Blind support for Afridi will only encourage bad behaviour

Fans of Shahid Afridi are beginning to portray him as a hero, someone that has sacrificed himself to get rid of the big problem in Pakistan cricket today, Mr Ijaz Butt the chairman. The question is, was Afridi really motivated by getting rid of Butt or has it always been about Afridi and his bitterness over being removed as ODI captain?

When Afridi was removed as captain, Butt stated that he had good reasons to do so and would reveal them in due course. It seems now, from statements made by coach Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam that the reasons were to do with Afridi’s attitude and behaviour both on and off the field. Afridi responded to his sacking  as captain by announcing his conditional retirement, the condition being that the current Pakistan board be removed. His reason for retiring was that he had been humiliated by them. Losing the captaincy for reasons not made public is hardly a humiliation. Supporters of Afridi should remember that it was in fact just him losing the captaincy and that he wasn’t banned from playing and representing his country, and was in fact in the squad for the two ODIs against Ireland. Afridi chose to abandon his country on his own accord. It is why his later excuse that he’d play under any captain doesn’t quite wash.

Of course he did not quit immediately after being stripped of the leadership. He chose to sit out the Irish games using the reason that his father was ill. The problem was that he then turned up a few days later in England, ready to take up his county stint with Hampshire. In Afridi’s head his plan seemed to be going well, that is until the PCB decided to suspend his contract and revoke his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) after he announced his retirement on television with a few scathing remarks towards the board and coach. The revoking of the NOC caused Afridi to run home to Pakistan with his tail between his legs begging for it to be reauthorised. As soon as his NOC was revoked, all of a sudden he was ready to admit breaking the code of conduct and was keen to participate in any other action from the board, whereas before, he couldn’t care less.

A trouble free, unified and happy squad after winning the series in Ireland

Yet where was Afridi’s voice objecting to the PCB and Ijaz Butt whilst he still had his NOC? It seemed whilst Afridi was able to go and play for Hampshire, he had no concern for Pakistan cricket and who was at the helm. Take away his NOC and all of a sudden it’s ‘Afridi retired as a matter of principle against an unfair board’. His words on his return to Pakistan, where he said he had come back for his NOC, say it all. He was picked in the side, not banned from playing and quit himself just because the captaincy was taken away. He did not do it for Pakistan cricket, he did it for himself. It’s the same reason he bats selfishly without a care, and the same reason why he quit the Test captaincy mid-series. He is a loose cannon that needs to be controlled.

Is it possible that through the dislike of Butt, people have lost sight of Afridi’s misdemeanours? Is everything Ijaz Butt does just wrong? Though I am no fan of Ijaz Butt, if we take into the account statements made by Waqar and Intikhab, removing Afridi as captain was the right thing to do for the team. When Afridi did not have the power of captaincy, when he was not the center of attention, he quit serving his country and ran off to County Cricket to earn his money. When the board revoked his NOC, Afridi came crawling back all concerned.

The one good thing that may come out of this is that we may finally see Ijaz Butt removed as PCB chairman. If that were to happen though, it may send a signal to players that every time they disagree with something they can just throw their toys out of the pram and get their way like Afridi. The solution is that if Butt is removed, Afridi must be disciplined severely for the manner in which he went about things. There were clearly other ways of being heard if his sole intention was to get Butt removed for the good of Pakistan cricket.

Misbah Ul-Haq - A man the whole of Pakistan should get behind and be proud of

In captain Misbah Ul-Haq, Pakistan now have the kind of man they have long needed to lead them. Described by Geoff Lawson as having “the best cricket brain and intellect in Pakistan cricket”, Misbah should have been playing for and leading his country a very long time ago. Yet what is perplexing is the amount of criticism he has received recently.

Misbah’s calmness in personality is something that is seen in his batting. It’s been a signature of Misbah to start off slow before accelerating, which has resulted in getting Pakistan out of some big holes in the past. Of course, the danger is that if he falls early in such an innings, he is then open to criticism for playing too slow.

Much of his recent criticism stems from such an innings in the World Cup Semi-Final against India where he was not able to go on and take Pakistan to victory. To criticise him so much for one unsuccessful innings is absurd, and indirectly absolves those batsmen who failed not only in that game but throughout the tournament, a tournament in which Misbah finished as Pakistan’s leading scorer.

It’s fine to criticise but this criticism should be fair. To say that he is match fixing or has some other sinister motive for playing such an innings is unfair, and if weighed up against every good thing that Misbah is, stands out like a sore thumb because it cannot be a correct allegation.

Many may criticise him for using this method of batting but you could say it has developed out of necessity rather than choice, with him having to all too often come in to rescue a batting line up that has collapsed before him. Starting off and getting in is the only sensible way to go about rebuilding things in such circumstances, and Misbah is a sensible man.

“He has a statesman-like demeanour which so many Pakistan captains have lacked and he handles adversity analytically not emotionally. He knows how to get the best out of players and he is a winner, note his outstanding domestic record as a leader.” Geoff Lawson on Misbah Ul-Haq, October 2010

Then there’s the criticism and pure hatred Misbah receives from the Afridi fanatics. It is not Misbah’s fault Afridi has been sacked as captain. That is no reason to hate anyone, particularly your own player and captain.

Serene characters like Misbah are few and far between in Pakistan cricket. We’ve seen the hot-headedness from Younis Khan, Ijaz Butt and Shahid Afridi in recent times and the chaos created by the match-fixers Salman Butt, Mohammeds Asif and Amir. Misbah is a man with such wide ranging qualities (also holds a MBA in business management) that he could easily take up the coaching role or a board position once he retires form playing – something I hope he does. This man should be backed to the hilt.

Whilst he may not be the greatest cricketer in the world, he is not the worst, and as a man and a leader is exactly what Pakistan cricket has needed for a while, especially now.

The outspoken Afridi pays the price

Shahid Afridi has been removed as ODI captain for the upcoming one-day series against Ireland.

The 31-year-old helped guide Pakistan to the semi-finals of the World Cup earlier this year and was also in charge durin the recent 3-2 series victory over the West Indies, but has now been replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq, who will lead the side for the two games against Ireland in Belfast later this month.

“Afridi has been retained as a player in the one-day squad but the captaincy has gone to Misbah” the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said.

Afridi recently spoke out against the PCB and accused them of interfering with his role as captain of the 50-over side during the recent series win in the Caribbean.

Pakistan’s governing body then responded disputing the accusation, and while they refused to give a reason for Afridi leaving the role, they maintained that it was PCB policy to monitor the role of captain on a “series by series basis”.

Afridi stepped down from the test side last summer and returned home following the conclusion of the series against the West Indies.

After that series Afridi was forced to explain himself after comments he made to the media.

“I don’t like people interfering in my domain. I think it would be better if everyone focused on his job in the team.” He said after the 5th ODI game, a remark which landed him in hot water with the PCB.

The 16-man squad including Afridi will now begin preparations for the games against Ireland which get underway on 28th May.

By Pete South

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Pakistan's new Test captain Misbah Ul-Haq showed the way with three half-centuries in four innings

Pakistan can come out of the drawn two-Test series against world number two South Africa with their heads held high. Though the argument may be that the wickets in the UAE were batsmen friendly, Pakistan’s reconstructed batting line up still held it’s own against South Africa’s, and South Africa had the better bowling attack. Let us also remember that Pakistan’s batsmen have struggled to pass 250 in Tests for a while now, batting paradise or not. Were it not for the time factor, Pakistan could have come close to or matched South Africa’s aggregated total in both the Tests, and that’s no mean feat.

The return of Younis Khan was a major factor in the ability of our batsmen to finally start playing Test match innings and setting Test match totals. The successful re-emergence of Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah Ul-Haq and Taufeeq Umar was also pleasing to watch. I have always been a big fan of Taufiq yet he is just one of many that have been the victim of selection favouritism in the past. He is a proper Test batsman.

Then there’s the emergence of the two youngsters Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. For some reason, Azhar, despite being a reserved young man, seems to really irritate the opposition, ending up at the receiving end of some hostile bowling. He did so in England and here against South Africa also. But his composure and temperament was a joy to see. Shafiq came into the ODI side in England and you could immediately tell the young man was going to be here to stay. I was hoping to see him in the Test side much sooner as it was clear he had what it took to succeed. He got his chance in the 2nd Test though, in place of the out of form Umar Akmal, and he didn’t disappoint with a well played 61 in the first innings.

The biggest positive after the performance of our batsmen was the captaincy and personal performances of Misbah Ul-Haq. Amongst his supporters, of which I am one, Misbah could and should have been Pakistan’s captain years ago. But as the fixing scandals have revealed, people were in and out of the Pakistan team for reasons other than cricket back then. Hopefully Misbah will continue his good form and still provide us with a few good years during which time a younger future captain can be identified.

And last but not least, we must mention Abdur Rehman. The left arm spinner has been in almost every squad in recent times but rarely gets a game. He is the type of cricketer that, though he may be limited in natural ability, makes the most out of what he has got. He reminds me very much of England’s Michael Yardy. You know what you will get with these guys – good team players that will always play their part, with bat or ball. Maybe Pakistan need a few more of this type of player rather than the natural gifted types, that blow more cold than hot.

The only concern now is with the bowling attack. Had we had Mohammad Asif and Amir in the side, it would be no over-exaggeration to say that we may have even come out of this series as victors. It was unfortunate that Wahab went down with an injury and it is now clearer than ever that Mohammad Sami is just not good enough for the game at the top level. I still remain hopeful that Amir will be allowed back into international cricket and that alone really could make the difference to our Test team bowling attack.

There was almost a resigned pointlessness to Pakistan playing Tests not so long ago, due to the depressing manner in which we capitulated. But the character and heart shown by the players in the performances in these two games has given the Stani fans lots of hope.

RELATED POLL RESULTS. HOW DID YOU DO?

How will Pakistan do under new captain Misbah Ul-Haq in the two game Test series against South Africa in the UAE?
* 0-2 Loss (29%, 9 Votes)
* 0-1 Loss (26%, 8 Votes)
* Draw (23%, 7 Votes)
* 2-0 Win (16%, 5 Votes)
* 1-0 Win (6%, 2 Votes)

Will Mohammad Sami be seen in a Pakistan shirt again?
* No, it’s time to move on (42%, 5 Votes)
* Yes, but he shouldn’t be (33%, 4 Votes)
* Yes, he still has what it takes (25%, 3 Votes)

Misbah Ul-Haq receiving the trophy for leading his side to a domestic title earlier this year. He comes with plenty of domestic captaincy experience

Though it seems that Misbah Ul-Haq has been appointed Pakistan’s Test captain for the two games in the UAE against South Africa more through circumstance than preference, it is the right appointment as far as Stani Army is concerned.

Upset at being dropped for the tour of England, Misbah’s argument was that he had a better average in all forms of the game than most of the touring party, and he had a case. The reasons for Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan’s axing were that the former had retired and the latter had still not apologised for some apparent disciplinary issue. The reason for Misbah’s axing was less obvious even though it was said that the team was looking to go in a new direction with younger players. The recall of the 36 year old Yousuf mid-series put paid to that excuse. Many argued that Misbah was out of form, but then which of the Pakistan batsmen had shown form in the series’ in New Zealand and Australia that had preceded? At least Misbah had been making runs in domestic cricket whilst the others continued to fail on the international stage.

When Younis Khan resigned as captain this time last year, we went through the four possible candidates for the job of captain and Misbah certainly looked as good as the rest if not better in our opinion. He seemed a clean member of the side (from corruption as oppose to drugs!…o.k, and drugs), intelligent and well-spoken. This is something that former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has mentioned recently, backing the choice of Misbah as captain. Lawson said that Misbah had the “best cricketing brain” in Pakistan, which is no small compliment, and that he deserves the captaincy “but Ideally he should have been captain six years ago.”. He went on to say: “He has a statesman-like demeanour which so many Pakistan captains have lacked and he handles adversity analytically not emotionally. He knows how to get the best out of players and he is a winner, note his outstanding domestic record as a leader”. A very suitable candidate to repair some of the damage Ijaz Butt and some of the players have caused between Pakistan and the international cricketing community.

At 36, many will argue that we should have gone for a young captain but look around, there is no one younger even close to being a suitable candidate. Though he may not be a spring chicken, for a guy who takes good care of himself, at 36 he is no cricketing geriatric either. Good personal performances considered, he’d still have a few years left in him yet, and whilst there is  a strong case for going young in terms of regular team members, there’s no harm in having an older, wiser head as captain. The future is in the future, are we always going to be playing our cricket in the future? What about the here and now? We must get the balance right.

Before the England series, we did mention on here that it would be a defining tour for six players, three of whom were not playing, namely Yousuf, Younis and Misbah. It was argued that should the youngsters that have come in fail to perform, the selectors would return to the old guard once again. Well Yousuf was recalled that same tour, Misbah is back and calls for Younis are loud and clear.

Though Shahid Afridi had mentioned recently that he’d consider coming out of Test retirement to captain the side for the sake of the nation, we cannot have him do what he did in England and walk out on his team. This expression of ‘I will return if my country needs me’ is exactly the one which Afridi gave when he took over the Test captaincy last time. It certainly didn’t stop him from quitting mid-series. He was never a serious option this time around, and if reports are to be believed, even came close to losing his captaincy in the shorter forms, something which was backed up by the fact that the ODI and Twenty20 captain for the UAE matches was announced some time after the squads were.

So what of Younis Khan? Whilst many are supporting Younis’ case for selection and then captaincy, we should remember that had Younis not been so hot-headed in walking out on the captaincy, he would probably be leading the team right now. He has had the ball in his court a number of times yet chose to walk away as if to try and make some moral point. Yet, when taking on the likes of Ijaz Butt and Jamshed Dusti, Younis should have played them at their own game. Running away and sulking has not helped Pakistan cricket or him. Ijaz Butt is probably the worst thing in Pakistan cricket right now, yet we must remember that the last time Younis stepped down as captain, Butt actually refused to accept his resignation, at the PCB headquarters and later in the car, but it was Younis who insisted. Ijaz Butt’s removal as Chairman will no doubt signal the return of Younis Khan to the side. Should Misbah do a decent job in the interim, he could well find himself with the Test captaincy on a permanent basis with Younis left to concentrate on his batting. If not, then Younis will probably be back to step in again, so don’t despair just yet Younis fans.

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.

The good thing is that Test game is much slower paced than Twenty20 and will give Afridi time to think over any decisions and confer with other players. He would also be able to get the input of the coaching staff during drinks breaks, at the end of sessions and at the close of play.

Apart from Afridi, who else is there as possible Test captain? The only other likely candidate, Younis Khan, is still serving his indefinite ban and is waiting on his appeal to be heard. This hearing will definitely not come in time for for him to be considered for the ODI captaincy as his appeal has been adjourned until the 29th of this month with the Asia Cup captain to be named on the 25th. Chances are that the Asia cup captain will probably be Afridi, and this, along with Younis’ ban and Afridi’s desire to return to the Test side, may have made the decision to keep him as Test captain merely a formality. With Afridi’s request in the media of a quick resolution to the damaging allegations surrounding the Pakistan team, he is beginning to sound the part of captain at least.

As a player, I think his return to the Test scene will give us a much more potent and balanced side. The argument is that his batting is not up to Test standard but I have argued in the past that he could make our Test side on his abilities with the ball alone. Also, those critics will probably be surprised to learn that his Test average is a more than respectable 37.40, with 5 centuries in 46 innings. In the recent past we have struggled for the breakthrough and his attacking variety of spin would be perfect for such a situation. We have also had problems getting past 300 runs as a team and the option of Afridi’s spin could then give us the option of dropping Saeed Ajmal/Danish Kaneria for an extra batsmen.

I think he will make the Test side on merit, and be given the captaincy because there simply is no other choice. Nevertheless, with the likes of Shoaib Malik out of the way, he has a chance to develop into a good Test captain with a young team and two new coaches that are right behind him.

Though the openers did very well against Bangladesh, they became unstuck against Australia, who look like a force to be reckoned with having got their selection right this time around. Salman Butt played a nice knock in the first game but, and there’s always a but with Salman, he let himself down when it really mattered. It’s fine to do well against Bangladesh but his poor innings against Australia, a game in which Butt-er fingers also dropped catch, has made his Bangladesh innings pretty much insignificant in my eyes. The question mark is still there; will Butt deliver with the bat when it’s really needed? I’ve certainly given up on him ever improving his fielding. I just feel Imran Nazir should be here in his place, as Mohammad Hafeez could quite easily have played the consolidatory role Butt is probably in the line-up for. Added to his batting, Nazir is also one of our best fielders.

Captain Shahid Afridi also needs to step up his game. Not only has his batting and bowling been poor, but so has his captaincy. Clapping the Salman Butt dropped catch is just not good enough. Imran khan would have stared at Butt until he disintegrated into the ground beneath him. These are grown men; there is no place for these niceties. Watch an Australia drop a catch and watch the reaction of the captain and bowler, and you could bet they won’t be clapping their hands.

Afridi also made a mistake by persisting with both Sami and Hafeez when they were leaking runs. I think Mohammad Asif needs to come in for Mohammad Sami, and be given his four overs up-front in which he could use the new ball to give us some high-class seam bowling. I was not sure why Abdul Razzaq was not bowling. It may be a personal choice of Razzaq’s so we cannot criticise the captain for that although it was Razzaq’s bowling that dragged us up off the floor in the last Twenty20 World Cup with some crucial wickets. Afridi needs to realise fast that he cannot rigidly stick to a game plan. Captains must be ready to adapt to conditions and any developments in play.

As we look forward to the rest of the tournament, the Australian game showed that Pakistan still have this inferiority complex when playing any western nation team. They need to change their mentality and play like Champions. They need to show that this Cup is theirs and that they are the best team in Twenty20 cricket not by luck, but on merit.

The last mention must go to Mohammad Aamer, who continues to be the shining light of Pakistan cricket. For an 18-year old to bowl a maiden 5-wicket last over in a World Cup game against arguably the strongest team, is not only a first, but probably a last. And it could only be a Pakistani kid couldn’t it?

Actually, sorry Aamer, I changed my mind. The last mention must go to Shane Watson, who is a living example that you do not have to have manners, be a decent person or be mature to be a cricketer. There is no place in cricket for swearing Shane. The “F… off” you directed at Saeed Ajmal was not only quite clearly visible, but also audible. Grow up Shane.