Imran Khan’s legend was well-established long before he won the World Cup in 1992.
A charismatic presence on the field, impressive man-management skills and exceptional knowledge of the game were his undeniable attributes before he set foot down under for the tournament.
Misbah, on the other hand, belongs to an entirely different clan.
He is a smooth operator with levelheadedness; reliability and sobriety being his forte as a batsman. His expertise lies in bringing much-needed stability to prevent chronic batting collapses, something which has unfortunately earned him that notorious label of "Tuk Tuk".
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Khan’s credibility and self-assurance helped him through many critical phases during his tenure as Pakistan's skipper. An unconditional confidence in his leadership qualities and absence of an equipotential rival for the throne of the country's favourite sport provided him with opportunities to experiment with youngsters like Inzamam, Mushtaq and Amir Sohail in the biggest cricketing extravaganza.
Misbah, on the contrary, has to do with a very traditional quota of support from the cricket board, bigwigs in the team, as well as general public (which sways after every series). His method appears very conventional where the board, senior players and thoughts of frantic public outrage hamper any initiative needed to produce miracles.
The Pakistan team was considered as unpredictable and erratic in Imran Khan's days as it is today. The post-match critique nowadays, however, goes in a completely different direction.
While batting, bowling and fielding glitches were discussed as possible avenues of improvement during Khan's regime, the media and public seem undeniably more unforgiving to Misbah's slip-ups.
Politics within the team quarters; paucity of match practice; match fixing allegations; are the favourite accusations levelled against prominent players of the team if an unacceptable (though not unprecedented) batting collapse drowns us during a seemingly smooth sail.
The fear of a relentless social media barrage is something Khan’s men didn’t envisage when they walked out of the grounds some 20 odd years ago.
To be fair to Misbah
Imran successfully led from the front and as a result, commanded respect and obedience even from the most rebellious in the team.
Misbah has never experimented with his highly dependable position in the middle order. This strategy appears lacking, specially at times of extreme tremulousness.
And, he has his reasons for that – including but not limited to over-reliance of the team on his batting prowess to reach some form of respectability, as the rest of the lineup crumbles unceremoniously before his eyes.
We will never know whether Misbah was right or wrong unless he decides to take the leap of faith and comes higher up the order in a critical match situation.
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Innovative bowling changes and attacking field placements were attestation of Khan's genius. Misbah has recently modified his characteristic defensive and at times submissive approach to instill some much-needed aggression into his modus operandi.
We must also credit the format of the 1992 World Cup, which played a crucial role in our successful last minute dash, culminating in the achievement which made legends out of heroes. The format of this current World Cup is a lot more capricious which might not be as kind to Misbah if the team fails to hit top form right from the start.
Imran and Misbah are two contrasting captains going into the World Cup, albeit resourced similarly with a fairly limited talent pool.
Misbah has proven himself to be a fairly successful leader of men in the last few series, but drawing parallels with the legend of Imran khan will only intimidate him prohibitively. He deserves our faith in his abilities rather than the suffocating squeeze and push to mimic the “cornered tiger” vision of Imran Khan.
Imran and his men enjoyed an overwhelming and unconditional support from the people they represented.
Misbah and his team needs our absolute and unflagging support too, if we are to stand any chance in this World Cup.
