Misbah-ul-Haq is the poor man's MS Dhoni: Ramiz Raja
Ramiz Raja has called termed Pakistan coach Misbah-ul-Haq a "poor man's MS Dhoni". Raja feels that Misbah needs to bring 'modern thinking' to the side and urged the Pakistan team to play more aggressively and freely in the future.
Speaking in an interview on Cricket Baaz's YouTube channel, Ramiz Raja suggested Misbah-ul-Haq leave his subdued approach behind and embrace Pakistan's natural aggressive style of cricket.
"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," said Ramiz Raja.
The former Pakistan skipper added:
"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."
Ramiz Raja also heaped praise on England's white-ball team and pointed out how being fearless has made them one of the best teams in ODIs and T20Is over the last few years.
Ramiz Raja lauds Ravi Shastri for his aggressive approach to the game
Giving another example of how being aggressive has paid-off in modern-day cricket, Ramiz Raja praised Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli. The former Pakistan skipper talked about how Shastri has stood out for his aggression ever since his 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. His body language was different. We felt he wanted to be an Imran Khan type player because we were like that," Raja observed.
"I think he took this attitude to the Indian team, and fortunately for him, the captain Virat Kohli is also like that. He is aggressive and expressive and this has made a big difference for the Indian team," the former Pakistan skipper added.
Misbah-ul-Haq and his team's next assignment is the tour of South Africa, where they will play 3 ODIs and 4 T20Is against the Proteas. The first ODI will take place in Centurion at the SuperSport Park on April 2nd.