Part 1.
After the epic Test series victory in UAE against
England, it was felt that Pakistan team had picked the right track and got the combination
as well as winning momentum. The boys were found galvanized under the captaincy
of Misbah and didn’t hesitate to give credit of victory to Mohsin Khan. Misbah
received acknowledgment for his shrewd captaincy even from his worst enemies, and
then suddenly …. …. the table was turned.
What forced him to recall the former captain Shoaib Malik
in the limited over squads is anybody’ guess, but in fact our loving federal
information minister Firdous Aashiq Awan was also a major string-puller to
bring her “Son of Sialkot” back in the national squad. Arrival of Shoaib not
only affected the team combination but also derailed the performances of the
team.
Then also the skipper Misbah ul Haq was pivotal in installing
Mohsin Khan as the national coach of the team for that series and the former
chief selector was enjoying a dual responsibility in the team management.
Although it was just a make-shift arrangement but the former opener, because of
the additional say in selection of team, had strengthened his feet in the squad
and developed a group of players in his favour. Therefore when the PCB decided
to declare that Dav Whatmore would be the new coach rather than continuing
Mohsin, some of the key players including the skipper tried to resist and with
the loss of back to back ODIs matches, the message was sent to the PCB chief
Zaka Ashraf.
Whatmore is
known for his strict disciplinary commands, therefore players who are at the
twilight of their careers were unwilling to work under him and as whispered in
the PCB’ corridors they denounced this decision by under-performing in the ODI
series.
That compelled Zaka to hold an urgent meeting with the
team in UAE (unattended by Mohsin Khan) and had apparently succeeded to
convince the players. One of the crunch demands of the group was to retain
Misbah as captain for the Asia Cup and the chairman accepted that. The Asia Cup
is really an acid test for Misbah & Company, if they fail to impress they
will not only lose their authority in team management but some would even lose
their place in the squad.
However, still there is another set of players in the
team who feel that Misbah doesn’t have place in the limited overs version of
the game and they believe that by recalling Shoaib Malik for the UAE’ limited
over series, Misbah had tried to shift the balance of the team in his favour.
But the gamble didn’t pay off. These players are not happy to continue playing
under him because they complain he doesn’t give them enough chances to perform during
a match – either by sending to bat at up-order or by giving suitable number of
overs to bowl.
The reaction of players over the news of Whatmore’
arrival in the team was just a storm in the tea cup, which Zaka tried his best
to overcome but the reinstatement of Misbah as captain has widened the rift
between the groups of players. That’s why the squad that has been selected for
the Asia Cup doesn’t have the right balance and mirrored almost the same old team.
The chances for Pakistan to lift the Asia Cup are definitely
at risk, because all is not well in Pakistan cricket at the moment.
(To be
continued)
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