ODIs played in Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and West Indies. In fact, he and Zaheer Abbas are the only two Pakistanis among the seven Asian batsmen who average above 40 in ODIs played in these countries.

For perspective, Anwar and Inzamam average only 27.9 and 29.8 respectively in ODIs played in these countries; while Miandad and Yousuf average 37.7 and 35.3 respectively.

While I agree with the criticism about his captaincy, there is no way anyone can criticize Misbah the batsman. He is an ODI batting giant and one of the best produced by Pakistan. One can only wonder what he could have achieved had he played during his younger years when he was amassing runs in the domestic circuit.

A strong Pakistan middle order comprising of Younis, Yousuf, and Inzamam meant that Misbah could not find many opportunities till after Inzamam left in 2007, following which he found himself often dragging Pakistan out of trouble. Misbah rarely had the opportunity to play with the freedom he would have liked. Again one can only wonder what he could have achieved had he consistently featured in a middle order comprising of Inzamam and Yousuf.

Misbah leaves the ODI game as one of the only 27 ODI batsmen in the world with an average north of 40. He leaves it with a better average than all Pakistani greats and other world class batsmen such as Ponting, Sangakkara, Lara, Haynes, Kirsten, and Ganguly.

Being talked about in the same breath as Inzamam, Yousuf, Miandad, and Anwar in Pakistan's batting chronicles is an achievement and a half. Considering that Misbah did better than them as an ODI batsman and one realizes his true worth.

I will be the first to admit that I was not a fan of his captaincy, or his ability to suck the life of Pakistan's batting while at the crease. But I will also say that often he had no other choice. Misbah's performance is a classic case of a realization that comes too late; his value as an ODI batsman was rarely recognized, however, it will be now like never before once he has left the game for good.

Admittedly it's a combination of statistics and opinion that leads me to this conclusion – Inzamam-ul-Haq is the greatest batsman Pakistan has seen. I won't pretend there's no debate on this one but I'll stay the course and show why this is a more than a sound position, even if it's not the only option!



























Via junaidrao on Flickr

Firstly, the numbers. Inzamam is in an excruciatingly close second in total Test match runs scored to legendary Javed Miandad, with 8830 to the latter’s 8832. Realistically, with three runs in it, that was a single innings' work, or even a single ball's work. You'd have to think, if he wanted, it was a record he could have yanked some strings to get past. In his final innings he needed just six runs to match it, and ended up with three. The moment itself will go down in history, but he stuck to his guns and went out when he said he would. He was a player who could have carried on and made more runs for his country, but he'd made his decision and that was that.

That final choice kept the consistent air of selflessness that 'Inzy' always had about him; he was a team player, and it wasn't his personal achievements that meant so much to him. A more conceited player would have gone out again to reach the top, but he was happy in his career and the runs he had posted to date. It was a noble thing, and that's why he was consistently a fan favourite. His laidback attitude hardly makes you think he'd have batted an eyelid at not reaching the total in front of him, although there would undoubtedly have been real pressure.

Of the top ten Pakistan runscorers, he had the third best average with an exceptional 50.16. Only Younis Khan (53.37), Miandad (52.57) and Mohammad Yousuf (52.29) bested him on that score. 
Centuries? He's second with 25, only behind Younis’ 28. He has the highest amount of fifties with 46, and comes in at second on the highest score, hitting a mammoth 329, not too far behind Hanif Mohammad's 337.

In One Day Internationals of course there is only one king, and that is Inzamam. His 11,701 runs in the shorter format have him head and shoulders above Yousuf in second with 9,554. A 39.53 average over 348 innings is a great total for any batsman, although there are a couple that managed to narrowly usurp him on that score. Saeed Anwar and Yousuf's centuries were more plentiful, too, but the reliable big man always led from the front. Again, his consistent fifties (83) are the most captivating, boasting 21 more than his nearest rival in Yousuf.

All of these achievements show why he was such a colossal figure for Pakistan during his time at the crease, and give plenty of ammunition to the argument of why he'll always be heralded as one of the greats. He's not at the top of every table, but he's never too far away either. 

The numbers don't unequivocally place him as the top choice, though, so why, I hear you ask, is he? 

Well, there's a few reasons I can put together to illustrate my point here. 

World Cup 1992
As a young and fresh-faced 22-year-old, Inzamam was a wildcard choice for the team. En-route to picking up the winner's trophy that year, he put in some spellbinding performances that endeared him to cricket fans the world over. That 60 from 37 against New Zealand was a vital innings, and a rapid 42 from 35 in the final contributed to their 249 total. It was very much needed from Inzamam and his team-mate Saleem Malik, who put in great run rates to up the ante after a shaky start. He says this was his proudest moment, and it's easy to see why. Even though not many knew who he was when he first entered the tournament, he left it as a part of cricketing history. With Pakistan at a particularly low ebb at the moment, as betfair have them just seventh favourites at 10/1 for the upcoming World Cup, memories of more successful days will always linger with the fans.

A big man, with big heart
Inzamam was a stoic figure and held together many Pakistan batting orders when things were crumbling around him. Unlikely to be fazed by anything, he had an innate ability to keep his cool, steady the ship and collect the runs when the going wasn't great. You'd never rush the man - in fact he couldn't be rushed as a famously bad runner between the wickets - but often that was his best quality. Standing solid as a rock, anchoring the Pakistan batting line-up and showing you there was always somebody you could rely on. 

His size was part character, part attribute, and part frustration for fans, whether bettors or supporters. He was never an out-and-out athlete and at times he seemed like he needed an extra push to motivate him. But as with most great talents there's always something imperfect and human about what they bring to the table. There's no doubt if Inzamam had more enthusiasm between the wickets at some points in his career he'd be the top runscorer by far, but such was his demeanour that it isn't the case. Many have commented on how he could have been one of the world's greatest, including his captain, Imran Khan, who noted, "He did not realise his true potential and he could have done better than he did."

His style
He was a big man, but he was also deft. The technicality of his shots was something to admire, it wasn't forced or muscled, but often subtle. That was all due to his timing. He had a true eye for the game and this let him see the ball early and therefore position himself and give himself time to play his strokes. This was why, in particular, he was such a great player against fast bowlers. A nerve you couldn't break and a cricketing brain that gave him time to play - it was a lethal combination. Playing off his legs and with one of the greatest pulls the game has ever seen, his seemingly effortless run-building is one of the real reasons he ranks at the top.


Inzamam-ul-Haq will now be a part of creating some of Pakistan's future batsmen who could learn a lot from this all-time great. He can talk about the shots and play the ball without ever having to pick up his stride. Though the prospects aren't looking the best, hopefully the work with start to pay off in the coming years if a batsman with Inzy's skill combines that with a real work ethic. Scary.