Shahid Afridi : What is ur opinion about his captaincy?

[Roshanrocks]

AN interview of Shahid Afridi on cricinfo regarding his captaincy

His team are young, raw but full of talent and the next two months could give a strong clue of the side's future. On the eve of the opening Test against Australia at Lord's, Pakistan's "home" Test away from home, Shahid Afridi talks to Cricinfo about leadership, communication and helping young players. How are you enjoying the captaincy? I am enjoying the captaincy because I have been entrusted with the responsibility. It is not just about leading 17 players, it is about leading the entire country. Hence there is pressure, which comes out of the expectations of the people, and my own. It is a difficult job. It is natural for captains from the subcontinent teams to face overwhelming pressure constantly. But my country has given me a name and therefore I take any difficulty as a challenge. If my country needs me, and if I can do well and can put the team in a good position, it will be a big achievement. Something the people will always remember. If down the line I become aware that I am not a good captain or not a successful one, and the team is unable to make any use of me as a captain, I will not chase it. If I don't have the ability then I will leave it on my own. I've been playing for 13-14 years now and to finally get the captain's post is definitely a big honour. Were you ready for it? Firstly they did not have any other choice. Also, there were issues quite a few captains [in the near past] had faced with players not entirely happy with them and some even not wanting to play under them. Nobody is a born captain. He learns with time. He works closely with the boys. He works with senior players, asks them for suggestions and devises strategy. He needs to work closely with the coach, and that relationship needs to be strong. It can't be just you on your own. You need to do all these things if you want to be a good captain. You can't get personal with players on the ground - every player is equal. Do you think it came late? I was ready four to five years ago but somebody else was appointed instead. The board told me that I would be the captain but the next day they announced I would not be the captain. I was really hurt. They didn't need to tell me that at all. I told the board people so at that point. But now a lot of water has gone under the bridge and it is a new chapter. This honesty of yours, this blunt attitude - do you think it is good for a captain? I've always believed it is important to be clean from inside. I cannot favour any player, let him be a junior or senior. That is because it is a position the almighty has given me and he is watching me round the clock, what I do, so I cannot think of doing anything wrong. What is the most difficult thing about the role? It is important to keep everyone happy, to keep the players together. Yes, it is slightly difficult to take everybody along with you always. But it is not impossible. For that you need good and sincere people around you. You need the management personnel who can help you out with various things. The captain can't be asked to get into every decision. How important is communication? It is because of lack of communication, in addition to the little things that people kept quiet about, that led to a difficult situation and the problems in the past. So now I ask my players to express themselves with freedom. Even if I am at wrong I have asked them to just walk up to me and share their point of view. As a player I think differently and as a captain I think differently and both parties can only understand each other by communicating openly. "In our region we never know what will happen when. You know that even if you lose the World Cup final you will not know where you stand. I did not ask anyone forcibly to give me the captaincy, nor will I forcibly captain the team" Is it important for you to mentor younger players because you were a young player once who fell by the wayside yourself? I think that is already happening. There are so many young players in this squad with whom I have personally sat and had one-on-one chats, and given them the freedom to think on their own. It is not only me, even my coaches are doing the same. There is no pressure on the youngsters in this team. You can sense their confidence now. I don't want to add any pressure on a newcomer because I know what a youngster thinks when he comes into the team. I also strongly feel that he can't just be there for two or three matches, he needs to be given a fair run. He needs to get the returns for his hard work. The rest is up to the player - how much he is dedicated and determined. I have already chatted to the selection committee and we are on the same page on this front. Do you seek suggestions from any of the senior players? I take very few suggestions from others. If I feel I need to pick someone's brains, I will do it. Too many ideas make the job difficult. Do you follow your instincts more, then? Once I take a decision, I stick to it. I never say it is wrong, and my players support me. Who was the captain you admired as a youngster? Imran Khan. In that era he had a big and powerful team to back him. He had the likes of Javed Miandad, Wasim bhai [Akram] to support him, so he did not have many problems. Respect is the most essential thing about captaincy. Respect between the captain and players is important. It is give and take. Imran bhai never demanded respect, everybody gave him respect. How do you balance with the expectations of family, team and friends in this new position? The family understands how much time I can afford to give them. It is not really that difficult to give time to everyone. Once I am out of the ground I forget cricket or keep it away as far as possible, to lighten up. Do you take pressure at all? Of course there is pressure. We do face the heat but a player's worth is understood by the way he deals with pressure. I don't show it on the face, but inside me what happens only I know. Recently Mohammad Yousuf said that new players coming out of Pakistan are not Test players, they are Twenty20 players. What is your opinion? I don't agree. We have youngsters who have the temperament to survive in Test cricket. I spoke to a lot of domestic coaches, and some of these youngsters I had observed them personally and they were picked based on my own belief in consultation with my coaching think tank. This is a very complex tour. How do you approach the challenge? My team is a young one. So I will not speak about winning straightaway to them. We are rebuilding the Test team, and part of the process is to give chances to the youngsters. We don't have really big expectations from them, but these are talented players who will do well. I want to see them play good cricket and myself playing well with them. At least I want people to say that it was a good team, who played good, who fought well, and it was fun to watch them. Those words would be enough for me. But Pakistan has a history where as soon the team starts doing badly, the whole set-up is changed. Do you think once again there will be chopping and changing? Nothing like that. Everyone knows that the team is still work in progress, with new boys coming in. So far the results in ODI and Twenty20 games recently show that we are rebuilding. But we are playing as a unit. You can see the results and the efforts the players have been putting in. Unlike in the past, where there were so many problems related to discipline or differences between the coach and captain or with the selection committee - there is nothing like that so far that has happened. We are progressing now. Considering you have played under Waqar Younis, do you have a good rapport with him? Vicky bhai is a sincere man and he is good. Then we have Aaqib Javed and Ijaz Ahmed, and the latter was the coach of our Under-19 team. All of them want the team to have a good standing. These are people who want the team to go ahead. Each one works hard with every player, is transparent, and does not have any selfish angle, and that is the reason I like them. When Australia heard you were leading Pakistan for the series Ricky Ponting said "We'll sort him out pretty quick." Does that mentally spur you on? Allah has given me two ears: I hear with one and throw it out with other. Whatever happens on the ground, we will know soon. Captaincy has come late in your career - how long do you think you can sustain it? In our region we never know what will happen when. You know that even if you lose the World Cup final you will not know where you stand. I did not ask anyone forcibly to give me the captaincy, nor will I forcibly captain the team. If I am good I will prove it through my performance. If I am not good I will say khuda hafeez [goodbye]. Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

[DomainK]

I would personally rate him good as a captain so far from my observation. The biggest difficulty a Pakistani captain faces is to keep the team united. Under him, Pakistan has so far looked like a team. They had a close match with India, won a couple of T20s already. The glaring :fail: moment of his captaincy career though is that ball biting incident, which probably made him more popular as "the beast" and probably prolonged his career as a captain.

[Lord]

exceeded expectations.has led from the front.is the best option imo

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

Afridi is new to this art and he seems to be doing reasonably well so far. One thing I like about him is that he instills confidence in a player.

The biggest difficulty a Pakistani captain faces is to keep the team united

This. You`ve hit the nail on its head. This was actually what made Akram so good a captain later in his career.

[Roshanrocks]

My team is a young one. So I will not speak about winning straightaway to them. We are rebuilding the Test team, and part of the process is to give chances to the youngsters. We don't have really big expectations from them, but these are talented players who will do well. I want to see them play good cricket and myself playing well with them. At least I want people to say that it was a good team, who played good, who fought well, and it was fun to watch them. Those words would be enough for me.

interesting... he isnt putting pressure on his players nor displaying false bravado to his fans. He is keeping it simple, his is a young team and he isnt burdening them with expectations...instead he is trying to instil confidence by displaying faith n their abilities. i am very interested to see his batting approach in this test series... is he going to go hammer and tongs or is he going to stay as long as possible at the crease... At present i feel he is the best captain they could have... the team members seem to be giving him respect and as of now there isnt any groupism visible. I should say i AM impressed with his achievements so far...

[EnterTheVoid]

This interview is hilarious

His team are young, raw but full of talent and the next two months could give a strong clue of the side's future. On the eve of the opening Test against Australia at Lord's, Pakistan's "home" Test away from home, Shahid Afridi talks to Cricinfo about leadership, communication and helping young players. How are you enjoying the captaincy? I am enjoying the captaincy because I have been entrusted with the responsibility. It is not just about leading 17 players, it is about leading the entire country. Hence there is pressure, which comes out of the expectations of the people, and my own. It is a difficult job. It is natural for captains from the subcontinent teams to face overwhelming pressure constantly. But my country has given me a name and therefore I take any difficulty as a challenge. If my country needs me, and if I can do well and can put the team in a good position, it will be a big achievement. Something the people will always remember. If down the line I become aware that I am not a good captain or not a successful one, and the team is unable to make any use of me as a captain, I will not chase it. If I don't have the ability then I will leave it on my own. I've been playing for 13-14 years now and to finally get the captain's post is definitely a big honour. Were you ready for it? Firstly they did not have any other choice. Also, there were issues quite a few captains [in the near past] had faced with players not entirely happy with them and some even not wanting to play under them. Nobody is a born captain. He learns with time. He works closely with the boys. He works with senior players, asks them for suggestions and devises strategy. He needs to work closely with the coach, and that relationship needs to be strong. It can't be just you on your own. You need to do all these things if you want to be a good captain. You can't get personal with players on the ground - every player is equal. Do you think it came late? I was ready four to five years ago but somebody else was appointed instead. The board told me that I would be the captain but the next day they announced I would not be the captain. I was really hurt. They didn't need to tell me that at all. I told the board people so at that point. But now a lot of water has gone under the bridge and it is a new chapter. This honesty of yours, this blunt attitude - do you think it is good for a captain? I've always believed it is important to be clean from inside. I cannot favour any player, let him be a junior or senior. That is because it is a position the almighty has given me and he is watching me round the clock, what I do, so I cannot think of doing anything wrong.

LOL, Afretard talking about being clean and responsible :hysterical:

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

I cannot favour any player, let him be a junior or senior. That is because it is a position the almighty has given me and he is watching me round the clock, what I do, so I cannot think of doing anything wrong.

My respect for Afridi has grown ten fold after reading this. It`s the exact definition of a true Muslim leader:two_thumbs_up:

[Roshanrocks]

My respect for Afridi has grown ten fold after reading this. It`s the exact definition of a true Muslim leader:two_thumbs_up:

Muslim Leader :(( yaar you dont have to bring religion into this.. yes he may be following Islamis principles while captaining his side and may be doing it very well, but i dont want this thread to go down that lane and end up being another "bashing" thread if u know what i mean... Lets try and talk cricket only...ok? Instead of "true muslim leader" .. you could say he is trying to be just and not bring in favoritism into his leadership which could divide the team....

[King]

All hype, nothing great. He hasn't won enough so far but is surviving on his big hitting skills. Strangely though Pakistan treats someone like Afridi well but stuffed around players like Akram, Inzi and Younis. IMO Afridi is an over-rated player in all formats and can be dangerous at times but he has no place in the best Pakistani XI if you drew one up now. He's so tentative in his replies, he doesn't believe he can win the series and already is proclaiming they are rebuilding. How long are they going to rebuild? I've been hearing this since 2003. He's been a disgrace to cricket with his antics in the past and I cannot understand how he was appointed captain in the very first place. Honest players such as Younis and Inzi were kicked around by the board/fans. Strange cricketing nation, Pakistan.

[King]

I think we also need another choice "Over Rated" in the poll.

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

I think we also need another choice "Over Rated" in the poll.

Poll is about his captaincy dude.

[King]

Poll is about his captaincy dude.

That's what I referred to, what's his record as captain? Why is there so much rejoicing about his captaincy, he has barely achieved anything and couldn't give up cheating to win.

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

Records? :argh: He`s doing well so far. And that`s enough for him to retain the captaincy

[King]

Records? :argh: He`s doing well so far. And that`s enough for him to retain the captaincy

I can remember him being suspended for eating ball, scoring a good 100 vs SL, losing against Aus, Ind and SL, not making the finals of the Asia cup. What's so great about it?

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

^The manner of losing is important.Keeping this team united is an achievement in itself. And the best thing is that he is leading from the front.

[King]

Whatever.... I'm sure you will be one of the ones baying for his sacking after couple of series'... PCB is the worst cricketing board ever, they got rid of two fantastic test players and made the worst of their players the captain of of the team.... Amazing. I cannot even remember Afridi being a test player.. when did he last play in a test match?

[Roshanrocks]

Two good thing about your arguments iis that ur not using smileys and not swearing. Thanks very much for that. King: I do honestly feel that the team that Afridi has been given for this test series is weak in the batting department. He has been given a good bowling attack. I will be really interested to see if he can maximise the bowling potential of the team. SUpposing the Pakistanis are not able to take early wickets.. will afridi just wait for things to happen or try to make things happen. Will he just wait for the bowler to take a wicket or plan with the bowler and take initiative to try to take wickets. A captain can only try his level best ot motivate the players and plan with them... the rest would depend on luck or the bowler... ******************** Batting wise i dont know what Afridi can do, other than give the batsmen confidence or something, it would help if he bats responsibly.... ******************** I have seen only a few games where he captained... but he did seem fired up and was constantly encouraging his team mates.. that is a quality necessary to have in a captain.... ****************

[King]

Whatever it is, it is beyond logic to pick a Twenty20 player as a test captain. Just figured he last played test cricket 4 years ago. There has to be a reason for that. If he was that good, why was he kept out. As for his integrity, he has been involved in a lot of tussle and has caused heart burn for PCB in the past. He now wants player integrity but he was one of the ones that was singled out in the past for creating groupism. Let us wait and watch the next couple of series. I believe he will be sacked before the end of the year.

[Mr. Wicket]

I cannot even remember Afridi being a test player.. when did he last play in a test match?

Some time before he retired. :D

[Roshanrocks]

Whatever it is, it is beyond logic to pick a Twenty20 player as a test captain. Just figured he last played test cricket 4 years ago. There has to be a reason for that. If he was that good, why was he kept out. As for his integrity, he has been involved in a lot of tussle and has caused heart burn for PCB in the past. He now wants player integrity but he was one of the ones that was singled out in the past for creating groupism. Let us wait and watch the next couple of series. I believe he will be sacked before the end of the year.

Picking him as a captain for a test series that too when he hasnt played to 4 years would be beyond logic under normal circumstances. But is guess (i can only guess) that PCB saw something in his captaincy, saw his team mates giving hiim respect, saw his ability to hold the team together, and may be gambled with trying to bring him into the test team and hope that atleast they wont have any off-field controversies like they did last tiem around. He could be a uselful spinner too.