A hurried push that came late

Even a death couldn8217;t take away from Pakistan their usual post-World Cup defeat ritual 8212; resignation of their captain.

Even a death couldn8217;t take away from Pakistan their usual post-World Cup defeat ritual 8212; resignation of their captain. Within hours of finding coach Bob Woolmer8217;s body in his hotel room under mysterious circumstances and the reason of his death still not known, Inzmam-ul Haq stepped down as skipper and also ended his ODI career. He will, however, lead Pakistan in the final group game against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

If that unfortunate morning statement about the coach8217;s death was mysterious, the evening announcement about the captain8217;s resignation-cum-retirement, too, was even more so.

When reporters were informed about Inzamam8217;s desire to interact with the media, many expected mere tributes from the captain to his coach. He did offer heartfelt condolences to the man he shared a close working relationship with and talked about Bob8217;s role in shaping the team, but it soon turned out to be a thanks-giving speech and even had a mention about the golden period of his playing days.

With those at the briefing taken by surprise, the first few questions that Inzamam encountered were about the timing of the announcement. Isn8217;t it insensitive? Do things like captaincy or even retirement matter on a day like this? Is it right to leave the team in limbo at a time when it needed a strong leader?

Inzamam talked about an incident that happened yesterday as a reply to this question. 8220;On way back from the stadium after the defeat to Ireland, I spoke to Bob about my decision. But he asked me to talk about it tomorrow. But tomorrow never came,8221; he says.

Inzamam was of the opinion that since he had made up his mind, and with his coach8217;s counsel not quite there, he stuck to his decision. Looking at the boys, who had turned up in full strength and were seated at the briefing, Inzamam said that 8220;the team was strong enough to do well despite him not being at the helm8221;.

Many believe that the reason for Inzamam8217;s stepping down could be the pressure on him because of the reaction back home. With the news of poster-burning, stone-pelting and a general consensus about a change at the top forming in Pakistan, the pressure was getting too much for him to handle. Though Inzamam denied any such thing, he made a public apology and took the entire responsibility on himself.

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This was something that the Pakistan captain had foreseen on the day the World Cup opened about a week back. 8220;At the 2003 World Cup there were many players as old as me so there were others to take the pressure. This time around I am the only one left and so whatever happens, I will have to take the entire the blame,8221; he had said.

Taking the blame is seen as a quality that good leaders possess, but history wouldn8217;t put Inzamam as a great leader. With two of Pakistan8217;s most humiliating losses 8212; the other one is India8217;s first ever Test series win in Pakistan in 2004 8212; happening in Inzamam8217;s tenure, he will be best remembered as a world-class batsman with lots of time to play his shots. But at this World Cup the time was running out for him and, maybe, for the first time in his career he played a hurried push.