Captains’ mantle resembles crown of thorns

The 2003 World Cup has seen as much entertainment off the pitch as it has on it. Couple that with a few unfavourable results, and the captai...

The 2003 World Cup has seen as much entertainment off the pitch as it has on it. Couple that with a few unfavourable results, and the captains of most of the leading teams have a lot more than just strategies on their minds.

Australia’s World Cup campaign is still on track but, with the more serious stages coming up, Ricky Ponting needs to iron out a few key areas. After Shane Warne’s exit, the onus is on Brad Hogg for the spin bowling. Will Hogg be able to manage the load with Darren Lehmann and Andrew Symonds in support as the competition gets more serious? The middle-order’s brittleness, minus Steve Waugh, is a much-discussed issue and hasn’t been tested yet. Ponting’s own form hasn’t been too hot either. So, when the going gets tough, will the tough stand up to it?

As things stand, even a Super Six spot seems tough for Shaun Pollock’s South Africa. There has been widespread criticism of Pollock’s captaincy and factions are developing within the side. The team, or part of it, seems stuck in the Cronje era. The bowling attack has looked completely out of sorts, with third seamer Allan Donald set to be dropped from the side for good.

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Jonty Rhodes also hasn’t helped Pollock’s cause by breaking an elbow and leaving the Cup. To top that, ex-team members like Pat Symcox, Daryl Cullinan and Fanie De Villiers have spoken out against Pollock and his boys.

Like Pollock, India’s Saurav Ganguly hasn’t had a happy time either. If Pollock had to face criticism, Ganguly had to hear reports of his effigies burning in hometown Kolkata and certain quarters calling for his head. Things have turned around somewhat after a couple of wins and a return to form, but Ganguly knows that even a semifinal spot won’t satisfy the country. The positive for him is that his team is getting its act together, something Pollock doesn’t have in his favour.

Waqar Younis is having an even worse time of it. The loss to England hasn’t gone down well back home. And their route to the Super Sixes is far from smooth. Pakistan’s batting hasn’t clicked. Their bowling has been on and off. Their fielding has been bad. Knowing them, they may yet turn it around but the lack of cohesiveness in the ranks is showing through.

While Stephen Fleming in Group B is having a better time of it, Carl Hooper, and Sanath Jayasuriya, post Kenya, are not. For Hooper, the two points lost against Bangladesh might come back to haunt him. Also, Canada’s John Davison exposed the holes in their bowling with some fantastic strokeplay on Sunday; something Hooper has to work on…fast.

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For Sanath, the Nairobi debacle would have thrown all his calculations awry. Now, with two matches — against South Africa and the West Indies — coming up, the Lankans might just end up at the wrong end of the table. And his inexplicable decision to ask Kenya to bat has also come in for criticism.

Another captain with a pile of worries is Nasser Hussain. A sore neck; players with ‘tears in their eyes’ after the Zimbabwe imbroglio; the ‘brink’ match against Namibia; bowlers with a propensity to break down; a set of out-of-form batsmen in the top order. Swing bowler James Anderson seems to be his only silver lining.