PCB chairman Shahryar Khan terms Misbah-ul-Haq a better captain over Imran Khan

As Pakistan lost the second Test of the ongoing series to the hosts West Indies which has levelled the series 1-1 Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan on Thursday said that captain Misbah-ul-Haq is a better skipper than the legendary Imran Khan, when he appeared before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination.

As Pakistan’s Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq is set to play his last international match against West Indies on May 10, Khan praised and stated that he is making the comparison only on the basis of statistics and ability on the field, keeping politics aside.

He was quick to acknowledge that Imran Khan is a great politician but clarified that he has no political affiliations whatsoever, so he is making the comparison between Imran and Misbah only on the basis of their numbers and records as a captain of the Pakistan national team.

“I said this on the basis of cricket. I have no political affiliations. I respect Misbah as a player. I am not in politics. This is simply on the basis of statistics. I am really impressed by what he has achieved as a captain, and his statistics and wins are testament to that,” the 83-year-old PCB chairman was quoted by Geo TV as saying.

Imran Khan, during his tenure led his team to 14 victories in 48 matches while he captained the national team from 1992 to 1998. Misbah-ul-Haq, on the other hand, after stepping up as a captain of the side in 2010, has captained his side to 25 victories from the 55 matches they played under his leadership.

Pakistan reached the pole position of the ICC Test team rankings for the first time ever in history, under the captaincy of Misbah. Although, their joy was not long-lived, as India soon replaced them to be the first in the rankings.

Misbah’s team has not been in great form recently, following a 0-2 drubbing against New Zealand and 0-3 were served a thrashing by Australia, but his tally of 4951 runs in 72 Test matches justifies why Shahryar rates the outgoing skipper so highly. On the list of Pakistan’s highest test runs getters, he is firmly placed on 7th position at the moment.

PCB chairman also took a dig at the legendary West Indian batsman Sir Vivian Richards, saying that he was a great cricketer, but he fails to be a good coach. However, when asked about former Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad, he chose to remain silent, and only stated that Miandad was a great player.

Shahryar Khan stated that the board was very happy after successfully staging the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore, and bringing foreign players to Pakistan. He said that it was a huge step and it will open the doors for international cricket’s return in the country.