Misbah-ul-Haq remains one of the most underrated and least appreciated batsmen in the modern game, despite his fine temperament. Very few modern-day players, and barely a handful of Pakistani cricketers, have been able to maintain such a calm exterior on the field as Misbah has, both in victory and defeat.

Most international captains inherit very settled teams of experienced players. Misbah, however, took over one of the most tempestuous teams in the aftermath of the fallout from the spot-fixing saga which left the team in grave turmoil.

In 2010, Pakistan desperately needed a reliable, steadfast captain who could be trusted with the burden of navigating the young team through their darkest hour; Misbah was the man they chose. One must not forget that, in addition to captaining and galvanising the team, the Pakistan captain also has to engage in politicking with the selectors and various others within the hierarchy that is the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Initially regarded as an interim captain, until the captaincy could be thrust upon the next man, surprisingly, not only did Misbah accept the mantle but he embraced it. He seemed to relish the extra responsibility, and elevated his game to another level. Under Misbah’s measured captaincy, Pakistan cricket rose like a phoenix from the ashes, and recorded a series of successful results, culminating in the “Greenwash” of England in the UAE in early 2012 — a series most Pakistani cricket aficionados hold dear to their hearts.

Misbah, despite being a fabulous player, may not be as stylish as Saeed Anwar, as destructive as Inzamam, or as silky as Mohammad Yousuf but the sheer weight of runs he scores, usually after a top-order collapse, makes him an invaluable player.

However, on the basis of a handful of poor performances in which the team lost (like the 2011 World Cup semi-final), people have castigated him for scoring too slowly. Maybe, on occasion, he has been guilty of misjudging the required scoring rate, yet the fact remains that when the rest of the specialist batsmen were back in the pavilion he was effectively the last man standing. He is definitely the mainstay of Pakistan batting and the team often bats around him.

The year 2013 has been a record-breaking season in ODIs for Misbah: he is the leading run scorer in international cricket with 961 runs, scored at an average of 60.06 runs per innings (including a record 11 half-centuries).

In the recently concluded Tests against Zimbabwe, Misbah scored 217 runs at an average of 72.33 (second only to Younis Khan), a statistic put in sharp perspective when you consider that next in line was Rahat Ali’s average of 37.00!

Although the team’s collective failure to win the second Test led to criticism of Misbah’s “negative” captaincy and laboured batting style, the statistics reveal that he assessed well the situations he faced and did what he always does - scored a lot of runs.

Obviously, Misbah is not Shahid Afridi — the entertainer who plays to the gallery rather than for his average and who we love for the sheer excitement he generates when he is at the crease. Misbah knows that, in the long run, this hit-and-miss cricket does not materialise into a string of substantial scores benefiting the team, and has understood that his role as captain is to bat for the team.

Whether he has to curb his attacking nature to consolidate after a top-order collapse (as was the case so often in Zimbabwe recently), or to cut loose and capitalise on a solid platform laid by the top order, Misbah gets the job done as best he can. Essentially, he is capable of economy and efficiency.

His importance to the Pakistan team becomes apparent upon comparing his statistical record with those of his peers. Misbah’s ODI average of 44.40 does not just suggest that he is a great player, it is the highest average among his colleagues. Umar Akmal with 38.85 is the next best.

Pakistan have so many young players on the scene who are extremely talented, but they are too inconsistent. The stark reality is that averaging 30-odd runs is just not good enough for an international batsman, and when Misbah is the only player averaging more than 40 runs, we should accept that our batting is in dire straits.

Misbah has averaged 49.60 in the 2011 World Cup, 69.00 in Asia Cup matches and 53.40 in the Champions Trophy matches. His average in Test matches, before he became captain was 38.16, and after assuming the captaincy it is 50.55. Perhaps the most revealing statistic is his batting average in matches that Pakistan has won which is 53.39.

These revelations reinforce my views that most of the criticism directed at Misbah is unjustified and that he is invaluable to Pakistan cricket. It could be said that he is the man who has led Pakistan through the Dark Age into our Renaissance, and is still the top candidate for the captaincy.