Pakistan’s decision to defer the announcement of the World Cup captain receives mixed reactions
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sprung into further controversy after deciding to defer the announcement of the captain to lead the team in the 2011 World Cup. Pakistan has already named the 15-man squad which will represent
the team in the World Cup.
The battle of taking the leadership is between two players, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972. Afridi is the current captain in the limited over version of the game while Misbah is the skipper of Pakistan’s Test team. The men in
green have performed well under Misbah’s leadership as they have gone unbeaten in their last 4 Test matches. The middle-order batsman has recently led his side to a 1-0 Test series win against New Zealand in the Kiwis’ own backyard. This was Pakistan’s first
ever Test series win since 2006 and the first outside the subcontinent since the 2003-2004 season.
Afridi, on the other hand, has failed to inspire his team in both the T20 and One-Day Internationals (ODI). Under his captaincy, Pakistan has lost 6 of their last 7 T20 matches. In ODIs, the team failed to win its last two series
against England and South Africa. Both series were stranded at 2-2 before Pakistan lost in the 5th and final match first in the England series and then to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757. Now, a humiliating defeat in the first match of the ongoing 6-match ODI series
against New Zealand will intensify the burden on Afridi’s shoulders.
Despite Afridi’s poor record as captain, many believe that a change in captaincy before the World Cup will only trigger chaos in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 dressing room. It is also argued that if the PCB wishes to axe Afridi as the captain,
he should not have been appointed as the leader in the ODI series against New Zealand. This series will be Pakistan’s final international assignment before the World Cup.
Former Test captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754? I simply failed to understand. What's the
logic behind not naming the World Cup captain? Where is the PCB planning?”
However, not everyone is of the same view. Ex players http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sarfraz-c88817 Nawaz and Abdul Qadir have praised the Board’s decision stating that Afridi has failed to lead from the front. Nawaz said, “Afridi plays for the gallery and doesn't
play for the team. He always falls to a false shot and I don't think his bowling has enough venom now. I wouldn't be surprised if he is left out from the playing 11 at the World Cup. He has to perform against New Zealand."
Qadir has praised Misbah’s performance in the recent Test matches and advised that the player should be awarded the captaincy for the World Cup.
After taking over the captaincy, Misbah has scored 442 runs in four Test matches. He has also managed a score of above 50 in his previous 6 Test innings. Afridi, on the other hand, has failed to deliver with the bat but has been
able to perform ably with the ball.
Misbah is set to play in his first-ever ODI World Cup while Afridi is a veteran of three tournaments. Misbah has been appointed as Afridi’s deputy for the ODI series against New Zealand. A series win will ensure that Afridi leads
the men in green in the prized tournament. However, failure to perform well against the Kiwis will raise uncertainty over the all-rounder’s captaincy.
Tags: