Punchbag Misbah rises above Pakistan trouble and strife

What's the toughest job in sport? Managing the Brazil or England football team or coaching England's cricket squad, for that matter?
For Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq, the answer is simple -- it's his position as captain of a team already dubbed "predictably unpredictable" by a rival coach at the World Cup.
As well as two heavy defeats in their opening games in Australia and New Zealand, eight Pakistan players were fined for breaking a curfew, there were claims of a training ground bust-up while chief selector Moin Khan was sent home for visiting a Christchurch casino.
Then there are the team's millions of demanding fans back home.

Frustrated by the absence of international cricket in the country because of the 2009 attack on the touring Sri Lanka team, and then embarrassed by the jailing in England of three players for corruption in 2011, the captain is the punchbag of the Pakistan team.
But in his five years in charge, 40-year-old Misbah has become Pakistan's most successful Test captain.

In one-day internationals, he has overseen victories over arch-rivals India -- in India -- and South Africa on their home turf.
But if he scores runs and the team fails, he is the go-to target. If he doesn't score and the team does well he is still the target.

When Pakistan lost their opening games at the World Cup to India and West Indies, effigies of Misbah were burned in Lahore while, in the south-eastern city of Multan, a mock funeral was held for the team.
"It's one of the top five toughest jobs in the sporting world," Misbah told AFP.
"There are lots of expectations and when they are not fulfilled you get criticised, at times unnecessarily.
"Every other day you suffer and it has a negative effect on the team as players get hurt, their families are affected and the team's focus is distracted."
Captaining the Pakistan cricket team has always appeared to be mission impossible.

When Javed Miandad was appointed captain in 1980 he faced a revolt from senior players who complained they had been over-looked. The same fate befell Wasim Akram in 1994.
Even Imran Khan, born in the same Punjab city of Mianwali as Misbah, was forced to leave after leading Pakistan to their one and only World Cup title in 1992.