Imran Khan wants Shahid Afridi to continue
In order to overcome the devastating effect of abrupt changes in the batting line, Imran Khan is of the view that Pakistani skipper Shahid Afraid should be given some time. Since 1992, Pakistan has had more than two dozen captains. On the contrary, ODI Champions Australia has had only three captains since then. Probably this is the main reason behind the difference between both the teams although both have talented players of high quality.
According to former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, the appointment of Shahid Afridi as the captain was a logical decision as he is already leading the side in the shorter version of the game. He added that problems would have further aggravated if the PCB had made more than one captains. As a result, Imran believed that Afridi was the best available player for the captaincy role.
Every captain needs time to develop himself into a good leader and so does Afridi. He has done quite well as a captain in the T20 format. Therefore, before judging his captaincy in the one-dayers and test matches, he should be given some time to settle down. The all-rounder from Khyber is a brave man with a tendency to handle pressure matches with dignity.
Unless Afridi is given a chance to become a Test player and captain, no one can predict about him. He is likely to play well with a sense of responsibility in the Test matches. The sacking of Muhammad Yousuf along with the resignation of Younis Khan from his captaincy is the cause of the current captaincy crisis in the Pakistan cricket team. Consequently, Shahid Afridi was appointed as a captain for the T20 World Cup. The PCB earlier this week has announced his name once again as a captain for the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka as well as for the England tour.
According to Imran Khan, the selection of one captain for all the three formats of cricket is more appropriate and a captain who can perform well in one format is surely capable of performing equally well in the remaining two.
With Afridi’s appointment as a captain, the PCB dismissed weeks of uncertainty. He has accepted t the challenge once again. However, Afridi’s captaincy in the T20 World Cup has been a subject of criticism by many current and former players as Pakistan missed the chance to enter the final of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
According to many former players, poor field tactics in the last few over’s of the match helped the Aussies to chase such a huge total. It left millions of Pakistani fans all over the world totally stunned and disappointed. Pakistan after setting a total of 191 runs seemed to be cruising towards their victory when the Aussies scored 34 runs in the last two over’s of the match. Muhammad Aamir, the left-arm bowler from Rawalpindi went for 16 in the second last over of the match whereas, Micheal Hussey scored three sixes and a four in the final over of the match by Saeed Ajmal.
All-rounder Sohail Tanvir also criticised Afridi’s decision of giving the bowl to Saeed Ajmal for the final over of the big match. He said, “Saeed Ajmal is not capable of handling pressure situations and struggles especially against the left handed batsmen. It was not an intelligent thinking from the skipper’s point of view as both the Aussies batsmen at the crease were lefthanders.”
Afridi has been announced as Pakistan’s third test captain in 15 months as the PCB suspended Muhammad Yousaf and Younis Khan due to alleged quarrels. Afridi has not played a Test match since 2006. His last match was at Manchester against the English team. So he would be surely looking to make some contributions after such a long gap.
Pakistan cricket is going through the toughest of times in its cricketing history. It needs the support of senior players to play as a unit while keeping aside their personal conflicts for the sake of their country.
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