Tauqir removes uncertainty b
backing Waqar as World Cup skipper
By Waheed Khan
KARACHI: Lt. General Tauqir Zia took the first step on Saturday towards revitalizing Pakistan’s chances of doing well in the World Cup when he confirmed that Waqar Younis would continue as captain in the premier tournament.
Talking to reporters in Bhurban at the unveiling ceremony of the World Cup trophy by the global sponsors of the tournament, Pepsi, Tauqir did what he should have done before the team left for Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He should have announced with no strings attached that Waqar would continue to lead the team in the World Cup.
It would have ensured a more confident Waqar leading the team against South Africa, players taking him more seriously and forgetting about moves to oust him over minor disagreements. And, most importantly, would have prevented a senior player like Wasim Akram from harbouring high hopes of making a comeback as captain.
These were exactly the hopes which made him give an interview from Cape Town during the one-day series which exposed his ambitions to dethrone Waqar as captain and become captain once again despite the sanctions imposed on him by the Justice Malik Qayyum match-fixing inquiry commission.
God knows what sort of assurance was given to Wasim about the captaincy by the Board, but the subtle manner in which he negated Waqar’s credentials as captain in the interview was enough to confirm that he had serious hopes of returning as captain in the World Cup, a move which would have been disastrous for the team for varied reasons and for Wasim himself.
However, Wasim now claims he never said the things attributed to him in the interview on-record and he was just having a frank off-the record general conversation with the concerned reporter.
This response came after the team manager Brigadier (rtd) Nasir Khawaja confronted Wasim for giving the interview without prior permission when only the manager, coach and captain were allowed to speak to the media?
Anyway, one just hopes that Tauqir Zia sincerely means what he told reporters on Saturday because he has not helped matters by being evasive and vague on the captaincy issue in the past.
Statements like ‘Waqar has to prove his fitness and form if he is to retain the captaincy’ were not very helpful to the team and only created confusion.
Form, fortunately, has not been a problem for Waqar because even in this calender year he remains the leading wicketaker behind Shaun Pollock in One-day Internationals although he will have to work harder to reduce his present economy rate of 5.4 per over in the ODIs.
Tauqir also said that ‘God forbid Waqar had fitness problems and was not in the World Cup team’ Rashid Latif, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim were the other options available to the Board.
“There is no uncertainty or confusion as to who will lead Pakistan in the World Cup. Our mind is clear Waqar will retain this job,” Tauqir said even while the Pakistani batsmen struggled once again on the opening day of their three-day match against South Africa ‘A’ at Pietermaritzburg. Ironically, Waqar top-scored with 36 runs in a dismal total of 174.
There had been indications and signs from within the cricket board in the last few weeks that Waqar might be replaced as captain by Wasim Akram, which was one reason he was going to appeal against sanctions imposed on him by a match-fixing inquiry commission two years back.
The indications were that the Board was not happy with Waqar’s bowling form and his ability to command an automatic place in the one-day squad. And it was obvious that a particularly lobby had started a campaign to bring back Wasim as captain.
But, apparently, all that has changed now which is good news for Pakistan cricket because the team would be better off having a captain in the World Cup who has led them in the last two years as compared to a new captain, even if it is Wasim Akram.
Waqar has remained captain since April 2001, tasting complete success in Tests and One-day Internationals against England, Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. But except for a surprising 2-1 win over Australia in the one-day series in June, the form of the team under his captaincy against World Cup contenders Australia and South Africa has been disappointing.
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