Misbah-ul-Haq is the poor man’s MS Dhoni: Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja, the cricketer-turned-commentator, termed former Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq ‘the poor man’s MS Dhoni’. Back in 2019, Misbah retired from the game and took up a coaching stint in the national team. The 46-year-old came to the fore after Mickey Arthur’s term ended following Pakistan’s campaign in the 2019 World Cup where they couldn’t qualify for the semis.

In the last one and half years or so, the team has faltered quite a bit and Misbah has come under the scanner. Raja feels that like Dhoni, Misbah doesn’t show emotions. But he also reckons that Misbah needs to learn the art of dealing with failures instead of getting overawed.

Misbah-ul-Haq gets too protective: Raja

“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.

“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.

Raja also lauded Indian head coach Ravi Shastri for being aggressive and changing the outlook of Indian cricket in the last three years or so. The former Pakistan batter went down the memory lane and talked about Shastri’s playing days.

“When we played against Ravi, we felt he was a misfit in the Indian team because he had aggression. He was a go-getter, a team player ready to open and bat down the order. I think he took this attitude to the Indian team, and fortunately for him, the captain Virat Kohli is also like that,” he added.

Misbah made his debut for Pakistan back in 2001, but it was only after the 2007 T20 World Cup that he managed to hog the limelight. He also went on to play eight matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). At the age of 44, Misbah last played competitive cricket, representing Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).