<p>Pakistan one-day skipper Misbah-ul Haq and predecessor Shahid Afridi play for the same team, but come from different worlds.<br /><br /></p>.<p>If the unpredictable Pakistanis are to secure a second World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, they need the two heavyweight talents to forge a united front.<br /><br />Misbah is conservative, careful; Afridi is brash, belligerent.<br />Misbah takes time to settle and plays with a straight bat, characteristics which are alien to most fans of the game in Pakistan who have still not forgiven him for failing to guide the country to victory over arch-rivals India in the World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg in 2007.<br /><br />His ill-advised paddle-sweep with just five runs needed for victory still rankles.<br />Then at Mohali in the 2011 World Cup semifinals, Misbah batted out crucial deliveries before scoring 56 off 76 balls as Pakistan again lost to India.<br /><br />Afridi tends to throw his bat from the get-go, seemingly caring little for the nature of the pitch, the strength of the bowler or the situation of the match.<br /><br />"Once I went to bat and asked Afridi about the pitch and he replied: 'I don't know, but I am enjoying it as the ball is coming onto the bat'," recalled former captain Ramiz Raja.<br /><br />Afridi's strength is his lusty hitting — he hit two last-over sixes to help Pakistan pull off an incredible win over India in last year's Asia Cup in Dhaka.<br /><br />When it comes to captaining the side, Misbah and Afridi are poles apart.<br />Despite becoming Pakistan's most successful Test captain last year, Misbah is criticised for being defensive.<br /><br />"Misbah is overly defensive as captain while Afridi attacks and is very aggressive," former captain Mohammad Yousuf said.<br /><br />Misbah took over from Afridi as one-day skipper in 2011.<br />But when Misbah withdrew from the third and final one-dayer against Australia in Abu Dhabi last year over poor batting form, Afridi grabbed his new opportunity with both hands. <br /><br />But Misbah returned with a bang, equalling the fastest Test century off just 56 balls thus ending speculation that Afridi might replace him as captain for the World Cup.<br /><br />Both men will quit one-day cricket after the World Cup but Misbah will continue to play Tests while Afridi will continue to enjoy the brasher Twenty20.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Pakistan one-day skipper Misbah-ul Haq and predecessor Shahid Afridi play for the same team, but come from different worlds.<br /><br /></p>.<p>If the unpredictable Pakistanis are to secure a second World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, they need the two heavyweight talents to forge a united front.<br /><br />Misbah is conservative, careful; Afridi is brash, belligerent.<br />Misbah takes time to settle and plays with a straight bat, characteristics which are alien to most fans of the game in Pakistan who have still not forgiven him for failing to guide the country to victory over arch-rivals India in the World Twenty20 final in Johannesburg in 2007.<br /><br />His ill-advised paddle-sweep with just five runs needed for victory still rankles.<br />Then at Mohali in the 2011 World Cup semifinals, Misbah batted out crucial deliveries before scoring 56 off 76 balls as Pakistan again lost to India.<br /><br />Afridi tends to throw his bat from the get-go, seemingly caring little for the nature of the pitch, the strength of the bowler or the situation of the match.<br /><br />"Once I went to bat and asked Afridi about the pitch and he replied: 'I don't know, but I am enjoying it as the ball is coming onto the bat'," recalled former captain Ramiz Raja.<br /><br />Afridi's strength is his lusty hitting — he hit two last-over sixes to help Pakistan pull off an incredible win over India in last year's Asia Cup in Dhaka.<br /><br />When it comes to captaining the side, Misbah and Afridi are poles apart.<br />Despite becoming Pakistan's most successful Test captain last year, Misbah is criticised for being defensive.<br /><br />"Misbah is overly defensive as captain while Afridi attacks and is very aggressive," former captain Mohammad Yousuf said.<br /><br />Misbah took over from Afridi as one-day skipper in 2011.<br />But when Misbah withdrew from the third and final one-dayer against Australia in Abu Dhabi last year over poor batting form, Afridi grabbed his new opportunity with both hands. <br /><br />But Misbah returned with a bang, equalling the fastest Test century off just 56 balls thus ending speculation that Afridi might replace him as captain for the World Cup.<br /><br />Both men will quit one-day cricket after the World Cup but Misbah will continue to play Tests while Afridi will continue to enjoy the brasher Twenty20.<br /><br /></p>