Stani Army

The PCB has offered the Pakistan captaincy to Younis Khan after Shoaib Malik agreed to step down upon request. Younis has accepted and will now lead the team in Tests and ODIs.

Younis had been offered the role on two previous occasions but had turned it down. Questions were being asked of Malik after the disastrous series capitulation against Sri Lanka where he also criticised Shoaib Akhtar publicly and continued his unwithering support of the struggling Kamran Akmal.

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International cricket captains come in many varieties. Many are born leaders, others are quiet and calculating. They may be aggressive or defensive. Some exude calm, while others are frenetic. A lucky few are first among equals, but the unlucky ones are the last viable option.

These men of contrasting personalities, intellects, and motivational powers, do generally have one aspect in common: their place in the team is unquestioned. A rare captain has the wisdom to be an inspiring leader without matching the cricketing skills of his men. Mike Brearley is the most obvious example.

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Sri lanka’s thrashing of Pakistan in the 3rd and final ODI, giving them the series, has left many asking a number of questions. With a 234 run margin, it was the heaviest ODI defeat Pakistan have suffered. Since the sacking of Geoff Lawson and the ushering in of the old guard, the likes of Ijaz Butt, Javed Miandad and Aqib Javed, many Pakistan fans have been left feeling depressingly dejected as to the direction of Pakistan cricket.

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It’s not often the words “defense” and “Afridi” go together in a sentence unless of course it begins with “Where is your” and ends in a question mark but here we talk about defending his inclusion after his poor form with the bat. In the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Afridi did not manage to get a bat and in the second, scored just 14. In the press conference afterwards, captain Shoaib Malik was asked about Afridi’s form and justified his inclusion by pointing to his bowling saying, “Afridi bowls well especially in difficult stages of a match”.

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It seems that this may well be the last series Shoaib Akhtar will participate in for Pakistan unless he undergoes some kind of radical change. Questions on his fitness and commitment have surfaced again after his last two poor performances against Sri Lanka. Here we have a look at who the possible candidates are to replace him.

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Sri Lanka levelled the 3 ODI series against Pakistan with a convincing victory leaving Pakistan with a number of things to think about. In reply to Sri Lanka’s score of 290, Pakistan lost early wickets but Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik steadied the ship and Pakistan recovered to 125-3 when Malik lost his wicket. This then triggered a dramatic batting collapse with the home side ending up on 161 all out. After not such a good game yesterday, most of the damage was done by the two M’s, Murali and Mendis with 3 wickets each. Nuwan Kulasekara also bowled well with his two early dismissals.

Chief among Pakistan’s concerns and the major talking point was the performance of the Rawalpindi Express who seems to be grinding to a halt. Having bowled 7 expensive and wicketless overs he only managed 6 today taking one wicket and giving away 7.5 runs per over. Apart from not bowling his full quota of overs in both games, he also seemed lackadaisical and unenthusiastic in the field.

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What’s this? Pakistan spotted playing cricket at home? Surely not! Today marked the return of international cricket to Pakistan with the visit of Sri Lanka. Pakistan ran out winners in the first of three ODIs which will be followed by two Tests in February when Sri Lanka return after a ODI series with India.

What was particularly pleasing was the manner of the victory after being starved of cricket at home for over six months. Talk in lead up to the game was about the undeniable threat of Ajanta Mendis who ended up wicketless even though he had taken a total of 7 weeks in his previous 14 overs against Pakistan. It was clear that the strategy employed by the Pakistan batsmen against Mendis had worked and it will be interesting to see how this battle develops throughout the series. Sri Lankas smiling assassin Muttiah Muralitharan – who’s not bad either, was also kept relatively quiet taking one wicket. He now needs just 8 more to pass Wasim Akram’s record ODI wickets tally. How fitting would it be for him to do it on Pakistan soil.

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Barack Obama may steal the headlines around the world tomorrow but in Pakistan he will have to share them with cricket. With the dearth of internationals in 2008, the series against Sri Lanka has the feel of a new beginning.

The players are much the same but Pakistan cricket is now run by ex-cricketers who have a genuine passion for quality and success. They want change and believe that they can make it happen. Messrs Miandad, Qadir, and Sohail should – and probably do – realise that if they fail Pakistan cricket may never recover. To me, this new beginning carries the threat of a last chance.

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