Re: Obituary
It is a result of unwanted pressure on players and consistently putting them in a situation where they do not belong. For four years we have seen this, if you recall the debacle of '03, Inzamam was sacked as vice-captain and we knew that this guy do not have what it takes to lead the team. Rashid came to hand in some support, he than let go and Inzamam again was made to lead the team along with Miandad, team did well, we won tournaments when India came in and all hell broke loose. Miandad did say that we should not push the panic button and stick with the same team, but that did not happen and he was fired. Inzamam also said at the end of that tournament that the criticism will make him to give up captaincy, did anyone hear? No, than we went to Australia, got the beating of lifetime, Inzamam and Woolmer got the flak, he again said he does not want to be captain, again they persisted with the mentality along with shuffling of openers. After that victories against India in ODI's and level of Test match, wins in West Indies and beating of England made us forgot about a lot about Inzi captaincy and that he should not be leading the side. No body notice or stood up to take charge, he was basically serving as a band aid to give us some comfort that there is leadership in this team.
After tour with England, Pakistan still had a chance to make the change with openers and captain, also to groom new bowlers when Akhtar was more consistent on injury list than on team. Nobody notice...and now we paid the price. Things that should have been addressed after World Cup 2003, like openers, strike bowlers and aggressive captain were not addressed and now we find ourselves at square one.
Things will change is a hope...if you look at Imran captaincy; he resigned twice to get his way. Miandad and Wasim were in constant struggle with PCB to have their way, it will take a mighty effort from future captain and vice-captain to pull this team out of a ditch, they have the talent but nobody listens to their needs rather always puts them in a situation where they do not belong.