Hitwicket: Shoaib, Inzi & Pak’s power struggle

Akhtar had a reason to go after Inzamam. The captain had had words with his personal friend and team trainer Tauseef Razzaq who, in a fit of pique, did not travel with the team to Rawalpindi from Lahore.

But the history between captain and star goes back farther. And at the root of it all are Akhtar’s own captaincy ambitions and his singular distaste for adhering to the commands of a skipper.

Akhtar in his own mind is an incomparable match-winner. To an extent that is true, a fact that statistics support. Pakistan have won a very high percentage of matches in which he has either played or performed well — nearly 50 per cent when he participates and even better when he takes five or more wickets. His contribution in Pakistan’s many victories after the 2003 World Cup has been quite significant. This has stoked his enthusiasm for captaincy even further.

And it is precisely this that makes Inzamam feel threatened, and he openly accused Akhtar of not just underperforming but also trying to create his own group in the team during the one-day part of the recent away rubber in New Zealand that Pakistan lost 4-1.

The maverick that he is, and with a track record smeared with several instances of indiscipline, Akhtar has a serious credibility gap in public perception. And that is why there are few takers now for his protestations of innocence. The situation is further exacerbated as one takes a look at his most recent record: his good spells were outnumbered by far too many bad ones against India. His cumulative haul of seven wickets at 42 apiece in three Tests is definitely not becoming of his status as the leading light of the Pakistan attack.

Inzamam for his part has been quite successful in selling his version of events to the cricketing establishment. That is why, while Akhtar remains in the dock, Inzamam has been able to get a reaffirmation on his lease on captaincy going ahead till the end of 2004.

But given Inzamam’s rather pronounced lack of communications skills combined with so many trying to throw a spanner in his works, his is likely to be a rough ride. That, though, is nothing to be surprised about: it has been the pattern in Pakistan cricket since 1992, when Imran Khan abdicated at the peak of his glory.

(The writer is Sports Editor, The Nation, Lahore)

Shoaib to skip Lanka series

Shoaib Akhtar has decided to pull out from a one-day cricket series against Sri Lanka in Malaysia in a month’s time. Shoaib’s family said that accusing him as a deserter and pinning the blame for the series loss against India has put off the bowler, who was “not physically and mentally fit”. They said that attempts were being made to blame Shoaib instead of the “rotten match strategy, poor planning and spineless batting and bowling”.

Medical Commission set up

The PCB today appointed a four-member medical committee (not to find a scapegoat, according to PCB CEO Ramiz Raja) to probe into the spate of injuries to its players, especially during the India series, and asked the concerned cricketers to appear before the panel by this week. The commission would examine tearaway paceman Shoaib Akhtar, ’keeper Moin Khan, Abdul Razzaq and fast bowlers Shabbir Ahmed and Umar Gul. — (PTI)