Why fuss about Dhoni's captaincy?

Our sub-continental culture of captain-bashing is detrimental to the growth of cricket. MSD remains India's only leader.

By Wasim Akram

The entire hullabaloo around MS Dhoni's captaincy is extremely ill-timed. Captain-bashing is a favourite pastime of cricket pundits in the Indian sub-continent and the media just loves it. Ahead of the T20s versus Australia and the one-day series that follows, I believe Dhoni is the best man to lead India and will remain so in the immediate future.

I read a website report in one of the leading Indian dailies that Virender Sehwag will replace Dhoni as skipper. The report quotes 'sources' in the BCCI. I am not sure about the credibility of these 'sources'. In recent times, BCCI's planning has reflected poorly on India's overseas performances. So, it would be unfair to make Dhoni a scapegoat.

There are two names - Sehwag and Virat Kohli -- doing the rounds as 'next' captains. In my book, none of them qualify for the job. Sehwag was very unimpressive when he led the Indian team at Adelaide and Kohli is a kid who has just begun his career. He can wait for another five years.

I had expected better body language from Sehwag and his team during the Adelaide Test, but I was disappointed. India's cold demeanour has been an issue in both England and Australia. The lack of communication has been palpable and that reflected on the field.

This 'I give-a-damn' attitude is counter-productive when the chips are down. What did Sehwag do to salvage India's pride at Adelaide? I sometimes see streaks of Shahid Afridi in Sehwag. That dreadful propensity to self-destruct! Dhoni may not have done enough as skipper, but two bad series does not mean he should be derided and kicked out. Does the BCCI really have an option?

There is still a lot to play for in Australia. With Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar coming in, India are a solid ODI and T20 team. I think India have the right mix to give high-flying Australia a run for their money and we shall see a 'new' India in the first T20 at Sydney on Wednesday.

In the three-nation ODI series, I don't see Sri Lanka making a huge impact. Mahela Jayawardene will concentrate on team rebuilding after the Lankans struggled in South Africa. Australia, of course, will have their tails up largely because their pacers are in great form. When you have a troika of pacers, each clocking 140 kmph regularly, a captain is always at a great advantage.

India's bowling remains a concern. Ishant Sharma has been the biggest disappointment. He has talked about the 'luck factor'. All that is just a lame excuse. After playing 45 Test matches, Ishant has not learnt to take responsibility.

When a quick bowler can't make an impact on a Perth or MCG wicket, he never will. First things first, he must first learn to bowl on one side of the wicket.

Self-belief will be crucial going forward in the remainder of the Australian tour. India must not tamper with their batting order. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir must open the innings because they already have a 'feel' of the conditions.

The more India back themselves, the better they will play. It's a brand new chapter and India must demonstrate the body language of a world champion. Hope Dhoni shows the way with his young brigade. Courtesy: ESPNStar.com

Mushfiqur Rahim named Bangladesh captain

	Mushfiqur Rahim (left) and Mahmudullah (right) are Bangladesh's new captain and vice-captain© Associated Press

Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim has been named the Bangladesh captain for the home series against West Indies and Pakistan in October and December.Mahmudullah, the allrounder, has been appointed vice-captain by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

"This is the ultimate honour for any cricketer. I thank the board for entrusting me with this responsibility," Mushfiqur said. "I am fully aware of the expectations of the entire nation and I will be totally committed towards ensuring that the Bangladesh team strives towards fulfilling the dream of millions."

Bangladesh were left without a captain and vice-captain after the board had sacked Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal from the positions after a disappointing tour of Zimbabwe, where they lost the one-off Test as well as the ODI series. The BCB said that Shakib and Tamim had been axed because "their leadership was not satisfactory" and there were reports of indiscipline as well during the Zimbabwe series.

Mushfiqur was the favourite to succeed Shakib as captain since he was one of few Bangladesh players who command a spot in the XI in all formats of the game. He also led the Bangladesh team during the BCB Cup, while Mahmudullah led the Bangladesh A side.

Preliminary squad for West Indies series: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah (vc), Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kopali, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nasir Hossain, Naeem Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Shuvogoto Hom, Shurawadi Shuvo, Raqibul Hassan, Syed Rasel, Robiul Islam, Mohammad Elias, Sahagir Hossain. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Sangakkara steps down as ODI and T20 captain

Kumar Sangakkara has stepped down as captain of Sri Lanka's ODI and T20 teams but has offered to continue as the Test captain on an interim basis for the forthcoming series against England and Australia "if this is considered helpful for the new captain". He will continue as a player in all formats of the game.



His decision, revealed on Tuesday, comes days after he led Sri Lanka to the World Cup final. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews are among those tipped to take charge of the limited-overs' sides, while Thilan Samaraweera is being discussed as an option to lead the Test team.

Sangakkara was the third highest scorer in the 2011 World Cup and scored 48 in their defeat to India in the final.

"I would like to announce that after careful consideration I have concluded that it is in the best long-term interests of the team that I step down now as national captain so that a new leader can be properly groomed for the 2015 World Cup in Australia", a statement from Sangakkara said.

"This was a decision I made prior to the 2011 World Cup. I will be 37 by the next World Cup and I cannot therefore be sure of my place in the team. It is better that Sri Lanka is led now by a player who will be at the peak of their career during that tournament.

"It has been a true honour and a great privilege to serve my country as captain during the past two years and, although bitterly disappointed that we could not win the final, I am very proud of the performances of the team.

"I met with the selectors on Monday and I explained my reasons for my decision and I assured them of my fullest support in helping our new captain settle into the leadership.

"In this regard, I have offered to continue as the Test captain for the forthcoming series with England and possibly Australia if the selectors believe this would help the new captain and aid the transition.

"I have no plans of retirement from international cricket at this stage and subject to form and fitness I would like to be considered for selection in all three formats of the game for the foreseeable future. " © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Afridi retained as Pakistan captain for World Cup

Ending weeks of speculations, Pakistan today named experienced all-rounder, Shahid Afridi as the captain of the national team for the ICC cricket World Cup to begin in Dhaka on February 19.


In pic: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi lifting the 2009 T20 WC Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board said that Afridi would lead the team while Test captain and another front-runner for the job, Misbah-ul-Haq would be his deputy in the mega-event to be jointly co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "The board has retained Afridi as captain for the World Cup.

Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed will also continue as head coach and bowling consultant in the competition," PCB media manager Nadeem Sarwar said. The PCB also appointed a security advisor, Wasim Ahmed to accompany the team in the World Cup after the post was lying vacant following the resignation of Khawaja Naeem.

The PCB also announced that vice-captain Misbah would be part of the tour selection committee for the World Cup, which also includes manager (Intikhan Alam), coach and the captain. Interestingly, the board has named Alam as the chairman of the tour selection committee. Afridi's appointment as World Cup captain was a formality after he led Pakistan to its first ODI series win since 2008, when it defeated New Zealand in the fifth one-day international in Hamilton yesterday.

Former captain Moin Khan hailed Afridi's reinstatement as Pakistan skipper but said PCB created an "unnecessary controversy" by delaying the captaincy announcement. "It was logical to retain Afridi as captain for this big event after the way he inspired the team to its first ODI series win in New Zealand in 17 years," Moin said. "I think the board only created unnecessary controversy and speculations by delaying the decision. The World Cup team was already announced last month and it was high time, the board announced the captain. Afridi is a good choice," he added.

He pointed out that Afridi had been leading Pakistan in ODIs and Twenty20 matches since last year and so far did a good job. "This talk about Misbah being considered as a captaincy candidate for the World Cup started because of the board's indecision," Moin noted. Former captain and wicket-keeper Rashid Latif, who is in Dubai these days with the Afghanistan team, also agreed with Moin. "Afridi was always the logical choice because he has been leading the team since last year and now the players are also responding to him. He also understand his captaincy style well now. The biggest thing is that Afridi has shown lot of commitment for his job," Latif said. -PTI

Not naming the captain will only lead to issues: Waqar

KARACHI: Pakistan's coach Waqar Younis has become the latest to join the growing the list of people to express his surprise over Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to delay naming of the captain for the 2011 World Cup while announcing the 15-member squad. "This is also surprising to me. I don't know what reasons the board could have for delaying naming the captain but personally I feel it would have been better to announce the captain along with the World Cup team," Waqar told Geo Super from Wellington.

The PCB yesterday announced the World Cup squad but held back the name of the captain, adding to speculations that Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq might be picked to lead the side in place of regular skipper Shahid Afridi. Asked who he felt was a better choice to lead Pakistan in the World Cup, Waqar said he was not in a position to respond to this even as a layman. "But whoever is the captain, his name should have been announced along with the team. Not announcing the captain will only lead to issues," Waqar said, adding that all other teams have announced their squads with their captains.

The former pacer, however, hailed Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq for leading the team to its first Test series win in four years time in New Zealand. "I think he has done an outstanding job on and off the field as captain. He deserves a lot of credit for the way he has handled the team issues and players, besides for his own personal contribution as player."

Waqar said that after the Test series win, the forthcoming six-match one-day series against New Zealand would be a tough challenge. "How we perform against New Zealand in the one-dayers will basically decide our tone for the World Cup. It will give a clear indication of how we are going to perform at the mega event."

The former bowling great said that he had always supported including young players in the T20 and one-day squads. "I am happy that the selectors have included Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq and retained Umar Akmal. It is in Test cricket that you need loads of experience but in T20s and ODIs, I believe young players add freshness to the team," said Waqar.

He also pointed out that even India had adopted the policy of restricting top batsmen like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to the Test squad only while relying on youngsters in their T20 and ODI squads. Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam also felt that the Test series win over New Zealand was the right tonic for the World Cup. "It is a great win and the reason we didn't go all out to win the Test match today was because we felt securing the series was far more important as we have not won a series since 2006," said the coach.

Intikhab, a former Test captain, also praised Misbah for his captaincy and batting, saying that he was leading the team by example. "That is what you need from your captain, when he performs he sets the right tone for the other players as well. " Intikhab also expressed satisfaction that the team on its last two series against South Africa and New Zealand had steered clear of controversies. "This is a big plus for Pakistan cricket. The team needs to be recognised once again for its sheer cricketing prowess and achievements only," he said. -PTI Courtesy Geo Super

Gilchrist to lead Kings XI Punjab in IPL-IV

Kings XI Punjab today named former Australian wicket-keeper bastman Adam Gilchrist as the team's captain for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League starting April 8. The hard-hitting left-hander was the skipper of Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament and even led the Hyderabad outfit to the title in IPL II in 2009.


In pic: Adam Gilchrist

"I am excited to play in the IPL again as part of Kings XI Punjab, one of the most passionate and dynamic teams of the IPL. The role of a captain is a challenging one and I hope that I can live up to the expectations and trust that the KXIP management has shown in me," Gilchrist said in a statement issued by KXIP.

Col Arvinder Singh, Chief Operating Officer of Kings XI Punjab while commenting on the development said, "Gilchrist is a record breaking player and undoubtedly an asset to the newly formed team. We believe that he is an excellent leader and a legend in his own right with the requisite expertise and experience to lead Kings XI Punjab on the path of victory this year."

Kings XI coach Michael Bevan, who played alongside Gilchrist for Australia, is hoping that the Punjab outfit's fortune will change with new captain. "We at KXIP are looking forward to playing in the IPL this season with altogether a new set of players led by an extremely aggressive and attacking captain. Gilchrist has got great leadership skills and yet is one of the most humble cricketers across the globe. I believe he has a lot to offer to the team both on and off the field," Bevan said. -PTI