The confusion should end here
The victory at Wellington came after 12 test matches. That seems like eternity. Why it took so long? Why we couldn’t win consistently? The last three years have been very frustrating and confusing for Pakistan cricket fans, many reasons have been given for inconsistency of the team i.e the quality of leadership, selection problems, lack of mental toughness, lack of proper technique, poor selection, gross mismanagement by PCB, match fixing and under performance .
Lack of leadership has been attributed as the biggest cause of Pakistan teams inconsistency.
So much has been said about this subject that nothing made any sense anymore. After every defeat or unfavorable result the captain, team management, and the PCB hierarchy came under scathing attack from different sections in the media, since 2007 two captains lost their job, several selection committees were formed and disbanded, the team management also under went through frequent changes the higher board officials had to appear before senate committee for sports to give reasons for the losses.
The batting line up especially the top order kept on changing on popular demand.
Now some of the criticism was valid and at times made sense but most of it was just based on superficial assumptions and had nothing to do with on field realities. Malik was accused of being a dummy captain, a meek leader with a lazy demeanor on the field he was also accused of not deserving a place in the team and not commanding the respect of the seniors, and above all he was supporting players from Sialkot region.
Malik lost the job despite having a good record as a captain, he lost the test series against India and South Africa because Pakistan never had the bowling to win against these two test heavy weights, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami were way past their prime, and most of the bench strength was lost to ICL.
Younis Khan was appointed captain as Malik’s replacement, he had all the superficial personality traits which critics desired in a Pak captain, energetic, talkative, experienced, senior enough to command respect, had a strong personality to stand up against the management and selectors and because of his stature as a senior batsman deserved an automatic selection in the team.
But unfortunately despite having all those traits Younis Khan’s record as a captain was far worse than Malik, he probably read too much into those critical analyses written by different pundits and tried to become somebody which he was not, YK always had a demeanor of a happy go lucky person, but after taking over captaincy he tried to become a dictator always wanting more powers was very harsh with players as a result he lost the command of the team due to a player’s revolt.
Things could still have worked under Younis if he had not forgotten the most important aspect of being a leader, that a leader has to lead by example, YK paid little attention to his personal form and fitness and as a result could not keep his place in the team, if he had maintained his form he could have won a couple of series which Pakistan lost due to poor batting.
When Mohammad Yousaf was appointed captain of Pakistan team all hell broke lose everybody tried to take a dig at him, doubts were raised about his communication skills, like Malik he was also branded as a meek personality with a lazy demeanor.
We live in a modern world where religious tolerance is propagated but people who boost secularism couldn’t tolerate his beard and made fun of it all the time. But all those superficial assumptions about Yousaf’s personality had little effect on his leadership on the field, he led from the front and made his decisions like any good captain would have made, the only weak point was his fielding but he tried hard.
The bottom line is that a captain is only as good as his team, Mohammad Yousaf benefitted from the return of Asif, he led the team from the front and after losing the first match by a narrow margin came back and leveled the series.
Pakistan usually wins because of their bowling, the return of Asif has made our bowling once again strong enough to win us matches, the slight boost in the bowling has been cancelled by a major dip in form of all the leading batsman as a result we Pakistan team will continue to struggle against top test teams like India, South Africa and Australia. A part of the problem stems from the fact that we have played only 12 tests in last three years the team especially the batsmen lack exposure and experience in this format the more cricket we will play the better we will get.
Pakistan teams performance under Younis and Yousaf has clearly established that a captain’s personality and those much desired superficial traits have little bearing on the on field results all a captain has to do is to lead from the front, take care of the business on field and perform as a player the rest is all psychological bullshit.
Nothing succeeds like success, I think we need to tell all those psychological bullshitters to fuck off and just focus on building a good combination. From my perspective the captaincy debate has finished.
Wasim,
I agree, lets leave it with Yousuf. If I were Younis Khan I would just come back quietly and just as a player. Even he should now realise that he was not good enough and that the damage that has been done in terms of him as captain, cannot be repaired. The good thing for him is Malik, Fawad and Misbah havent exactly taken the opportunity to cement their places. If he plays even reasonably well, he’ll take a spot.
Only if Younis was as sensible as you:)
No my point was not to criticize Younis, I was only trying to highlight the confusion which was being spread systematically by a few cricinfo journalists regarding the captaincy issue and how they helped form nation wide opinion, but all of their assumptions have proven to be wrong.
Wasim,
Yes I agree. The journos you speak of got it remarkably wrong. I think it was only Kamran Abassi who admitted it, the rest just quickly moved on. And there is one journalist, I wont mention his name, who just writes what he thinks will be popular rather what is the truth. Just to get pats on the back and pander to popular opinion.
Stani
I know which one you are talking about. Even Kamran has been very harsh on Yousaf, and if you have noticed he hasn’t updated his latest blog because most of the comments would have been very sarcastic for him.
I don’t know if you have read the latest article written by Rashid Latif about team culture in Daily Dawn, he is trying to create a jingoistic divide in the team with this article and trying to divide the fan base otherwise at this time there was no need to write such an article.
I would also like to go with following:
1 - Give Yousuf a run in Australian tour too.
2 - Give a little long run to a capable opening pair i.e Salman Butt and Imran Farhat/Anyone else.
3 - Get someone with good batting technique and mind like Umar Akmal and kick Malik out.
4 - We seriously need a good test all-rounder / better a batting all-rounder to help batting line up as well as to bowling line up occasionally when needed.
Cheers
@Reverse Swing
For the Aussie series Pakistan should look no further than Razzaq and Afridi, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Malik and Khurram will have to sit out.
Khalid Latif, Shahid Afridi, Azhar Ali, and Razzaq should get in.
Aamer and Gul had a scuffle
The following report was first published by in Express news an Indian channel, later on published in Jang and reported by Geo. The team manager has completely denied any such incident.
Karachi: Controversy seems to have struck Pakistan cricket
again following sensational reports that pacers Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer got engaged in a scuffle after the second Test against New Zealand ended in
Wellington Sunday.
According to TV reports, the Pakistan team management found both Gul and Aamer guilty of breaching the code of conduct and opted to slap heavy fines on the two players.
However, team manager Abdul Raqib told Geo Super from Wellington Monday that the reports were untrue saying the atmosphere in his dressing room was completely cordial.
Earlier, reports claimed that Gul and Aamer had a fight soon after Pakistan beat New Zealand by 141 runs in second Test to square the series. The reports, however, did not give details of the scuffle. It was claimed in the reports that both the players were fined Rs.200,000 each by the team
management.
The reports have added fuel to speculations that there are rifts within the Pakistan team. Before the tour of New Zealand, Pakistan regular captain Younis Khan pulled out of the series against New Zealand saying that he had lost the support of his own players. Currently, senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf is leading Pakistan against the Kiwis.
Pakistan lost the first Test in Dunedin but bounced back with a series-equalling win in Wellington where pacer Mohammad Asif and Danish Kaneria were the heroes for the tourists.
why the hell every controversy related to Pakistan team is originated/reported by Indian media, why they are so interested in every damn thing about Pakistan? is there any kind of complex? this is the time for them to celebrate big i guess.
This report might be true but yet question remains same.
Shahid Afridi doesn’t care about test cricket and I don’t expect any special performance from him in test. Razzaq has yet to prove his worth both as batsman and bowler in tests.
Yes any new young good, technically solid batsman will serve us good in future not may be right now. But selection should be not on first class record as pitches are total lame in QEA trophy and anyone could put runs.
Assuming Younus is unavailable for the series, my squads (15 man) for each format would be:
Test:
1. S. Butt
2. F. Alam
3. S. Malik
4. M. Yousuf (capt)
5. Misbah Ul-Haq
6. U. Akmal
7. K. Akmal (wkt)
8. M. Aamer
9. U. Gul
10. D. Kaneria
11. M. Asif
K Manzoor (23 so he has time to learn and also proven player in FC)
H. Raza (27 - very experienced player which is useful, definitely proven in FC, in-form)
A. Rauf
S. Ajmal
ODI:
1. I. Nazir
2. K. Akmal (wkt)
3. U. Akmal
4. S. Malik
5. M. Yousuf
6. S. Afridi (cpt)
7. A. Razzaq
8. M. Aamer
9. U. Gul
10. S. Ajmal
11. M. Asif
F. Alam
Misbah Ul-Haq
R. Naved Ul-Hasan
Y. Arafat
T20:
1. I. Nazir
2. K. Akmal (wkt)
3. U. Akmal
4. S. Malik
5. Misbah Ul-Haq
6. S. Afridi (cpt)
7. A. Razzaq
8. M. Aamer
9. U. Gul
10. S. Ajmal
11. M. Asif
N. Jamshed - 20, good prospect for future
F. Alam
R. Naved Ul-Hasan
Y. Arafat
These are the teams I would pick. What I emphasise is consistency in selection and also giving younger players some exposure. One of the reasons why the batting is struggling is because the selection over the past few years has been inconsistent and so there are not many experienced batters. The selectors must learn to pick consistently. I think I’ve only picked 21 players across the three formats.
Reverse
If we won’t keep our house in order the enemies will take advantage, their media is always looking to highlight negative stuff about Pakistan, that is their nature you can’t change it and you can’t expect anything better from enemies.
Reverse
First of all we should remember that the series against Australia will take place in England and not in Australia. Razzaq can prove to be handful in English conditions. I think he should be played as a batting all rounder in place of Malik. My first choice would be Afridi if he is available.
As regards any other youngster, I think our domestic cricket does not highlight the true potential of a player, Khurram Manzoor and Fawad Alam were the highest scorers in QEA trophy before they came to this tour but we all saw the technical deficiencies in their batting.
Naved Yasin of Multan is currently the highest scorer in QEA trophy he has scored 5 centuries and one fifty in 8 matches. Asad Shafiq of Khi blues is #2 with 835 runs with four centuries and 2 fifties from eight matches.
It’s highly unlikely that the selectors will send any youngster in place of Malik, they will send somebody with a bit of experience probably somebody from the A team.
AHBD
Malik doesn’t deserve another chance. I would prefer Khalid Latif over Fawad Alam in tests. Misbah definitely a head of Malik in Odi’s.
Wasim,
I felt Malik had to be in the team because of the lack of experience. Perhaps Misbah ahead of Malik in ODI’s - this is one I’m not sure on yet and should be decided nearer the time after their form from the test matches is clear. I selected Fawad Alam over Khalid Latif because I feel Fawad has more of a proven record than Latif - especially in FC cricket.
Although both are the same age, I think that Fawad will probably be more key to Pakistan’s future rather than Latif because:
1. After the next 2-3 years, it is a possibility that Yousuf, Misbah and perhaps Younus may no longer be around and it is important we keep in mind who will fill in the middle order slots (my thinking is Fawad, Umar Akmal, Malik). I think that this is something Fawad could do better because he appears to be more reliable and steady which is what a middle order needs.
2. Fawad also has more of an all round game with some useful bowling and good fielding
Having said this, I definitely wouldn’t write Latif off, but I think he would be more of a candidate for ODI’s at this stage. I just think that we must stick with Fawad - it comes back to the point I made earlier - we need consistency in selection to build up experience. He’s only played 3 test matches and I don’t think its fair on him.
It appears the selectors may not give Yousuf the full freedom to select who he wants and apparently the squads as a whole will be the same for Australia since the team fly directly there after NZ. What did you think of my other selections?
Ahbd
The technique of Fawad and Manzoor was widely criticized by all the commentators in this series, no doubt they were the top scorers in domestic cricket but to survive at test level you need proper technique they need to go back to the academy with a goal to improve their technique. There career has just started it’s not over for them.
Malik although is experienced but is completely useless I wouldn’t waste another series on him just because we don’t have any more experienced players, give chance to somebody who has good technique.
well congrats some of the confusion has ended as Younis Khan is not in the squad for Australian tour. So at least remaining team specially captain Yousuf could now concentrate on cricket for a while.
Thanks selection PCB.
Reverse
No need to congratulate me or PCB, the only person you need to congratulate is Younis Khan who’s ego has won. Everybody wanted him to return to domestic cricket and make himself available for the Aussie series but he chose not to do it nobody else should be blamed except for Younis himself.
Ahbd
With the exception of Hassan Raza you got your test team:)
ah well i was congratulating because we will be able to see some cricket with out distraction for a while from Pakistani team as He is only a distraction in Pakistani camp as far as he didn’t get his form back. And right he is responsible for this exit as if he had shown a little interest or played at least one QEA match he was surely going to be selected. I am willing to give a run to Pakistani team without these culprits with no future and I wish they kick out Malik from next couple of test matches.
Reverse
I agree completely, Malik should have been dropped after champions trophy but the selectors are blind,
some people say Rahman Malik is Malik’s uncle but it is an unsubstantiated rumour, I think Yousaf played a key role in keeping Malik’s career alive, now why we always persist with a visible handicap while selecting the team it’s beyond my comprehension, Faisal Iqbal, Malik and Khurram they are all mediocre players who can play one good innings after 20. innings. We wasted three important slots.
Malik, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat etc are all product of favorism, so what else you can expect from them?