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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by icyman -
The recent decision from the PCB has come as a warm surprise to many of us. Yes, I am talking about Misbah-ul-Haq?s elevation to the post of Pakistan captain. In the last few months, we have lost count of the number of people that have captained Pakistan. Truth be told, he was the last person whom the PCB could rely upon to lead the side in the face of the recent controversies.
Misbah entered the side at the age of 27, a number considered by many to be on the latter side of the bell curve and certainly not a great one to make your debut at. He thrilled quite a few with some good stroke-play in his debut series and ultimately won himself a place on the Test team. With a few abysmal innings against the best bowling in the world, Misbah was duly dumped from the side. Though the 2003 World Cup campaign gave him another shot at glory. However, with the frequent politics that plague the sub-continental cricket boards, Misbah never got his due.
Yet another abysmal World Cup in 2007 really opened up the doors for his re-entry. This time round, he was determined to make his mark and almost carried Pakistan single-handedly to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup. His rise that followed was nothing short of meteoric. Within months, he amassed huge scores against arch rivals India and was elevated to vice-captain under Shoaib Malik. His captaincy skills were proven when he led Pakistan to victory against India in an Asia Cup match.
What followed thereafter was a series of selections and droppings which went on till the day Pakistan announced its squad to take on South Africa. Only a little surprise here: Misbah was back with the tag of the Test captain!
This has surprised many a great Pakistani cricketers and also few fans. The question to be asked: Does he actually deserve the post ? Or has he been thrust the responsibility as no one else was available to do so?
Formation of Human Partnerships is the key for Misbah
The answer is both. Mohsin Khan, Pakistan?s Chief Selector mentioned that Younis was their first choice, however, due to his non-availability, Misbah was duly selected. Is it really worth it putting all faith in a 36 year old captain? Misbah, if you remember, has always ?been the quiet ,reticent, reserved cricketer, who hasn?t really gotten embroiled in any wrong-doing as such ? be it, ball-biting, abusing fellow players or drugs or the like. He has demonstrated adequate number of times via his batting that he can be icy- cool in crisis like situations and has managed to pull Pakistan out of trouble many a time. Qualities like these are appreciated by all players and also by your opposition. Here?s a man whom the followers can look up to.
The immediate challenge that he faces is quite similar to the one faced by Shaun Pollock and Saurav Ganguly, after they had taken over from the tainted Cronje and Azharuddin. The ghosts of match-fixing need to be tightly shut up in the closet. What Misbah needs to do is to build up the team, motivate the players to do well, make them forget the past and move on. Though these things sound too heavy, given that the PCB has put him in charge of only 2 Test matches against South Africa. In the short term though, his goal would be to ensure good performance from Pakistan. A win to his credit would help him go a long way in establishing himself as a long term captain.
You might wonder whether I am advocating the use of Misbah as a potential long term captain for Pakistan. My answer in this case is YES. As a senior member, he is in a better position to groom the side and get them into the winnings ways. His nature, as described above, is perfect for a person who can take control of things which are in a bad shape and get them into the desired from. In short, he can be seen as the catalyst that could be responsible for a better future for Pakistan cricket. Giving Misbah a full time charge would also mean that Pakistan has enough time to groom a new Test skipper. Given that Shahid Afridi will not lead Pakistan in Test matches and that there is no alternative available right away, Misbah-the mentor can be counted upon to deliver a skipper who can lead Pakistan in the future.
To do so, Misbah needs to draw inspiration from Anil Kumble who was named India?s Test skipper after an eternity. But look at how Kumble rallied the team and instilled a belief amongst them during the Australia tour of 2008. Critics may argue that India was not in as bad a shape as Pakistan. In fact India?s woes at that time were to select a captain from a crop of well-seasoned players like Tendulkar, Laxman and the likes. Even at the age of 38 ,Anil Kumble has proven to be an exceptional leader for India as well for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Appointment of Misbah as a Test? captain is a good decision provided that he gets adequate time to nurture his plans and execute them with precision. So far, Pakistan captains have only had the responsibility of leading the side to desired results. It is high time they are given a dual role of authority to go along with that tag. This is the only thing that will help them improve their cricket. And Yes, have faith in Misbah, that is , should the PCB feel the same way about him too.
More...
The recent decision from the PCB has come as a warm surprise to many of us. Yes, I am talking about Misbah-ul-Haq?s elevation to the post of Pakistan captain. In the last few months, we have lost count of the number of people that have captained Pakistan. Truth be told, he was the last person whom the PCB could rely upon to lead the side in the face of the recent controversies.
Misbah entered the side at the age of 27, a number considered by many to be on the latter side of the bell curve and certainly not a great one to make your debut at. He thrilled quite a few with some good stroke-play in his debut series and ultimately won himself a place on the Test team. With a few abysmal innings against the best bowling in the world, Misbah was duly dumped from the side. Though the 2003 World Cup campaign gave him another shot at glory. However, with the frequent politics that plague the sub-continental cricket boards, Misbah never got his due.
Yet another abysmal World Cup in 2007 really opened up the doors for his re-entry. This time round, he was determined to make his mark and almost carried Pakistan single-handedly to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup. His rise that followed was nothing short of meteoric. Within months, he amassed huge scores against arch rivals India and was elevated to vice-captain under Shoaib Malik. His captaincy skills were proven when he led Pakistan to victory against India in an Asia Cup match.
What followed thereafter was a series of selections and droppings which went on till the day Pakistan announced its squad to take on South Africa. Only a little surprise here: Misbah was back with the tag of the Test captain!
This has surprised many a great Pakistani cricketers and also few fans. The question to be asked: Does he actually deserve the post ? Or has he been thrust the responsibility as no one else was available to do so?
Formation of Human Partnerships is the key for MisbahThe answer is both. Mohsin Khan, Pakistan?s Chief Selector mentioned that Younis was their first choice, however, due to his non-availability, Misbah was duly selected. Is it really worth it putting all faith in a 36 year old captain? Misbah, if you remember, has always ?been the quiet ,reticent, reserved cricketer, who hasn?t really gotten embroiled in any wrong-doing as such ? be it, ball-biting, abusing fellow players or drugs or the like. He has demonstrated adequate number of times via his batting that he can be icy- cool in crisis like situations and has managed to pull Pakistan out of trouble many a time. Qualities like these are appreciated by all players and also by your opposition. Here?s a man whom the followers can look up to.
The immediate challenge that he faces is quite similar to the one faced by Shaun Pollock and Saurav Ganguly, after they had taken over from the tainted Cronje and Azharuddin. The ghosts of match-fixing need to be tightly shut up in the closet. What Misbah needs to do is to build up the team, motivate the players to do well, make them forget the past and move on. Though these things sound too heavy, given that the PCB has put him in charge of only 2 Test matches against South Africa. In the short term though, his goal would be to ensure good performance from Pakistan. A win to his credit would help him go a long way in establishing himself as a long term captain.
You might wonder whether I am advocating the use of Misbah as a potential long term captain for Pakistan. My answer in this case is YES. As a senior member, he is in a better position to groom the side and get them into the winnings ways. His nature, as described above, is perfect for a person who can take control of things which are in a bad shape and get them into the desired from. In short, he can be seen as the catalyst that could be responsible for a better future for Pakistan cricket. Giving Misbah a full time charge would also mean that Pakistan has enough time to groom a new Test skipper. Given that Shahid Afridi will not lead Pakistan in Test matches and that there is no alternative available right away, Misbah-the mentor can be counted upon to deliver a skipper who can lead Pakistan in the future.
To do so, Misbah needs to draw inspiration from Anil Kumble who was named India?s Test skipper after an eternity. But look at how Kumble rallied the team and instilled a belief amongst them during the Australia tour of 2008. Critics may argue that India was not in as bad a shape as Pakistan. In fact India?s woes at that time were to select a captain from a crop of well-seasoned players like Tendulkar, Laxman and the likes. Even at the age of 38 ,Anil Kumble has proven to be an exceptional leader for India as well for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Appointment of Misbah as a Test? captain is a good decision provided that he gets adequate time to nurture his plans and execute them with precision. So far, Pakistan captains have only had the responsibility of leading the side to desired results. It is high time they are given a dual role of authority to go along with that tag. This is the only thing that will help them improve their cricket. And Yes, have faith in Misbah, that is , should the PCB feel the same way about him too.
More...
