Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Don't blame Afridi

       Shahid Afridi trains on the eve of the Asia Cup, Dambulla, June 14, 2010
Afridi's resignation and Butt's promotion could actually be good for Pakistan cricket © AFP
Related Links
News : Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour
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Players/Officials: Salman Butt | Shahid Afridi
Teams: Pakistan

Shahid Afridi did not appoint himself captain of Pakistan's Test side. He was asked to take over by the PCB. At the time, there were suggestions that the Test comeback was a prerequisite to him retaining the captaincy of the ODI and Twenty20 sides - the implication being that he was pressured into it. Subsequently, Afridi, a straightish talker when he wants to be, hardly hid his reluctance over the task at hand.

So the first questions flung after this latest inevitable, but thankfully brief, self-defeat must be at the board. In pushing a man who had not played Tests for four years, a man who wasn't really ever a Test cricketer, a man whose place in the Test XI wasn't guaranteed, to lead a side with 249 Tests worth of experience between them, against two of the strongest teams around, in alien conditions, what was the thinking?

Maybe they looked at his Test average (before the Lord's Test) and concluded that as it was higher than Nasser Hussain's and Hansie Cronje's and fractionally lower than Michael Atherton's, he must be all right. Maybe they really are as simple as that, even if that is to credit at least one among them with the knowhow to use Statsguru.

The only conclusion that can be reached from their choice is that they have no clue of the game they purport to govern. They have the vision of bats; the thinking, of how to develop a side, how to nurture a game, how to identify talent, how to run a business, is remarkably empty. Afridi should never have been approached to lead the Test side. Malcolm Speed was blunt about the PCB, but that was his only fault.

The board line was that there was no other option. That was, in any case, arguable; if it was true, it was only because the PCB had engineered the situation such. Since 2009, in fact, the one thing the board has done consistently is to not show any spine in standing by their captains. If, as the administration, you oversee one change in captaincy, you can be forgiven. Two looks careless. Beyond that - and Ijaz Butt's men have now overseen four in less than 18 months - clearly no one has the slightest clue. They don't seem to care much either.

So to blame Afridi for taking it on - and now leaving it - is to misplace frustration. Few turn down the captaincy, and he did it with good intentions. It was, in one sense, a brave decision, to take on such a shattered, divisive group of individuals, after such a beating, in a format you're not familiar with. The bravest move might have been to recognise your limitations and turn it down, but that is to be expected only from the biggest men.

             

If, as the administration, you oversee one change in captaincy, you can be forgiven. Two looks careless. Beyond that - and Ijaz Butt's men have now overseen four in less than 18 months - and clearly no one has the slightest clue

       

And over four days in the field, he didn't look that bad as captain. He attacked, handled his bowlers mostly well, got his fields mostly right, and oversaw Pakistan's safest fielding performance in years. He is not the first Pakistan captain to lose a Test to Australia.

He batted irresponsibly? Much better batting captains of Pakistan have done worse, most recently Mohammad Yousuf in the Sydney run-chase. Afridi's batting, of course, was a problem and its true effectiveness in this format lay long ago, in the type of innings Bob Woolmer squeezed out of him: the madcap opening bursts in Bangalore and Kolkata in 2004-05, which were potential game-breakers. And even those were controlled circumstances, where the surfaces weren't spicy, and he batted with the luxury of knowing Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan could clean up most messes behind him.

But Afridi was honest about it, even if the affair retained the calculated charm of the brand Afridi: "Me? I only know how to hit sixes and I can't do that for five days." He knew he was a weak link in the side and he moved on. Wanting to ensure that his limited-overs leadership is not sullied by five-day misery will also have been a less than selfless calculation. He could have handled it far better: resigning and retiring minutes after one Test defeat smacks of panicked, chaotic defeatism. But typically, in the contrary ways Pakistan cricket works, his absence should strengthen the side.

Now, Salman Butt. His name has come up before in this kind of talk, which doesn't say much in Pakistan other than that he has been around long enough (seven years nearly) and been dropped often enough (seven times in 28 Tests). The immediate fear is that he is being burdened just when he is finally becoming the opening batsman that Pakistan have needed more than anything. Another is of the momentary lapses in concentration, evident in soft dismissals when set, or poor catching or bad running. He is also his country's fifth youngest captain and young captains have never had it good in Pakistan, though that he has mostly young men around him might help.

But there are good things. To make eight comebacks and not be broken suggests some resilience. It is also something that he does best against the two toughest opponents a Pakistani batsman can come across: Australia and India. Above all has been his reconfiguration for the Twenty20 format, among the most significant acts of self-improvement by any Pakistani batsman since Yousuf's 2006 transformation.

And on the field, he has materials and men to work with. Off it he has nothing.

Afridi aims for World Cup glory

       Shahid Afridi called the shots in the field for Pakistan, including a fine catch at mid-on, Australia v Pakistan, 1st Twenty20, Edgbaston, July 5, 2010
Shahid Afridi wants to concentrate on repeating Pakistan's 1992 heroics © Getty Images
Related Links
News : Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour
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Players/Officials: Salman Butt | Shahid Afridi
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of England
Teams: Pakistan

Shahid Afridi has set his sights on captaining Pakistan to World Cup glory in 2011 having quit Test cricket after leading his team to a 150-run defeat against Australia at Lord's.

Salman Butt replaced Afridi as Test captain and will lead the side in Pakistan's next Test against Australia at Headingley and their four Tests against England. Afridi will return to captain the side in September for the two Twenty20 and five ODI games against England.

Afridi said he wanted to use the series as a springboard for success in the 50-over World Cup in Asia next February and March. "I took a decision which I felt was right and now all my concentration is on the limited-overs series against England, which will be our first step towards winning next year's World Cup," he said. "England have been doing very well in both ODIs and T20s, so if we could beat them it would be good for the progress of the team.

"I have won the World Twenty20, beaten England and India in Tests at home and have achieved some other milestones as well, but before I leave the game I want to win the World Cup."

Now free of Test commitments, Afridi may join Hampshire if they qualify for the quarter-finals stage of the Friends Provident t20 tournament in England. "I had to abandon the contract with Hampshire because I was here for the Test series, but now they want me to play the last three matches of the Twenty20, provided they qualify."

Afridi was originally named captain in the wake of Pakistan's winless tour of Australia last year, which resulted in bans, which were subsequently overturned, for a number of high-profile players including former captains Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik.

The team was beset with dressing-room fractions then, and there was speculation that the same thing had prompted Afridi's retirement this time round, but he rubbished the claims.

"This team was unified and there were no problems, nothing. I took the decision in the best interest of the team and hope a youngster with a Test temperament takes my position. I also feel that there are other players who are not fit for the longer version of the game and my advice to them is to concentrate on the shorter forms."

Fast bowlers at risk - Imran Khan

       Imran Khan speaks on how best to deal with the growing insurgency in Pakistan, Washington DC, June 18, 2009
Imran Khan fears for the future of fast bowlers given how crowded the international calendar has become © AFP
Related Links
News : Shahid Afridi to retire from Tests
Players/Officials: Imran Khan | Shahid Afridi | Shaun Tait
Teams: Pakistan

Pakistan great Imran Khan has said he's concerned the sheer volume of international cricket is putting unprecedented stress on fast bowlers, and suggested doing away with one-day cricket to ensure quick bowlers don't go "the way of the dinosaurs."

"Maybe we should eliminate 50-over cricket and just have Twenty20 cricket and Test cricket," Imran said while giving the annual Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's on Monday."The stress on fast bowlers is incredible. But cricket without fast bowling is never going to be the same standard if a batsman doesn't test himself against fast bowling.

"I saw Shaun Tait bowl in the Twenty20s and I thought an alien had come in -- you suddenly saw batsmen hopping about."

Tait is one of the world's few bowlers with extreme pace but he has not played Test cricket since 2007, and retired from the first-class game in 2008 to prolong his career. He has repeatedly said the the rigours of the longer format are too much for his body and that he can only play limited-overs cricket.

The 57-year-old Imran watched Pakistan lose to Australia by 150 runs in the first of their two-Test series, and said Shahid Afridi is the perfect example of a talented cricketer who can thrive in Twenty20 cricket, but struggles in Test cricket.

"The only test of a cricketer is the Test match because his talent and technique is tested. In Twenty20, if you are very talented you can get away with it, but a good Twenty20 cricketer will not necessarily excel in Test cricket."

Following the loss to Australia, Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from Test cricket after a solitary game as Pakistan captain.

Imran, who led Pakistan during their high-intensity battles with the mighty West Indies sides in the 1980s, also said the standard of Test cricket has dropped over the years. "I don't believe Test cricket is the same standard as before," he said. However, he thinks the level of officiating has improved immensely since he played, and that technology will only help it get better. Imran was among those who championed the introduction of neutral umpires.

"The spirit of the game suffered while I was playing. There was a lot of acrimony in the games and when India played against Pakistan. It deteriorated to depths you cannot imagine. Neutral umpires have changed everything, technology has eliminated so many of the controversies and results are much fairer now. I think it should improve further with the use of technology."

I can play under any captain' - Mohammad Yousuf

       Mohammad Yousuf arrives for his meeting with the inquiry committee set up to look into the reasons behind the disastrous tour of Australia, Lahore, February 13, 2010
Mohammad Yousuf: "If PCB invites me with respect I will definitely go and join the team" © Associated Press
Related Links
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Players/Officials: Mohammad Yousuf
Teams: Pakistan

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf is ready to come out of retirement sooner rather than later, further broadening the possibility of an appearance at some point for Pakistan in the summer.

Yousuf, who announced his sudden retirement after a win-less tour of Australia, had said recently he was targeting the tour of UAE later this year to make a return, but the team's struggles in the first Test against Australia at Lord's may have prompted him to change his mind.

"I am available any time for my national team," Yousuf said in Karachi. "If the team doesn't need me I stand retired. But if I'm needed, I am ready and available to serve my country. If PCB invites me with respect I will definitely go and join the team."

Ijaz Ahmed, Pakistan's assistant coach, hinted at Yousuf's possible return. "He can replace Afridi but the management haven't decided yet who will come. It could come out in a couple of days. Maybe later, somebody will come but not at the moment.

Pakistan made scores of 148 and 289 with only one batsman, Salman Butt, managing to pass fifty. They lost 11 of their wickets to Shane Watson and the part-time spinner Marcus North.

Though their bowlers competed well, the batsmen fell short mainly due to the lack of experience in the middle order, which was missing the pedigree of Yousuf and Younis Khan for differing reasons.

In the immediate aftermath of the Lord's loss speculation centred on the PCB sending out an SOS to Yousuf, but Ijaz Butt denied that was the case. The matter of Yousuf and Younis's return was considered at a meeting the chairman held with team management to appoint a new captain, but was deferred until after the second Test against Australia, officials insisting they were happy with the performances of debutantes Azhar Ali and Umar Amin.

"These are the only two players we are talking about, Younus Khan and Yousuf," Ijaz Ahmed added. "Let's see, it might be decided about Yousuf. Yousuf might be coming here."

Salman, 25, was appointed captain after Shahid Afridi announced another unexpected retirement from Tests. Afridi was named captain for the entire tour of England but quit after the Lord's defeat saying he wasn't enjoying Test cricket after all.

"He was the vice-captain as well. I hope he can manage this," Ijaz Ahmed said of Salman's promotion. "We have done a lot of talking to him and he has played really well and is shaping up well. I think he is getting mature and now he has got the responsibility as well. I think he will come good for that."

Yousuf has had problems in the past with Shoaib Malik when he was captain but said he was willing to play under Salman. "It's a PCB decision (appointing Salman) and everybody should respect it," Yousuf said. "I can play under any captain and have never felt degraded playing under anyone."

Yousuf added that he was in touch with the PCB chairman, who was kept aware of his plans to return.

Yousuf was the captain during Pakistan's shambolic tour of Australia, where the team came under fire for their performances. The PCB responded by penalising seven players it believed were responsible for the defeats, Yousuf among them. He and Younis were banned indefinitely, and as a mark of protest, Yousuf announced he was quitting the game "for now."

He was the only one among the seven punished players not to appeal against the sanctions, despite the PCB leaving the door open for him to return. However, since Yousuf didn't respond to those messages from the board the national selectors could not consider him for the tour of England.

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