Can Pakistan team afford a change in leadership?
KARACHI: At a time when all other title contenders are giving final shape to their preparations for World Cup 2011, Pakistan cricket is teeming with conspiracy theories.
It took weeks for the country’s cricket chiefs to underline their 30-man preliminary squad for the quadrennial spectacle which begins on February 19 and now speculations are rife that they are mulling over the option of bringing in a new man to lead their World Cup campaign.
Shahid Afridi, the seasoned all-rounder who has served as Pakistan’s captain in limited-overs matches in recent times, is supposed to be at the helm of his team’s World Cup campaign but the possibility of a last-minute surprise cannot be ruled out.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has nobody else but itself to blame for this uncertainty.
When the Board announced Pakistan’s World Cup probables earlier this week it decided against naming the captain, prompting conspiracy theorists to claim that a change is in the offing.
Afridi’s supporters believe that a particular lobby based in Lahore is already pushing for his sacking as captain and wants him to be replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test captain.
Some former Pakistan Test cricketers believe Afridi’s personal performance is below-par and have also questioned his leadership skills.
All of this is happening at a time when World Cup 2011 is just about six weeks away and Pakistan are already dogged by a series of problems including a spot-fixing scandal involving some of the country’s leading cricketers.
Afridi, 30, however is not concerned. The flamboyant allrounder said that he is keeping his eyes on the ball and wants to give his best in the World Cup as his team’s senior players and captain, if the PCB decides to retain him for the all-important assignment.
“It’s my greatest desire to play a major role in our World Cup campaign,” he told ‘The News’ on Thursday. “As a senior player it’s my responsibility to lead from the front. As captain, if I’m leading Pakistan, it will be my duty to get the best out of my players,” he stressed.
Afridi wants to improve his personal performance.
“To get the best out of your teammates, you have to give your best first,” he said.
Afridi may not have ended 2010 with great stats, but he still finished the year as Pakistan’s highest run-getter in One-day Internationals as well as their joint highest wicket-taker with paceman Shoaib Akhtar. He scored 601 runs at 33.38 and picked up 19 wickets from 18 ODI appearances in 2010.
But his critics believe Afridi has been unable to impress much in recent times both as a senior player and team captain.
There are indications that even some senior PCB officials are double-minded over Afridi’s role.
Initially when Afridi was installed as Pakistan’s captain he was given the luxury to almost handpick his team. But in recent times, he has lost much of his say.
Earlier this week, national selectors almost snubbed Afridi by overlooking Fawad Alam while deciding Pakistan’s preliminary World Cup squad.
Afridi rates Fawad as a very useful ODI player and wanted him in Pakistan’s World Cup squad. But under pressure from various quarters, national selectors ignored the youngster in spite of the fact that his ODI performance has not been that bad. In 2010, Fawad scored 393 runs from 13 ODI Games at 35.7, which makes him one of his country’s top performers during what was quite a disappointing year for Pakistan.
The fact that Fawad is counted among Pakistan’s best fielders is another reason why Afridi believed that he should have been in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.
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