THE electric passion generated by the intense on-going Ashes contests has overshadowed to a great extent the other events taking place around the cricketing world. The Test series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and the tri-nation that involved India alongside the above two, were two such incidents. The tour of New Zealand to Zimbabwe was no different either, and the equation is not likely to change when the Indians join them for yet another triangular.
The level and intensity of competition in any of these matches was — and is not expected to be in the matches ahead — even thirty per cent of what it is like in the Ashes. As such, the lack of public interest in these outings is comprehensible. What came as a bit of a surprise, however, was the lack of following that marked the series between official Asian and African outfits. The stadiums were all but empty, which was a touch disappointing because as far as the players were concerned, the keenness was very much there. The matches were not played or even approached like festival encounters.
Perhaps this strong involvement of the cricketing world in the Ashes was one of the reasons the ICC and its selectors took the liberty of silently slipping in a shock. Yes, I am of course referring to the inexplicable omission of Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq from the final squads announced by the ICC for the planned Super League between Australia and the Rest of the World. It is disgusting, to say the least, and this is not just because he happens to be my compatriot Pakistani. On pure cricketing logic and merit, the decision does not stand.
Though the ICC and its selectors have not tried to explain the selection criterion, there can only be four major counters: overall record, recent form, fitness, and mental toughness. Let’s take them one by one.
In terms of overall record, Inzamam has one hundred and one Test and 347 One Day Internationals to his credit, scoring at an average of 51 runs per innings in Tests, and 40 in the shorter version. During his career thus far, he has accumulated well over 18,000 runs on the international stage, with more than 150 scores of at least 50 and above in an innings. If this is not impressive, nothing is. It is much better than, say, Graeme Smith, who has been named to lead the World XI.
In terms of recent form, the recent Afro-Asia contests could not have mattered much, because had that been so, most of the African players named in the World squad would not have been there. Prior to that, Inzamam had featured on tours to India and the West Indies where he had been brilliant, as usual.
When it comes to fitness, Inzamam has it much better than, say, Sachin Tendulkar, who has not been picked by his own nation because he is not fit enough for the last several months.
And, finally, mental toughness. Ever since Inzamam was asked to lead Pakistan, he has been a man transformed. His attitude is more positive, his on-field aggression is visible, and he has carried the fight almost single-handedly to the rival camps. He is the nucleus of Pakistan team, and he has relished that pressure, delivering more often than not.
In addition to all this, the selectors have no way to defend the selection of Kevin Pietersen, a novice, ahead of Inzamam in the One Day lineup. If the former is an exciting prospect, the latter is only more so. Plus, Kevin is a lousy fielder, having dropped dollies in the Ashes, while Inzamam is known to have one of the safest pairs of hands in world cricket.
So, as we can see, Inzamam has been there right at the top on all the vital four counts. But this is something that the ICC and its selectors could not see. Amazingly, the ICC was not even bothered by the fact that in dropping Inzamam from the final squad, they were dropping the captain of Asian XI. It is funny that someone who was considered fit enough in all respects to lead Asia was not found good enough for a spot in the World XI, and Rahul Dravid, who was picked to play under Inzamam in the Asia squad is now named the vice-captain of the World XI. This is despite the fact that Dravid only recently has been removed from captaincy in his own country. I really smell a rat somewhere there.
THE electric passion generated by the intense on-going Ashes contests has overshadowed to a great extent the other events taking place around the cricketing world. The Test series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and the tri-nation that involved India alongside the above two, were two such incidents. The tour of New Zealand to Zimbabwe was no different either, and the equation is not likely to change when the Indians join them for yet another triangular.
Though the ICC and its selectors have not tried to explain the selection criterion, there can only be four major counters: overall record, recent form, fitness, and mental toughness. Let’s take them one by one.
