There have been times when it was great to captain the Pakistan cricket team but this isn’t one of those times. Fortunately, members of the team don’t face the kind of humiliation they once did after losing to the Indians, and in a World Cup match at that.
However the profile of a Pakistani cricket captain hasn’t changed. He is expected to do everything it takes. There is no respite for the captain as he is under constant scrutiny. Misbah-ul-Haq, the current captain of Pakistan, is facing the most challenging time of his career.
Deprived of some of the top spin attack of his team, Misbah came into this World Cup with a team with practically no experience. All-rounder option Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan are other two Pakistani players with loads of experience.
Otherwise, the rest of the team is talented but not good enough to beat top sides in world cricket. After losing to India recently, Pakistan may have lost a bit of their stability, but the team is gradually coming to terms with reality that they can support their captain Misbah.
An international cricketer like Misbah, surprisingly still doesn’t have an ODI hundred in his career. He is almost 41 years of age and he is still the best batsmen in his team. Against India, he was the highest scorer for his team and against Zimbabwean, he emerged the best performer for his team.
With his win against Zimbabwe after losing to India and the West Indies, Pakistan are back on track. They will have to win in their mind before winning the rest of the matches against other oppositions in the league phase, to cement their place in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
