Is Azhar Ali the right choice?

Azhar might be a little premature to be appointed as captain of a team that is spiraling into descent

After the culmination of Misbahul Haq’s stint as Pakistan’s One-Day International (ODI) captain and his retirement from the 50-over format, perhaps, the most intriguing question that had arisen was regarding Pakistan’s ODI captaincy. Leading contenders included Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez amongst others.

A day prior to the World Cup final, the sensational and shocking news of Azhar Ali being appointed as the ODI skipper emerged, which was later confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shahrayar Khan. Justifications by the chairman centered around the newly-appointed captain’s performance and leadership in the recently concluded Pentangular Cup in which Azhar led the Balochistan Warriors.

The Warriors were the second runners-up and the top-order batsman was the leading run-scorer with 302 runs at a strike rate of 86.28. If performance in the Pentangular Cup is to be considered as criterion to choose the Pakistani captain, then I have a number of clarifications to seek from the PCB.

Why wasn’t Junaid Khan appointed the Pakistan captain as he skippered his team to success in the Pentangular Cup? Why wasn’t Sarfraz bestowed with the captaincy as he was the victorious skipper in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup, not to forget his excellent form for Pakistan in the last 15 months, including a fruitful World Cup? If the captaincy criteria centers around success in the Pentangular Cup, then why wasn’t Azhar a part of the World Cup squad?

Though Azhar is an excellent Test player, in my opinion, it is a little premature to appoint him as captain of a team that is spiraling into descent. The last ODI played by the newly appointed captain was in January 2013. His strike rate in the format is less than appealing, which had been a factor in him not being recalled to the side in two years.

Captaincy in modern-day cricket is tantamount to marshalling troops in a war. It is not just about wearing the captain’s armband. Apart from playing excellent cricket, the captain must have the strength, character and charisma to handle crises and, most importantly, be a motivator at all times.

Captaining Pakistan is generally thought to be one of the most difficult jobs in the cricketing world, where the focus is not just on cricket but on a variety of issues that come along with the prestigious appointment. They include issues of confronting lobbying, possible player rebellions and a highly critical public, which can heap scorn at the speed of the deliveries which Wahab Riaz pelted at Shane Watson.

However, despite all the reservations one may have, I would still congratulate the new skipper and wish him all the best in his tenure as Pakistan’s ODI captain. There is no denying the fact that he has mountains to scale. As a nation, let’s all pray and hope for positive results.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2015.