Re: Yousuf better batsman than Ponting and Dravid - Inzi
I think there is no name calling. Inzi and Yousaf are two different breed of cricketers. As we can't compare Javed Miandad with Zaheer Abbas, or we can't compare Richard with Clive Loyd, or we can't compare Sober with Bradman. I think if we try to compare Inzi and Yousaf then we are comparing oranges with apples.
Inzi is one of those cricketers, as a batsman, who might have played many match winning innings, which take him beyond Lara and Tendulkar, both played many big innings in a loosing cause. Similarly, Inzi is in 37th year of his life, Yousaf will get there in 5 more years, atleast by then Yousaf will have 50-60 more test under his belt, so it is not fair to compare Yousaf or grade Inzi at a scale which we use for Yousaf. I am sure if Yousaf keep his fitness, at the end of his career he will be a bigger hero for Pakistan cricket than any other batsman.
As a batsman, Inzi have many pluses, and one could put him very high in the list of all time great batsmen but as an overall cricketers, then it is a different story and hard task to grade him. Fielding and leadership wise Yousaf is same as Inzi.
As a captain, Inzi is not successful because he is innovative, proactive or creative, rather he successful one because he always perform as a leader and led by example, secondly it is Pakistani cricket culture, which lack professionalism and players don't respect team leader rather they respect performer and big name. As long as they knew that Inzi is very important for team, then they respect him and there is a harmony in the dressing room. That make him a successful captain. He is not successful because he makes good bowling changes, or he put right field settings or he make good batting changes.
Look back at Imran captaincy, look at Ponting captaincy, look at Smith Captaincy, they put fielder in the weirdest positions, and gain wickets. But Inzi, will always have conventional field setting, and very rarely change fielding in between an over unless bowler conceed 3 fours in a row.