Turbulent times continue for Pakistan Cricket Fans with the announcement that Shoaib Malik had been sacked as Pakistan Captain on the back of a “humiliating” defeat to Sri Lanka. Now, at the risk of disagreeing with pretty much every commentator of Pakistani Cricket (a risk I rarely take) I have to say I do not approve of Shoaib Malik’s dismissal.
Shoaib Malik: Pushed into the background.
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman confirmed the following to reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore:
“We asked Shoaib Malik to step down as captain. He agreed and only then did we appoint Younis Khan as captain of Pakistan. We have taken this step because our performances weren’t great. The end result is not just winning but the performance. We didn’t just lose to Sri Lanka, we performed poorly. So we have made Younis Khan the captain of both Test and ODI sides.”
This approach was almost unanimously praised. One of my idols, leading cricket-writer Osman Samiuddin stated that the move was two years overdue. Inzamam-ul-Haq, whom Malik had succeeded as captain, cited his inability to “properly handle the players”. Even the great Imran Khan stated that Younis, as one of the best batsmen in world cricket and one of the most respected members of the team, would be better placed to lead Pakistan.
Now I accept that Shoaib Malik was never a perfect captain. I completely understand that his people management skills needed some work and the fact that he made some public relations faux pas. But the fact that the PCB can turn around and dismiss him on the back of a single defeat is alarming to say the least. Is the captain now accountable for the entire team’s performance? What happened when he was carrying his team to several decent performances in recent series?
Do we remember when he led his team to the final of the Twenty20 World Cup? Do we remember when he took us to series wins against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, the Kitply Cup and, most recently, the West Indies. Or are we to forget all of his achievements because of one loss to a better team that had played more than 3 times the cricket Pakistan had?
I can accept that his favourable record was predominantly built against weaker opposition, but surely that’s the administration’s fault? Sri Lanka dominated Pakistan in the third ODI, but why did anyone expect anything different? After all, Sri Lanka are an exceptional team with a good run of form and, crucially, infinitely more playing activity over the last 6 months. That Pakistan managed to take the series into the third ODI alone is an achievement.
To me, this just seems like another in a long line of knee-jerk reactions from the PCB. Geoff Lawson was a casualty. The ICL players were a casualty. And now Shoaib Malik, who given more time and better guidance evolved into a mature and respected captain, joins the list. I feel like I’ve already lost confidence with the new board who seem keen to purge themselves of any responsibility of the dire state of affairs by playing the blame game.
All one can hope is, Younis Khan can take the ball and run with it. God knows, Pakistani Cricket needs something to go right!
©Doctor Cricket 2009
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