Shahid Afridi believes Misbah had tougher task to do as captain than Imran Khan

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has always been vocal about his opinions on the cricket issues in Pakistan. He has never been afraid to make bold statements about the big names in the cricket world. One of the trending topic of discussion in the Pakistan cricket circle these days is about the comparisons between two iconic skippers – Misbah Ul Haq and Imran Khan.

The debate started with the PCB head Shaharyar Khan making a bold claim that Misbah Ul Haq is a better captain than the World Cup winning skipper Imran Khan. In a recent quote, he had said that he has immense respect for Misbah as a cricketer. Also, his judgement is not based on any political interests but a mere personal opinion on the country’s leadership.

“I said this on the basis of cricket. I have no political affiliation. I respect him as a player. I am not in politics. This is on the basis of statistics,” Shaharyar Khan had quoted.

Talking about the same issue, Shahid Afridi had his verdict to give as well. Afridi spoke in the favor of Misbah as well. As per the quotes in Geo.tv, Afridi remarked that Imran Khan had a team full of match-winners at his disposal. On the contrary, Misbah has seen a lot of hardships in his playing career as the captain of the team.

“Imran bhai was a great captain, he has his own place, but he had the support of match winners with him like Miandad and Wasim Akram. While Misbah, in Test matches, has turned the table and has led the team out of a difficult situation with his performance,” quoted Shahid Afridi.

Afridi got a tad nostalgic about his international career. He remarked that there were some happy moments in his long illustrious career that spanned for almost two decades. However, the sad moments overshadowed most of the happy times.

“There are few good memories, but cricket has made me cry more. My batting was always unpredictable and there were things which I think shouldn’t have happened,” said the former all-rounder.

Lastly, he opined that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) must make full use of the experience of Younis Khan and Misbah Ul Haq after their retirement. He believes the veteran duo still have a lot to offer to the Pakistan cricket in the years to come.

“They are not the people who have wasted time in air-conditioned rooms, they have worked at grass root and know inside out of our cricket structure, PCB should utilise their experience for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” Shahid Afridi conceded.