6
End of the old guard; is Afridi getting his way?
By Tabrez Janjua for Stani Army in Pakistan Cricket
106 ViewsMisbah Ul-Haq recently voiced his displeasure at being ignored for the tour of England, and with Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf out of the picture, are the older players deliberately being shunned as the Pakistan team looks to the future?
One person that seems to have come out smelling of roses from all the troubles of the recent past is Shahid Afridi. Stanis may remember that last October, Afridi had a meeting with the Chairman of the PCB and rumours began spreading that plans were afoot for Afridi to take over as captain in all three formats. Afridi denied this at the time and insisted that he would never go against the then reluctant captain, Younis Khan, and that the meeting was purely in regards to preparation for the World Twenty20, which he was about to lead the team into.
Shahid Afridi: Power hungry megalomaniac or innocent patriot?
Fast forward seven or so months and Shahid Afridi is now Pakistan’s Test, ODI and Twenty20 captain with Younis and Yousuf nowhere to be seen and Misbah completely ignored. Coincidence? You decide. Consider the fact that prior to Afridi’s meeting with Butt last October, Younis had handed in his resignation and it was not accepted by the Chairman both at the PCB offices and later in the car. It seems strange that such obvious support of Younis by the Chairman has waned and become muted.
Certainly Afridi’s lame excuse in his recent statement in regards to the exclusion of Younis from the squad did little to allay the suspicion: “I wanted Younis to be in the team but, besides the issue of his recent form, there was also a bit of a disciplinary issue with Younis”. The funny thing is that you can take that quote and swap the name ‘Younis’ for a number of Pakistani players. In fact, you could put ‘Afridi’ in there too and it would fit. Making excuses Shahid? What is he hiding?
“It would be great for us because he is really a good captain and we enjoy playing under him”. Afridi’s view on Younis, October 2009.
“I wanted Younis to be in the team but, besides the issue of his recent form, there was also a bit of a disciplinary issue with Younis”. Afridi, now captain, on Younis, June 2010.
So, did Afridi and Ijaz Butt etch out plans last October in which the older players would be eased out of the national side and the captaincy given to Afridi so he could take a newer, younger team forward? One gets the impression that the board began feeling that the older members of the squad were more difficult to handle. It was evident that whenever there was a squad issue, players would generally go to one of the senior players which created divisions and factions, leading to the undermining of authority, be it that of the captain, coach or the administration of the PCB. With the current state of affairs, the PCB are basically telling us that it was the older players that were the real trouble makers.
“When so many people with varying temperaments are thrown together for several weeks or months on a tour, things of course cannot always be trouble-free”. Shahid Afridi October 2009.
More recent evidence to support this is when it came to light that many of the selectors were not consulted in regards to the make-up of the squad currently in England. From the statements made, it is obvious that some of these selectors supported the inclusion of Younis Khan. Was this the reason they were not consulted?
“I have certain ideas about grooming some of the younger players and building a solid team for 2010″. Afridi October 2009, when asked about his Twenty20 captaincy ideas.
Looking forward, it will probably be easy for the board to ignore Misbah by using the excuse of his bad form. They will rely on Younis to always be in a huff, making their job of excluding him easier. The problem will come when Mohammed Yousuf decides to come out of his retirement, something which he intends to do for the series in the UAE against South Africa beginning in October. The real intentions of the PCB will be realised then. They are probably hoping that one of the youngsters steps into the void and cements his position in the team so there are no spots available and the argument ends there.
Whether what is happening is a bad thing, I’m not sure, because it means that Pakistan cricket is moving forward. The problems arise when one man, Afridi in this case, realises the power he has, and so abuses it, or his team mates begin to harbour resentment towards him because of it.
Loading ...
June 29th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Stani
Afridi has never hidden his desire to lead Pakistan, like others he has also used every tactic in the book to realize his dream to lead Pakistan team. But I think in the end he has earned it, he has been performing well as a player he enjoys the support of majority of the players and as a captain he has made a few errors but his overall performance has been satisfactory. I think he is the right choice.
Now did he double crossed YK, I think at the end of the day every one is for himself.
All of us forget one thing that if YK had not resigned himself and if his personal form had not dipped so much he would still be leading Pakistan team, why do we keep on forgetting and ignoring YK’s temprament issues. The whole nation backed him against Dasti & co even PCB supported him all he had to do was to be patient and improve his personal form, the players who were conspiring against him could not have carried on their tactics forever and survived.
I think the ban on him was a bit harsh but he did deserved a reprimand for his childish temprament and without regaining his form he doesn’t deserve to be in the team.
Misbah should look at his face in the mirror before complaining about the selectors he has gotten too many chances and has failed to deliver even once. His case is no different than YK just on the basis of past performances they do not deserve to be in the team. The current form is most important right now.
I think out of all the seniors Yousaf as a player had the strongest case but I seriously doubt his integrity especially in the wake of Sydney test and especially when he was the leader behind the revolt against two captains. He has personal agendas and whenever things don’t go his way he quits Pakistan team. He deserved this disciplinary action.
I think PCB made only one mistake when they revoked the ban of Malik just that one decision has made all of their recent disciplinary actions look bad and farce.
This current team is not good enough to compete with quality teams that is a harsh reality the players on the bench are even worse than the players in the team, so for the time being the best thing should be to support the new captain and support the promising youngsters especially those who have not gotten enough chances and forget about the old and out of form players. As long as this team puts up a fight and doesn’t throw away matches from winning positions I am fine with it.
Winning and losing is a part of the game.
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:54 pm
@Cricketfiles –
Yes, and probably the only choice.
I agree, and as I stated in the post, Younis had the upper hand through the Dusti saga and had he remained and the recent inquiry taken place, he would now be in Afridi’s position with newer players and the full backing of the board. I’m sure he has some regrets on how he handled himself.
I would have to say that Misbah’s form is better than Younis’. Also, If Misbah was played in positions Younis has been coming in, then Misbah’s international stats would be much better in my opinion.
I agree in regards to Malik. But I am sure we can trust him to mess up again, and this time for the last time.
I’m not sure if Yousuf had issues with Younis as when he was captain on the Australian tour, he requested that Younis be flown over. Yousuf’s backing of Younis was more than just words. Afridi’s is just words.
July 3rd, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Stani
So far the team hasn’t lost a match on the tour and they are playing as a unit under Afridi, which is a good sign.
Malik is in a precarious situation and so are Akmal brothers even if they flop unintentionally nobody is going to spare them I think they brought it upon themselves and I have no sympathy with them in this respect , they have to perform consistently which will be an uphill task for them against the Aussie pace attack.
You are right this is the last chance for Malik which he didn’t deserved in the first place.
As regards Yousaf check out Rana Naved’s testimony, it will explain every thing.
Fawad Alam floped once again today this time batting at #3 now his supporters will argue that his batting order is being shuffled too much.
I think Shahzaib is in excellent form, so is Butt, Umar Akmal and Afridi, if these four fired in the first t20 match Pakistan will win, Shazaib has the capability to perform against Australia but only if he doesn’t take too much pressure and plays his normal game.
I am more worried about Razzaq than anybody else in the team his performance in Asia cup was questionable.
Australia after losing the series to England have peaked at the right time bad luck for us but I have a feeling that Pakistan team will perform much better than they did in Australia.
July 4th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
@Cricketfiles –
Yep, it looks like it will be an interesting tour Wasim. Hopefully we’ll get one or two new players showing potential and one or two of the first team youngsters like Aamer and Umar Akmal taking on responsibility.
I really think this will be the defining moment of Malik’s international career. With youngsters snapping at the heels, the board losing patience, it’s now or never. He needs some centuries. Razzaq is in a similar position although one or two explosive innings from him will put him back in favour. The problem is, his bowling has become so poor that we cannot then justify his place by his odd good innings.
Fawad has some good attributes, don’t get me wrong, but they are not at number 1,2,3 or 4. He needs to recognise his level of ability and so do the captain and coach. He is just setting himself up for a fall coming in so early. If he is in the team, he has to bat lower down. By all means, if his technique and footwork improve in the long term, then move him up. Just don’t start him there, or it will be a short career.
I agree with what you say about Shahzaib. I was impressed when I first saw him in the t20 World Cup. They should have kept him in and around the squad and schooled him a bit more and he would be much more further down the production line by now. Nevertheless, he does play his shots with no fear and with intent, and he has the power to go with them.
I will have a look at Rana’s testimony but Rana doesn’t seem like someone we can completely rely upon to be honest.
July 8th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
@Stani, you are the best to see the dark side of the things and that is actually always, i wonder when did you entirely taken a thing in all its positiveness? Unique way to go man.
July 8th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
@Mudassar @ CricketVibe –
It all fits though Mudassar, no?
And I do love the stick….must be all those memories as a youngster in masjid!
I do give carrots sometimes too though, but they are generally reserved for youngsters and not adults.