Skippers
in control – only time will tell!
Leave Bangladesh and Zimbabwe out of
the equation and observe the credentials of the other
captains leading the test playing nations currently
and there are some mighty powerful cricketing names.
Next month it’s the ICC Champions trophy, then
back to a few months of regular international cricket
and on to the World Cup, in March next year.
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Stephen Fleming the most experienced
captain among the present lot |
Should form and fitness prevail, Ricky
Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardena,
Inzamam-ul-Haq, Graham Smith, Stephen Fleming, Andrew
Flintoff, make-up the party. One common feature is that
they are among the best in the world. All above mentioned
are batsmen barring Flintoff who is a genuine all rounder.
In fact the England Captain is the
new kid amongst the lot. He has spent half of the English
season recovering from injury. A distinct character
of the man is his unshakeable temperament. It has helped
him immensely in tough situations as a player and no
doubt is a strong ally when captaining. Like all other
aspects of the game it is with experience that a player
learns and develops. In that respect Flintoff has much
to catch-up when comparing with the rest of his peers.
One common characteristic of these
leaders is that they possess undemonstrative manners.
Hardly ever have any of them seem to lose their cool.
Inzamam-ul-Haq is on top of the list. His laid back
attitude did not suggest that he would ever be a leader
of the temperamental Pakistani outfit. Now, having got
there he is providing the calming influence and the
guiding light, being the senior citizen amongst a young
talented batch of players.
For a captain to be accepted he must
be a performer. Yet again, another characteristic that
is common with all these men. They have thrived under
the responsibility of scoring runs in varied conditions
and situations, the world over. In Flintoff’s
case taking wickets too and Dravid had a stint behind
the stumps as India’s ODI keeper. This has made
the added responsibility much easier to handle.
Out of this lot Graeme Smith was the
youngest when the captaining mantle was thrust upon
him. He was selected after South Africa’s poor
showing in the last World Cup, on their own soil. He
has grown in the job. His performances with the bat
have also progressed steadily. Of recent times he has
displayed more aggression, than at the beginning of
his captaincy stint. It is an area he needs to strike
a balance.
New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming
has been the longest around continuously. Brian Lara
of course started on the job before them all. His in-out,
in-out, captaincy career indicates the tough demands
of the job. The need to be mentally tough yet totally
balanced. The need to motivate and get the best of one’s
self and the rest of the team; the need to plan and
plan precisely with the support staff and then implement
every plan; it takes a lot out of the man in that hot
seat.
The two captains of the neighboring
nations India and Sri Lanka have a similar approach.
Both Mahela Jayawardena (the current skipper) and Rahul
Dravid got accustomed to the position like ducks to
water. They are accepted and respected in all quarters.
Both have had their ups and downs but have handled it
all satisfactorily.
Ricky Ponting has had the fortune
of inheriting a champion team in the best organized
cricketing set-up in the world. He follows a line of
successful captains from Alan Border to Mark Taylor
to Steve Waugh. Perhaps all of that has made his task
easier than for most of the others. Still, he has to
deliver the goods and to date he has done just that.
Every national captain would consider
it an ultimate dream to lift the World Cup. Ricky Ponting
has done it! Whose turn will it be next? Time will tell.
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