Inzimam-ul-Haq chances surpassing Javed Miandad

[Robert]

Re: Inzimam-ul-Haq chances surpassing Javed Miandad

@GoldenAsif

Your reasoning for each batsman isn’t bad but c’mon Mohammad Yousuf is NOT better than Javed Miandad. Miandad has saved and won more matches for Pakistan than Yousuf has to date. He had an aura (although not quite so frightening a presence as Viv Richards) and presence at the crease that neither Inzi nor Yousuf has. He’s rated by many as the second-best batsman of his era after Viv Richards - period. Jeff thomson in his autobiography rates Miandad as second best after Viv. Infact Richards and Miandad were the only two batsmen of their era who averaged 50+ in tests and 40+ in ODIs. While both Gavaskar and Border averaged 50+ in tests, their one day averages (in the early-mid 30s) were pretty modest. By contrast both Greenidge and Haynes averaged 40+ in ODIs but their test record (averages in the mid-40s) falls a bit short.
Miandad was very good at rotating the strike. Because he played with such soft hands, he could nudge the ball into gaps all day but he could also cut loose when the situation begged him to. I once saw him advance from 68 to a hundred in the final 4 or 5 overs of a one-day game against India. By the time Zaheer had moved from 99 to 105*, Miandad had advanced from 68 to 117*! Kapil bore the brunt of his onslaught.

Inzi and Yousuf are two very good batsmen but historians and cricket pundits I reckon will always put SRT, Lara and Ponting above those two.

One other point. Miandad mastered the basics of cricket, was an excellent fielder and runner between the wickets. Both Inzi and Yousuf fall short in that department too.

I would pick Miandad ahead of many and most when it comes to test or ODI. He was probably the best batsman I have seen who could adjust to any type of cricket. However because of Yousuf’s amazing run of runs, I will have to put him ahead of Miandad, Richards, Border or even Gavasker, in pure test cricket terms. 1700 runs in one year is almost unbelievable performance. Having said that my fav batsman of all times was/is J Miandad.