PSL 2016 - Player Impact View

As the first round of PSL came to an end and the play offs are about to begin, here is the summary of Player performances based on T20 Performance Impact method

Overall

Teams and Players

For details on calculation method, click here

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T20 - Performance Impact Method

Cricket is a game rich of stats and numbers. Usually, it needs a lot of it to extract the value of any performance in Cricket and there are reasons for it. (See Cricket - a game of unusually high amount of stats and numbers. Why?)

For decades, there has been a traditional method of recording performance stats to highlight the value of any performance in Cricket and it has served the purpose, somewhat, for Traditional Cricket - Tests and ODIs. That method aims at highlighting certain aspects depending on the nature of Cricket - for example, batting average and bowling strike rates for Tests and combination of batting runs and batting strike rate and combination of wickets and bowling economy for ODIs.

T20 is a bit different in that sense. Unlike other formats of Cricket - Tests and ODIs - players get much shorter time to express their skills and it does not need a player to perform for a relatively longer period to make an impact on the game. The game changes in even just a couple of deliveries. A couple of wickets in quick succession, a maiden over, couple of under-4-runs overs, 3 successive boundaries, a quick fire 25 or 30 runs on 10 balls or even 10 in 3 balls - all of such events, most of the times, result in irreversible impact on the game.

For example, in Tests, a batsman is supposed to either score runs at all costs or don't get out, therefore, the idea of excluding the 'Not Outs' from the calculation of  Batting Average looks appropriate. Similarly, the primary objective of bowling in Test Cricket is to take 20 wickets even if it comes at higher economy, so Strike Rate carries higher significance in judging the bowler than economy of his bowling.
In ODIs, a batsman's value is judged mostly by the amount of runs, 100s and 50s scored. Averages or Strike Rates don't catch the eye unless they are either too high or too low but they alone are not used to judge a batsman. In bowling, its the economy and number of wickets that takes the precedence while average and strike rates gets the same consideration as batting average and strike rate.

It all changes in T20. T20 is impact Cricket where a player has to make an impact in a shorter span and has to keep making it in successive spans to avoid getting the initial impact stand neutralized or ineffective. The batting average usually does not carry that much weightage as in Tests or ODIs as it runs scored does not consider to be having an impact unless it is with certain strike rate. In fact, scoring more runs with lower strike rate is what, at times, make it look even worse than not scoring them at all.

Then, the bowling in T20 is seen somewhere in the middle of Tests and ODIs. Like ODIs, the objective is still to restrict the opponents from scoring runs but there is no better and more efficient way of doing it than taking wickets at regular intervals like in Test Cricket. That's what gives the Economy and Bowling Strike Rate more significance while evaluating value of a performance or a player.

T20 Cricket is still evolving but it has already been played enough for some generic performance benchmarks to be set that can be applied to calculate the impact of a performance.
Batting Strike Rate of 130 and an average of 30 is what is generally considered as a benchmark for a good T20 innnings. 50s and 100s still carry its significance as scoring a 50 or a 100 in such a short span has to be considered an achievement in itself as well.
For Bowling, its the Economy of less than 8 runs per over and strike rate of 12 (2 wickets in 4 overs bowled) that can be considered as a benchmark for a good performance.

That's what gave birth to the idea to have a different kind of stats method for T20s that can take meaning of numbers closer to how a performance is interpreted by a common mind. Just like the traditional method, it gives only comparative view of impact of a performance or a player, not an absolute view in the context of winning or losing a game.

In summary, following are the aspects and calculations on which this method works:

Batting Performance Impact:

1. Batting Strike Rate Benchmark : 130 runs per 100 balls
2. Batting Average Benchmark : 30 runs per dismissal
3. Performance Benchmark : 130 (SR) + 30 (Average) = 160 
4. Quality = (Strike Rate + Average) / Performance Benchmark 
5. Frequency = Balls Faced / Match
6. Player Impact = Quality x Frequency
7. 100Factor = 100s scored / matches played
8. 50 Factor = 50s scored / matches played

Batting Impact  = Player Impact + (Player Impact x 100Factor) + (Player Impact x 50Factor/2)

Bowling Performance Impact:

1. Economy Benchmark : 8 runs an over
2. Strike Rate Benchmark : 12 (2 wickets in 4 overs)
3. Performance Benchmark : 8 (Eco) x 12 (SR) = 96 [rounded off to 100 for the sake of simplicity]
4. Quality = Performance Benchmark / (Economy x Strike Rate)
5. Frequency = Balls Bowled / Match
6. Player Impact = Quality x Frequency 
7. 4WFactor = 4 wickets in an innings / matches played
8. 5WFactor = 5 wickets in an innings / matches played

Bowling Impact = Player Impact + (Player Impact x 5WF) + (Player Impact x 4WF/2) 

Fielding / Wicket Keeping Impact: 

This aspect is not considered in the calculation for the following reasons: 

1. Complete data not available. Generally, its only the 'successful performance' resulting in a catch, stumping or a run out that is recorded and there is no record for missed opportunities. Therefore, those stats give only one side of the picture and do not cover the cases where a player might have taken 1 catch but missed 3 opportunities in the same game. 
2. In T20, even wicket keepers are picked primarily for their batting skills and it is a common sight to see stand in or make shift keepers to be keeping wickets. Even in case of a specialist keeper playing a game, his impact on the game is almost always assessed on his batting performance not usually on his keeping performance. 

For results of application of this method, see other posts. 

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PSL 2016 - Player Impact View

T20 Cricket is all about impact. It can change within a space of few deliveries. The shorter length of the format shortens the overall impact of career stats, reputations and names as well.

Same theme has been seen in Pakistan Super League as well. The league has already produced incidents of rookie or unknown players making irreversible impact on the game within the space of few deliveries. At the same time, the league has also produced incidents of lesser rated players making a lasting impact on the outcome of a match.

It is this dimension of the game that makes the traditional method of stats and numbers somewhat incomplete, not necessarily showing the complete picture of the impact of a player in a game. To extract a more meaningful picture of out of raw stats, an impact rating method was designed to get Player Impact View out of those performance stats.

When applied on PSL 2016 performance stats, here is the ranking of players generated through this impact rating method:

* includes stats up to Quetta vs Peshawar, February 14, 2016

Similarly, applying the method specifically for Batting and Bowling stats produced the following views:

At this point, it is worth keeping in mind that all these ratings are calculated on per match basis, therefore, it reflects the average impact each player has made in each of the games he has played. 

The above graphics give pretty good idea about the top performing players in the tournament but it is only a part of the picture. To get the full context of these ratings and rankings, it would need to be compared with the Player Impact Rating of each and every other player in the tournament. 

So here is the outcome of impact rating method, segregated on each team level for the sake of clarity and ease of understanding. 

Quetta Gladiators:

Peashawar Zalmi:

Islamabad United: 

Karachi Kings:

Lahore Qalandars:

Finally, to have a look at players of which teams are making the highest impact and which areas, here is what we get after adding up individual player impact of each team:

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Cricket - a game of unusually high amount of stats and numbers. Why?

Cricket is a game rich of stats and numbers. If one watches a game of Cricket on TV, follow it online or come across a discussion of fans or experts, it may look and sound like its not sports but some stock exchange or financial reports that is under discussion. Compared to other sports, Cricket clearly carries much more stats and numbers than any other game and there are reasons to it.

All sports revolve around certain point scoring 'events' within a 'game' and its the final sum of those points earned through creating those 'events' that decides the winner or loser of a 'game' of that sports. Almost all of the team sports, except Cricket, are designed in a way where it needs the team or at leat multiple players to register such an 'event'. 

For example in football, to create the 'event' of scoring a goal, a team almost always need more than one player to create that 'event'. Then, there are also sports like baseball where the team competition also includes multiple one-on-one sub-competitions between individual players - the pitcher and the batter in baseball - to create a point scoring 'event'. But like in baseball's example, the length and impact of such sub-competitions is usually very small which leaves very little margin for the 'impact of individual performance' to impact on the overall outcome of the competition. 

That's where Cricket is a different sports. Except for non-direct-hit run outs or scoring runs other than boundaries, almost all other 'events' in the game rely on 'the impact of individual performance' to score an 'event' for the team. That is exactly why Cricket-screen is always loaded with so many stats and numbers and why it plays such a dominant role in defining the value of an individual performer. 

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Misbah and Pakistan Cricket

It had been a while since Pakistan won an ODI series or tournament. To be exact, Pakistan lost 4 bilateral series, Asia Cup and World Cup during a period of almost year and a half since the start of 2014. However, as soon as Pakistan started winning, the popular debate of Misbah’s competence as a captain returned with all its zest and fervour. At first, I thought to let it pass just as yet another counter-productive but popular debate but then came across the analysis blog  of Umair Qazi in his usual stats driven style - How Pakistan wasted 4 years of ODI Cricket under Misbah. It helped me realize that its not completely a fruitless debate and it does worth emotion and bias free review.

Stats are in front of everyone so are the results and performances, so there’s not much left to be added there. The question that got me thinking was that how come Misbah landed and lasted in the captaincy role for four years in a team like Pakistan where even the best of Cricketers couldn’t manage to lead the team without scandals, controversies or infighting for roughly two years or so. Before being elevated to the rank of captain of the side, Misbah was no stranger to anyone. He had been around and pretty much everyone knew his potential, match winning capability and stature within the greats.

Putting the stats and numbers on the table, we can debate even curse Misbah, in the hindsight, for being such a lousy captain. At times, I also feel like doing so. But then we have to keep in mind that Misbah was never supposed to be a captain. He wasn't made captain AHEAD of others but BEHIND others. He didn't become a captain because of his Cricketing talent, career or profile but more due to rubbish and nonsense of everyone else around him with better career, records and talent.

Whether your fault or not, sometimes, you just find yourself facing an avalanche, making future planning a luxury and leaving survival as the only option. When you go through such experiences, you never know if and what will come out of it. Same happened with Pakistan Cricket as well.

Starting from the circumstances Woolmer died, Inzimam retired and Pakistan were knocked out of 2007 WC to to 8 players taking oath to underperform, from Younus' decline to be Inzi's successor to his appointment eventually and resignation from captaincy and winning a ban later, from appointment to removal of Malik from captaincy, from 'Akmalian Sydney stunts' to those No Balls that attracted Scotland Yard to a Cricket game, from Lahore attack to Ijaz Butt's antics, from public spat of Malik and Yousuf to PCB's ban on senior players, from Afridi's one-match return to Test Cricket to public outbursts on Indians, interior minister, coach and finally the chairman PCB, from Geoff Lawson's before-time relieving as a coach to Abdul Qadir's resign as chief selector for selecting T20 WC winning side, to eventually Afridi's explosion of resign as captain........ the list just goes on. When such things happen, there is surety of only one thing, that is, there will be no surety.

Misbah was never an outcome of a plan but a byproduct of too many plans going wrong. His appointment was more to cease the slide rather than climb up the mountain. He is good but average player who has done many times better than what he could in stabilizing the rocking boat of Pakistan Cricket.

Just four years of scandal, controversy, infighting free Pakistan Cricket and now, we all can see the difference in how youngsters are getting welcomed into the side as compared to what youngsters had to go through upon joining the league of 'super-stars’. In the midst of all praise, acknowledgement and support for Azhar Ali, a lot of people have conveniently forgotten that just 2 months ago, they themselves were criticising Misbah and Waqar Younus for recommending Azhar Ali as the future ODI captain.

If Misbah can be blamed for instilling the defensive mindset in otherwise world beater team then he also deserves the credit of picking, grooming and promoting the youngsters like Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah, Sarfaraz and Asad Shafiq. Even on the basis of the stats, if its worth to look at a comparison of stats during and after Misbah’s tenure then a comparison of before and during Misbah’s tenure is also worth taking a look. We didn’t win anything major during his tenure but Pakistan wasn’t a world beater side before him either.

To conclude, Misbah may not have been the right choice at the time of his appointment but it would be equally not-right to judge his services purely on the basis of stats with total ignorance of the circumstances, challenges and priorities he took over the team in. But again, its a never ending debate and one that whole of Pakistan loves to take to the extremes. So let’s agree to disagree and welcome the new phase of Pakistan Cricket that definitely looks brighter than before.

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Most World Cups

Shahid Khan Afridi is set to become only the 5th Pakistani to have appeared in 5 World Cups or more. He is going to join the elite list of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Inzamam ul Haq with 5 appearances each. Javed Miandad appeared in 6 editions and shares the record for appearing in the most World Cups by any player with Sachin Tendulkar.

Ponting, Lara, Jayasuria, Kallis, Aravinda DeSilva, Ranatunga, Chanderpaul and Muralitharan also appeared in 5 World Cups. From the minor/non-Test Playing nations, Thomas Odoyo and Steve Tikolo represented Kenya in 5 editions as well.

From Pakistan, Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed are the only other players to have represented Pakistan in 4 World Cups while Saeed Anwar, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Ramiz Raja, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younus, Mohammad Yousuf, Azhar Mahmood, Zaheer Abbas, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Wasim Bari and Mudassar Nazar appeared in 3 World Cups each.

From the current players, only Younus Khan has appeared in 3 World Cups while Kamran AKmal, Umar Gul and Mohammad Hafeez have   appeared in the World Cup twice before.

Here's a list of International players with most number of World Cup appearances.

Player	Span	World Cups	Mat
SR Tendulkar (India)	1992-2011	6	45
Javed Miandad (Pak)	1975-1996	6	33
Wasim Akram (Pak)	1987-2003	5	38
TM Odoyo (Kenya)	1996-2011	5	25
ST Jayasuriya (SL)	1992-2007	5	38
SO Tikolo (Kenya)	1996-2011	5	28
S Chanderpaul (WI)	1996-2011	5	31
RT Ponting (Aus)	1996-2011	5	46
PA de Silva (SL)	1987-2003	5	35
M Muralitharan (SL)	1996-2011	5	40
JH Kallis (SA)	1996-2011	5	36
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pak)	1992-2007	5	35
Imran Khan (Pak)	1975-1992	5	28
BC Lara (WI)	1992-2007	5	34
A Ranatunga (SL)	1983-1999	5	30
WPUJC Vaas (SL)	1996-2007	4	31
SR Waugh (Aus)	1987-1999	4	33
SP Fleming (NZ)	1996-2007	4	33
SM Pollock (SA)	1996-2007	4	31
Saleem Malik (Pak)	1987-1999	4	27
RS Mahanama (SL)	1987-1999	4	25
N Kapil Dev (India)	1979-1992	4	26
M Azharuddin (India)	1987-1999	4	30
JN Rhodes (SA)	1992-2003	4	24
J Srinath (India)	1992-2003	4	34
Ijaz Ahmed (Pak)	1987-1999	4	29
HP Tillakaratne (SL)	1992-2003	4	24
GD McGrath (Aus)	1996-2007	4	39
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1999-2011	4	33
DL Haynes (WI)	1979-1992	4	25
CZ Harris (NZ)	1992-2003	4	28
CL Cairns (NZ)	1992-2003	4	28
AR Border (Aus)	1979-1992	4	25
AJ Stewart (Eng)	1992-2003	4	25
AA Donald (SA)	1992-2003	4	25
A Flower (Zim)	1992-2003	4	30
Shahid Afridi (Pak)	1999-2011	4	20
IVA Richards (WI)	1975-1987	4	23
IT Botham (Eng)	1979-1992	4	22
GA Gooch (Eng)	1979-1992	4	21
ADR Campbell (Zim)	1992-2003	4	19
SM Gavaskar (India)	1975-1987	4	19
CA Walsh (WI)	1987-1999	4	17

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Perfect series before the World Cup

Well done PCB, selection committee and team management in utilizing the last series before the World Cup in best possible way and taking all the daring steps for the future. All experiments done, all monkeys (off the shoulder) tested and all such arguments and theories put to rest that could have effected the team moral and unity in the future.

Now just have to apply the conclusions and learning of this series into the World Cup and not to repeat these experiments there. A few long term take aways of the series:

1. Younus and Asad Shafiq can watch the World Cup anywhere except Pakistan dressing room.
2. M Hafeez can still be kept in the team only as a batsman as well.
3. The inclusion of Fawad and Suhaib in the WC is now a no-brainer.
4. Haris Sohail is here to stay and can be very handy with the ball; can provide an able support to our spin trio of Afridi, Ajmal and M Hafeez even if the two get cleared to bowl. With Fawad and Ahmad Shahazad also being able to bowl, that makes more than enough howling options for the tournament.
5. Misbah can continue as the captain. Afridi’s appointment as a captain is not going to turn it around for Pakistan just for the sake of it.
6. Afridi CAN play sensibly if enough incentive is on offer and when is motivated and handled properly. Keep the ear plugs on.
7. Irfan is fit enough to go the distance. Wahab and Tanvir can fight for a slot and then Anwar, Bhatti and Junaid can fight for the rest of the slots for the pacer(s).
8. We still need to find a batsman who can bowl medium pace instead of spin for the pitches where 4 pacers are required. Bhatti and Anwar simply aren’t that reliable in batting to fill that slot. Not even Tanvir.
9. Sarfaraz is settled in the team and no need for Umar Akmal to keep wickets. He can be used both as an opener as well as “batting power play specialist” when required.
10. The same support staff and management can continue till the World Cup. No need for any changes there.

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Cricket and Technology

December 11, 2014

DRS, no DRS. Hawk Eye, no Hawk Eye, Snicko, no Snicko. Heat map, no Heat map. Review, not to Review.

In recent times, all these questions have made Cricket, already perceived a complex and confusing game, even more confusing and complicated for not only super loyal fans but players as well. Now, as soon as a decision making event happens in Cricket, the first question that comes to mind is not of out or not out but which of the technology tools are available. Add the usual adventure of some players with known lack of knowledge of the rules of the game and you often end up having either a funny or a frustrating few minutes in the middle of the game.

Whether Technology should be used to assist decision making in Cricket or not? and to what extent? It has become such an infinite and never ending debate that has welcomed everyone to have an opinion about it.

I am all for Technology. Technology has changed the way we look at, feel, hear and say in our everyday life. It has changed the way we operate our lives so why shouldn't it change the way we operate Cricket. In this day and age where technology has drastically improved the ability of common people to see, hear and interpret the events around them, how could one expect anyone to be watching the game in the same old pre-1990 era -- where the Technology was insufficient to enhance the experience of TV audience so too of the umpires -- and so whatever the umpire said was final. I remember the time when even broadcasters used to have cameras only one side of the pitch not 11 cameras at a time today to even monitor the events happening at the boundary lines.

Another reason why Technology should be involved in decision making is that Cricket is not left to men in the ground any more. Gone are the days, when only captain, coach, selection committee and boards used to have a say in the career of a Cricketer. In this Information Age, every spectator has a say. Any one of them can hop on social media to examine any event in the game, talk about it and if required, speculate and crib about it. The prime tool under his use is nothing but Technology. Such chain of events often end up in the poor umpires getting all kinds of criticism and bashing. It looks absolutely unfair for an umpire to have one shot, that too on normal speed with one angle, to make a decision that could then be assessed and examined by billions of eyes having the luxury of all kinds of technologies to make their decision, say perception. It should be a level playing field for all - even for both the umpires and audience so that the criticism can be diverted more towards the ability of decision making rather than lack of technology.

The next question is how the technology should be used? What should be the modus operandi to involve Technology in decision making? The current method of players asking the umpire to review his own decision sounds extremely illogical. That happens when either team gestures to the umpire that they do not agree with the umpires judgment and want to take help of the technology that the poor umpire himself did not have in the first place. They could have at least called it "Third Umpire Review" or "Technology Review" or anything. They tried to brush it up a bit by taking out U (Umpire) from the DRS (Decision Review System), as if someone else also makes decisions in Cricket but it still sound rebellious and disrespectful to umpires, to an extent.

I see a logical flaw in the concept of players challenging a decision. Players never stay stationary or focused on decision making. Their focus is always to act, not to watch the activity. Its the umpire who is meant to be there with all his focus on decision making rather than bowling, fielding, catching, throwing playing or chasing the ball. If that dedicated person can't get a decision right then how come one or many other players who are there primarily to play, not make decisions, can make the right calls? If an umpire having the best position in and outside the field to judge an LBW can make an error then how come a keeper standing behind and moving around, or any slipper or any other fielder can even speculate about the decision.

The primary objective of DRS was to eliminate howlers but howlers don't come in predefined numbers like once in an ODI innings, twice in 80 overs in a Test innings. This approach doesn't make it a mechanism to eliminate howlers but more an attempt to stop the players from cribbing about the wrong decisions. Its more like, you could have got the right decision but you know what, it's your mistake that you didn't keep a review for this time. On one side, howlers are untapped once they happen after all reviews are consumed and on the other side, it has also added the unnecessary delay and drama on the field.

Avoidance of time wastage and delays is what has been told as the primary reason behind limiting the number of reviews. But what about all those cases where players confer and then decide not to review. Doesn't it waste equal amount of time?
I simply fail to understand why the same mechanism be applied to LBW, caught and other decisions that has been there for run out, stumpings, doubtful catches and boundary decisions? Yes, players do seem to request for it sometimes but it's purely an umpire's call when to use technology and refer to the third umpire for any decision. The mechanism has been there for decades now and that is the mechanism that has taken out the howlers from the game for those particular kinds of decisions. Do we still witness bizarre run out or stumping decisions? Who ensures that? If the umpires can handle that then why can't they handle all of that.

Then comes the interesting point about the accuracy of technology and which one to use and when. Like all other aspects of life, Technology can augment human intelligence but can never supersede it. There's simply no Technology that is 100% accurate and reliable. Machines simply lack human intelligence and artificial intelligence can work most but not all of the times. That does not mean Technology is useless. Its use is most beneficial when used to aid human intelligence not to compete with it. Technology can show you hot spots on the bat but you will always need a human to identify if it's because of ball hitting the bat or it is because of bat hitting something else. Same goes for Snicko and other technologies as well.

In principle, Technology should be used and all available technologies but it's use should be to assist the umpires in making the right decision instead of being used to challenge or undermine the umpires. The decision of when to use which Technology should be left to the umpires instead of players making those calls.

Let's equip the umpires better and let them do their job and let players focus on their job too - that is to play not to make or review decisions. Lets simplify it and move on and let us all concentrate on the beauty of the game that we all love instead of getting lost into the technicalities of the technology.

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Pakistan's history of pre-World Cup chaos and captaincy debate

Since 1999 Pakistan Cricket has prepared itself for the ODI World Cup with chaos, turmoil and self-destruct maneuvers and every time it has done one bit worst than the previous attempt. Whether its a coincidence or natural outcome of incompetent system, can be a good case for some top investigators but it can't overshadow the fact that Pakistan Cricket has been hit with major turmoil within 12 to 15 months before every ODI World Cup since 1999 which makes Pakistan's final standing in the last four World Cups pretty much expected and justified.

It started with unanticipated resignation of Javed Miandad as the coach of Pakistan team before '99 WC barely months before the event. Some say the untapped spot fixing and match fixing also played part but whatever the reason it may be, the timing of that development couldn't have been worst for Pakistan's World Cup campaign.

Although, Pakistan managed to reach the Finals of '99 edition of ODI World Cup but the unexpected losses against Bangladesh in a dead rubber and against Australia in the Finals are a talking point for all match fixing conspiracy theorists till this day. Its not surprising that a few still manages to find a few links between Miandad's resignation, Pakistan's loss against England in Sharjah during a tournament right before the World Cup and those losses during the World Cup.

2002/03 - a year before the next World Cup - Pakistan Cricket was sailing through the ocean of uncertainty yet again. The year marked the poorest performance of Pakistan against Australia (in Sri Lanka and UAE) and against South Africa in South Africa.

That performance is probably the worst in Pakistan's history if considered with the amount of talent, experience and expertise that was available to Pakistan team till 2003 World Cup that served as final curtain for the careers of Pakistan's all-time greats like Wasim, Waqar and Saeed Anwar. The not so confidential differences between then captain, Waqar Younus, and the board and selection committee were further validated when Waqar disclosed all the issues openly after the World Cup which saw Pakistan team failing to reach the knock out stages of the competition for the first time in the history.

Again, comparing the talent, experience and expertise in that squad with the result highlight nothing but rifts and infighting resulting in down fall of a competent side.

Then came 2006, another year before the ODI World Cup, which is remembered mostly for several infamous events like Inzimam - Hair altercation over ball tempering, the dope testing episode involving Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif, and Afridi getting banned for, supposedly, threatening a spectator with the bat in South Africa.

Pakistan's loss to Ireland in World Cup doesn't seem so much surprising when one considers the fact that Pakistan was without the services of Asif, Shoaib and Afridi - the three match winners on their day - for that particular match. What conspired after that loss to Ireland is a well-remembered event of history.

Moving on to 2011 World Cup, 2010/11 seasons marked similar chaotic trend with a touch of innovation this time. 2010, England, Pakistan, Cricket, No-balls - I believe it does not need any more hints to point at a particular event.

Apart from those bizarre events during the summer, 2010 was filled with trademark musical chairs for captaincy in Pakistan Cricket. 2009 had ended with Younus stepping down from captaincy and Yousuf taking over for Australia tour.

The start of 2010 calendar probably gave the clear indication of the chaos and madness that was about to follow. The year started with that infamous Sydney test that pushed Akmal brothers to the new level of popularity. The Sydney debacle was followed by the ball-biting stunt by one and only Shahid Afridi.

The irony didn't end their, the same man was also made the captain of Pakistan team for all types of Cricket. It didn't end there either. Afridi came back to Test Cricket from retirement for a test and went back after just a single test. Salman Butt was made the captain of rocking ship in the middle of the tour and his captaincy ended in another chaotic mess of spot fixing.

Then came Misbah ul Haq as the captain of Test side but by the time Pakistan played the last series before the World Cup against New Zealand, the air was again filled with the possibility of Misbah replacing Afridi as captain of Pakistan team during the World Cup. Although, it did not happen but it was not until the end of the New Zealand tour and just a few days before the World Cup that Afridi was finally announced as captain of Pakistan team for 2011 World Cup.

Whether it played a part or not but what happened in Mohali is a mystery to date where Pakistan defeated itself by not only giving four lives to Tendulkar but also with a run chase full of mind boggling displays - from M Hafeez's incomplete paddle sweep to Younus' slow down to Umar Akmal's and Abdul Razzaq's inability to play regulation deliveries to the unexplained delay in taking the power play when Misbah and Afridi were on the crease to Afridi's mindless hit on a full toss from Harbhajan in his last over before the power play...... and to Misbah's exhibition of devoted defense in a run chase with perfection of taking singles on last ball of every over.

The next series after World Cup in West Indies resulted in public altercation between the captain, Shahid Afridi, and the coach, Waqar Younus. It only needs common sense to understand that it takes a while for such differences to burst out and it looks ominous that not everyone in the Pakistan camp were on the same page before yet another World Cup.


The past is irrelevant until the future conspires to repeat the history. With around 15 months to go for another ODI Word Cup, the scene of Pakistan Cricket is again filled with noises, better say shouts, for Misbah and M Hafeez to be kicked out of their role as ODI and T20 captains of Pakistan, respectively. Let's keep the discussion about T20, M Hafeez and T20 for another day but for ODIs, the scene is amazingly similar with Pakistan Cricket's pre-World Cup history since '99.

Misbah has been the captain of the side since 2011 - right after 2011 World Cup when the West Indies tour - the first after the 2011 WC - resulted in Afridi vacating yet another captaincy slot. Good or bad, aggressive or defensive, inspiring or dull, Misbah has handled this team of volatile ingredients pretty well and to his credit, the world hasn't heard of any new scandal from Pakistan camp for almost three years - rarity, isn't it?

However, the calls for removal of Misbah don't look that unjustified if all the touching-distance losses, dramatic collapses and helpless bowling performances are kept in mind. Misbah has provided much stability at the cost of distinctive flair of Pakistan Cricket, isn't an incorrect statement. It can be said that just like in the middle of fragile batting line up, Misbah has done remarkably well in fulfilling his duties of stabilizing the team in the middle of captaincy musical chairs and all other controversies.

But just like his batting, he is too good to lay the foundation but not good enough to finish the games all by himself. Just like his batting, he is an honest trier and hardworking individual but probably an unlucky one who has missed enough chances to cease the moment and turn a close defeat into a winning finish; probably that is what differentiates him from the classification of typical Pakistani fighters like Miandad, Wasim Waqar, Inzimam and others and probably that is why most of common Pakistanis criticize him for missing the opportunity without appreciating his efforts in taking the game that close from where he could be blamed for not winning it.

So, its not the removal of Misbah as a captain which should be of great concern at this point but it should be the impact of this removal and his replacement. Pakistan Cricket still has time to prepare for 2015 World Cup so it can look for a new leader. It can thank Misbah for his efforts for laying the foundations of a stable base from where Pakistan can launch its band of world beaters.

But if it is going to be just a change of old guard with another old face then it is going to be a disaster yet again. Replacement of Misbah with someone who was removed or stepped down for one reason or the other, may undo Misbah's stabilizing efforts and push Pakistan Cricket back into the familiar hole of captaincy musical chairs, infighting and rifts.

It's time Pakistan Cricket eradicate the disease of every player eyeing the captaincy spot and the board fueling their egoistic wishes by providing all the means for the captaincy musical chair. The policy of no-repeated captain may solve a lot of issues of Pakistan Cricket including dressing room grouping etc.

As for M Hafeez taking over from Misbah, it would definitely be a case of replacing a 4-wheeler with a 2-wheeler just for the sake of  it. It would be change just for the sake of change and primarily because of how much the 4-wheeler is disliked rather than what is exactly needed.



In summary, Pakistan Cricket is standing at the crossroads yet another time right before a World Cup and it should resist the temptation of repeating the history. If it is inevitable, its time Pakistan go for a young captain and work on long term plans like Australia did with Allan Border in 80s and South Africa did with Greame Smith in 2003.

It looks like the careers of veterans like Misbah, Afridi, Younus, Abdul Razzaq, M Hafeez, Shoaib Malik etc. are not going to last beyond 2015 World Cup, so replacement of Misbah with any of these would be nothing but another cut for very short term gains. It looks like the appointment of a young captain is inevitable. Whether it should be done now or left till the end of another unsuccessful World Cup campaign in 2015, is a point to ponder. 

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