Should http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 continue leading Pakistan or the team needs a young skipper?
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 on Thursday, September 8, 2011.
Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is looking forward to induct young players into the side, it is the old guns which are firing at the moment.
The Men in Green won yesterday’s game through sheer brilliance of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Younis-Khan-c98325, who won the player of the match award for his brilliant batting display. The veteran scored 78 runs for his side, facing just 72 balls. His knock included nine sweetly timed boundaries.
Apart from Younis, the second highest scorer of the innings was skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who collected 54 runs off 64 deliveries with the help of three fours and one massive six.
Both experienced players and aged 33 and 37 respectively and are the fittest members of the Pakistani team. Their performances clearly show that age is not a factor once players are doing well and training hard for their fitness.
Surprisingly, Pakistan’s most successful bowler on the tour has been debutant http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aizaz-Cheema-c961. He took eight wickets in the lone Test match played between the two countries and finished with three wickets in the first ODI.
Although this was the first ever international appearance for Cheema, he is not a youngster, being 32 years of age. This indicates that to be successful at the highest level, the players need to be mature and mentally strong.
However, the PCB is still worried about injecting young blood into the team and look for a younger captain than Misbah.
It is not harmful for a side to have young players in the team, but a balance should always be maintained. Experience cannot be replaced by any other thing and the cricket authorities in Pakistan should allow Misbah to at-least lead the side until the 2012
Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758.
The solid middle-order player missed most of his youth days waiting for an opportunity to make it to the national squad. However, the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Yousuf-c77465 and Younis made it difficult for anyone to replace them.
Misbah finally got his chance to make an impression in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2009. He was criticised on being picked instead of Yousuf, who was not considered to be an ideal player for the shortest version of the game.
Misbah’s replied to all the critics in a spectacular way, guiding the Men in Green to the final of the tournament against arch rivals http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. He was the lone man standing in the way of the opposition and brought his side inches closer to victory.
However, luck did not favour the middle-order player, as he got out in the closing moments of the game.
The World Cup performance of Misbah remained in the hearts of everyone and he became an integral part of the team. He did have some mixed time after that, but was made captain of the Test team after the spot-fixing controversy stunned the world.
The 37-year-old led the team to some very good victories in the longest version of the game and is now skipper of the side in all three formats.
He has won all four ODIs as captain and should not be forced to quit from any form of cricket until he keeps performing and remains fit.
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