The true Captains of the ICC World Cup 2011 - Part 1
The ICC World Cup 2011 reached its climax on 2 April, with host nations India lifting the trophy for the second time in their history. The game of cricket is a team game, there is no doubting that fact, as every player has to put in a performance
one way or another for the team to perform at a high and consistent level. The role of captain though is crucial, much more so than in other sports.
The captain leads the team through his actions, his performance, form and his leadership abilities. Not only that, but he must be tactically astute and be able to adapt to the constantly changing direction that every matches takes. Yet most importantly they
must keep their cool and remain composed when others would crumble.
Every captain has these qualities with different measure, but very few have that combination that can make the difference. The few that do can take a team’s capabilities to new heights.
The World Cup had 14 of the world’s best cricketing sides, each led by their respective captains, pitting their skills against each other. By the end of the tournament it was clear which captains bred confidence in their side and took them to an entire new
level and which looked uncomfortable with the responsibility.
It was fitting then that the semi-finals had three of the tournaments, if not the world’s best on-field leaders. The reason only three captains have been referred to, is because New Zealand’s Captain Daniel Vettori was injured for most of the tournament
and Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 was more of a stand-in captain.
Shahid Afridi of Pakistan, Kumar Sangakkara of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 were the definition of what a captain of a side should be.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482
The one thing the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 team always lacked was a sense of unity. It had been more or less a case of a few senior figures leading the line and others following, as the side was split into what can only be termed as factions.
Shahid Afridi changed all that and in one his finest personal achievements, unified a team that had long forgotten the meaning of the word. Called ‘Shahid bhai’ by his team mates, bhai being the Urdu equivalent of brother, the title has a balance of respect
as well as approachability.
One could often see Afridi approaching his bowler after every delivery discussing, among other things, the field placement, giving the player a pat on the back or a pep talk depending on the way things were going.
Some criticise the Pakistan captain for this, claiming that it undermines the bowler’s ability to cope with the situation himself, while others have no issue with his constant encouragement.
The fact remains that Afridi has earned the respect of his players and it shows on the pitch translating into some impressive performances in the tournament.
Being a leader and uniting a team is one thing, but one still has to perform on the pitch to make a significant impact and earn the right to be kept in the playing 11. Afridi exemplified the term, leading from the front.
With an impressive tally of 21 wickets in the tournament, Afridi shares the top spot in terms of wickets taken in the tournament with India’s devastating pace bowler http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zaheer-Khan-c98451.
[Continued in ‘The true Captains of the ICC World Cup 2011 – Part 2’]
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