Initially I decided to write about the team announced for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Name it my laziness or any other thing I never been able to write about it, anyhow many other blogger fellows have done this job already, but there was one thing that was disturbing for me and with every single passing day it started to get more and more crucial? I guess it has been for the first time in Pakistani cricket that the team for the biggest event of the game has been announced and the leader of the team yet to be announced. Lobbying, grouping, double-crossing, has become part of the game for last two decades almost. After match-fixing, the course of grouping has destroyed cricket in Pakistan the most. We can see the same thing now. In an interview ex captain, Inzmam-ul-Haq said that team is divided in two parts and they are not going to play world cup they will show that who is in what group.

Well at this moment, the major possibility is that Misbah-ul-Haq will be declared as the captain for the biggest cricket stage ever. In addition, Shahid Afridi who is leading team for almost a year is going to be sacked. Well in our cricket it is simple to finish the carrier of any one, just made him captain you are going to get what you want, Waqar Younis, Inzimam, Rameez Raja, Aamir Sohail and now Afridi is going to join the club. The apparent reason for this development is said to be that Misbah is in form and he gave the first test series victory to Pakistan cricket in last 4 years or so. In that case, what about Afridi who struggled hard and still trying to keep the team together after the English tour 2010, which was more like a nightmare then a tour.

Team is balanced or not ready for the world cup or not it is a separate debate real thing is to make sure that some do not lead the team of lions. If there is anyone in the team with the lion’s heart and capacity of leading the team it is Afridi for sure.

Why I am saying this and why I am supporting him? If that is the question than give me one example that Misbah have played a match winning inning ever. Like Muhammad Yusuf he also played for his own stats and takes many overs to set his eyesight, and till than he gives a good dance performance on the pitch. Afridi is notorious for haste but in last year he scored most centuries among the announced team, he gave several match-winning performances over the period of his 14 years long career. Moreover, one cannot beat the fact that he is the senior most member of the team right now; he is the one who can tame the stallions like Shoaib Akhtar, and Abdul Razzaq.

Okay if we look at who supports who then as per the info I have got and my “Xperts” told me that the camp of Afridi has got Shoaib, Younis,  Razzaq, Hafeez, and couch Waqar Younis. Whereas Muhammad Yousaf have his mortal support with him, may be because Misbah is in the team replacing Yousaf. On the other hand, the Akmal brothers are in the pocket of Misbah along with many managerial and people of authority are backing him.

Afridi might have been involved in disciplinary issues but he never put team or country on sale like our ex captain Salman Butt who nowadays supporting Misbah and giving expert opinion. I do not know why people do not check their own past before declaring someone as looser. The fact is that we need Afridi for world cup as captain and all the good for nothing rising stars, crippled wicket keepers , and best dancers on the pitch with pads on, should do the job that is good for the team not for them. I do not know about the others but least I won’t be having any interest in world cup if this team will be lead by someone who is only good at dancing on the pitch for a whole day and scoring only 19 runs. Save team Pakistan save Afridi, lala for captain.

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