Difference a captaincy can make to a team!

An skipper can make or break a player's career. Take Inzamam played with Asim Kamal's career or, vice versa take Younis Khan who re-energized Afridi during the ICC World T20 2009 in the UK when he was about to be kicked out of the Pakistani team because of his poor batting form, but everyone saw the Number 10 shirt wearer in the Pakistani team was the Man of the Tournament during that tournament, and still Afridi took the confidence from that tournament to his captaincy during the One All T20 match against the Lankans in their own backyard and than the two T20s against the Kiwis in the UAE which also favoured the Pakistanis.

It was all because of the wise judgment of a fighter skipper we had during those days and which was revitalizing the whole Pakistani unit. In whatever and whichever the sport, skipper have to lead from the front. Recently during the second ODI between England and Pakistan at Headingley, Leeds, Andrew Strauss laid the foundation for the later batsmen to score and played his major role in winning of the second ODI, but I must say Strauss may be a great batsman but he lacks sportsman spirit for sure! Those who've been following the nPower Test series between England and Pakistan and specially the Oval Test, when Wahab Riaz had his first test wicket (citation, if require) on a clear edge to the keeper, he had the decision to be reviewed although on the naked eye it looked like a clear deflection off the bat, but still opt for reviewing the decision and the third umpire seconded the onfield umpire and gave Strauss out, me my self a later middle order batsman and I can be assured at times that ball has hit my bat or not.

I still remember the days when we used to play at UBL Sports Complex in Karachi, my coach used to tell us that we've to have our eyes and ears always open, eyes for watching the ball and ears for the edges off the bat. These are the basic thing which are taught when a baby starts to play hard ball cricket. But Strauss has been acting little bit more childish than that stage! Even during the 2nd ODI, he was found indicating the umpire with his negative nod to umpire when the whole Pakistani team appealed for clear caught behind! even the replays showed Pakistanis were unlucky...

Anyways getting back to the skippers, cricket is the only game in the world (again citation require, if any) in which the role of skipper is like a backbone to the team! He should be motivational, leading from the front, a team man and last but not the least the team should respect him, like Imran Khan! Why going too far, MS Dhoni when took the charge as the skipper of Indian National Cricket side, although there were players like Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Kumble and Sehwag who could have been skipping the side at first, but BCCI supported MSD and now with their consistency, India is ranked the world's number one team!

Similarly, if we had persist with Younis Khan and didn't got blackmailed by the players and the corrupt manager, who should start baby sitting his grandsons and granddaughters at home, things would have been much better for Pakistan as well! But when personal ego takes place, country's interest comes second and that's what the dilemma of Pakistani Cricket, if put in a nutshell!