Stani Army

An irresponsible captain is a bad captain

Earlier today we saw Pakistan lose the first of three Twenty20s to New Zealand, who got home with 2.5 overs to spare. Pakistan had got themselves into at least two good positions to make a game of it, only to surrender meekly.

Chief architect of the downfall was Captain Shahid Afridi. Whilst many would disagree and say he played well for his 20 of 17 balls, it was his gormless shot that triggered a signature collapse. Going at 10 an over after the first 4 overs, Afridi did not have the nous to take advantage of a fast start and begin to rein himself in, keep wickets in hand and then to accelerate later. It was as if he wanted to finish the game in that over. That was his intention, and his shot selection was even worse.

Were it not for Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz, who both made 30, Pakistan would not have ended up with a defendable total of 143. It was at the start of the New Zealand innings that Afridi made his second mistake by opening the bowling with Abdul Razzaq. Even at his best, Razzaq was an average bowler. Having aged and lost some pace, he has become easy pickings for batsmen. Any late good work done by Gul and Wahab was immediately wasted as Razzaq went for 15 off his first over. Suddenly, 143 off 20 overs became 128 off 19. A different game already and New Zealand’s tails were up.

The strange thing is that it wasn’t as if Afridi was limited in choice of who to open the attack with. Wahab, Akhtar and Gul were playing, and we had Ajmal, Hafeez and Afrdi himself to make up any overs remaining. There was no need to bowl Razzaq, even less need to open with him

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I was wondering what to make of Mohammed Yousuf’s decision to turn down the recent request by Shahid Afridi to come out of retirement. Was he being dignified and standing up for what is right or was he just sulking and being stubborn? Of the players that were recently punished, Yousuf was the only one not to file his appeal against his ban. With many fans rightly requesting the PCB administration to go along with the punished players, it seems Yousuf felt his appeal would have been futile.

In my opinion, I think Yousuf is showing that he has truly been hurt and feels he has been wronged by what I felt was a harsh punishment given out to him after the disastrous tour of Australia where he had to step in as captain because there was no other option. The other punished players, in which I will not include Younis Khan, have filed their appeals and look to jump at the chance to get back into the international side and begin where they left off, at their trouble-making best.

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An old face but a young captain

Mohammad Yousuf came in for a lot of criticism from all corners for his field placements in the second Test against Australia when Peter Siddle and Michael Hussey were at the crease. How much was Yousuf to blame for this and was this the real cause of Pakistan’s defeat?

Many writers held Yousuf solely responsible, and had you been listening to the Australian commentary on that 4th day then it would have been easy to follow suit. Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Richie Benaud, Mark Nicholas, Michael Slater, Mark Taylor, and last but definitely not the least, Ian Chapell, were all at it. Ian Chapell in particular, did not talk about anything else apart from Mohammad Yousuf in his 4th day commentary stints. I have an automatic dislike of people that are too sure of themselves and Ian Chapell is one.

If you are still firm in the belief that Yousuf got the field placing wrong, then you have to accept that it cannot have been his decision alone. After the close of play on day 3, strategies must have been discussed in the Pakistan camp and all the support staff, including the head coach, must have had an input. Also, the fact that Hussey and Siddle stayed in for so long showed that Yousuf did in fact read the track well, in that it was a relatively easy one to score on. So, would an immediately attacking field have been a good thing or a bad thing?

Had we started with an attacking field, this would have left more scoring opportunities for both Hussey and Siddle. Yes, it may have increased our chances of removing them but did our bowlers honestly look like getting anything on the 4th day? At one point, the camera followed Asif on his run up and he looked flat as a pancake. So if an attacking field didn’t yield us the wicket, the Australians would have got off to a flier and we would have then had to have resorted to a more defensive field but only after giving away easy runs.

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Younis Khan has recently said that had he been caught in the line of fire as the Sri Lankan team were in the terror attack in Lahore, then he would have walked away from international cricket. Only the Sri Lankan squad and the officials who were there could know how those terrifying few moments were but would them quitting cricket solve anything?

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It could be any other moment that Younis Khan has been offered the captaincy. Pakistan cricket is in crisis and Darrell Hair is making a play for the headlines. Yet this occasion is much different. Hair’s most recent rant is a sideshow and Younis has grabbed the captaincy with both hands. Indeed, his previous reluctance has meant that this ascendancy to the captaincy comes when Pakistan cricket is at the most crucial turning point in its history.

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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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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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