Derived from the first ODI vs. India '05/06.
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On a flat-batting surface, won the toss and elected to field, without Shoaib Akhtar, and of all the people in the world, (my mohalla’s Khala Khairan at least knows how to work magic with her fingers when needed) Arshad Khan is retained as a super-sub.
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Waited for entire rounds of Power-Play to come to an end, when the likes of Pathan was sending every other ball towards the boundary. Absolutely no protection in the deep.
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Without testing whether or not the pitch was turning (before-hand), Umar Gul was unfortunately taken out of the attack, and was substituted with the greatest finger-spinner of all time - Taaya Arshad Khan.
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The local guy went for twelve (12) runs in his first over, and eight (8) in the next one. His other partners (Afridi + Malik) averaged approximately ten (10) runs in their spells as well. So far for ‘let’s wait and see’ strategy.
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Arshad Khan was then brought back into the attack when Tendulkar was in the 90’s, just so we make sure no roadblocks are present on the roadway towards Tendulkar’s three-digit mark (even though only four runs were scored in his first over of the second spell)
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Inzamam also has a habit of taking a ‘defensive’ approach when the going gets rough. We saw this instance in the last test match where Farhat dropped Sehwag’s (first) catch in the slips, and Younis quickly came into the picture, offering words of advice and mental support for the fielder. Inzamam hardly ever “attacked” in such a manner.
Keeping in mind the above, I really feel that innovation is the key here. Please do remember that I am in no way, shape, or form criticizing Inzamam’s mode of batting. It’s his ‘field antics’ that really sets his ‘captaincy’ tone in quite a negative manner (at least for me). His ignorance of the law(s), and his approach towards “his boyzzz” sets him worldly apart. Even though alot of people like to see “toned down” versions of team captains nowadays, (although I do not usually like to do comparisons myself), when Wasim Akram was captain, even the slightiest and tiniest misfield resulted in direct maa behan ki gaaliyan (of course with his “I am bigger than you” temper). However, Inzamam’s “quiet” captaincy mode can be related to Dravid (of some sorts), as they both have their likes and dislikes, but even then I think, Dravid knows, and applies the appropriate technique, felicitous mastery and the art of innovation in quite an attacking manner. Albeit a handful of plans (he and Chappel) implemented thus far did not result in their likeliness (such as sending Dravid as an opener), I very much liked the idea of sending pinch-hitters as one-down in order to maximize the profits of power-plays. On the other hand, we are, well, retaining the Afridis and Razzaqs in order to solidify the middle-order batting, when they should be used at the top of the order.
In addition to the above, I would also like to thrust your attention towards the following well-written posts (pertaining to the discussion in this thread):
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Major glitches in our performance (Faisal)
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Pinch-Hitters should be utilized at the top of the batting lineup (skhan)
Lastly, why in God’s green earth is Arshan Khan even near the vicinity of the Pakistani squad? Dear Lord, at least let the guy go back to the nets and give him time to practice his batting (obviously he can’t twist his fingers far enough to accomplish “Warne”-like turn), and then welcome him back in the team. Shoaib Akhtar, for instance, has improved his hitting by miles. Danish and Arshad, on the other hand, can hardly differentiate between the handle and the bat. How, is my question, and why, is Arshad Khan even here in the first place? Did Babu the toilet clearner resigned from his day-job?
I guess I opened up several points for discussion, but the main point still remains the same - Inzamam’s “mode of” captaincy, his optimization and his utilization of strategies, and implementation of the same.
Thing is, while Inzamam most definitely does have all the flaws described above, the advantages of his presence in the team are far too significant to be ruled out. He is a gel thats keeping the “boyzzz” together. Pakistan team at one point in time (2003 WC) had as many as 6-7 ex-captains playing. The team we have now only has one captain playing. Theres very less chance of factions forming up and mutiny in the camp, which was the case three years ago. Everyone looks up to him as a father figure and does what the captain and coach say. In a nut-shell, he keeps things going. Inzamam quitting from captaincy right now would be a big blow to the team.
. I mean agar off-spinner ki zaroorat haiy to Shoaib Malik kia anday de raha haiy?