Pakistan’s new Test and one-day captain, Shahid Afridi wants to root out indiscipline and infighting among his teammates in a bid to put the country’s under-achieving cricket team back on track.
Afridi said Wednesday he came out of self-imposed Test exile for the sake of Pakistan cricket and will make all efforts to lift the team out of the prevailing crisis.
‘My main task is to make a good team out of this talented bunch of players,’ he stressed. ‘I also want to promote unity and harmony among the boys because that’s the only way to get the best out of them,’ Afridi was quoted as saying in ‘The News’.
Pakistan cricket was rocked by a major controversy when the players got involved in a lot of mud-slinging during a probe conducted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the aftermath of a catastrophic tour of Australia that concluded last February.
Several leading players accused each other of indiscipline during the proceedings of the probe committee after which seven of the country’s leading cricketers were slapped with strict penalties.
Afridi, 30, said as Pakistan’s new captain he would crack down on such negative behaviour.
‘I will not tolerate any sort of conspiracies in my team,’ he said. ‘I will encourage the boys to discuss their problems openly and I will ask them to bury their differences. When we leave on a tour I will ask them to leave all their problems behind and just focus on giving their best for the country.’
Afridi, who will be leading Pakistan in next month’s Asia Cup and more importantly during the challenging tour of England, made it clear that it will be a demanding task.
‘It’s a very tough task. I haven’t played Test cricket for quite some time but will have to lead the team from the front on the tour of England.
‘To play against Australia and England in English conditions would need a lot of guts. But I am hopeful that the boys will rise to the challenge.’
Afridi, however, was quick to warn his fans against raising their expectations.
‘We are good in limited-overs cricket but will take time to settle down in Tests and we need to be patient.’
However, Afridi is hopeful that a likely return of experienced players like Younis Khan and Shoaib Akhtar will boost the team’s chances in the Asia Cup and in England where his team will play back-to-back series against Australia and the hosts from July to September.
‘Younis is coming back, Shoaib is coming back and that’s going to help me a lot.’
Afridi is also optimistic that a few youngsters whom Pakistan are likely to include for the two assignments will also shine in Sri Lanka and in England.
‘Almost as important as senior players are the newcomers because they hold the key to our team’s future,’ he said. ‘We are planning to try out a few youngsters in the forthcoming events and I’m hopeful that they will not disappoint us.’
Afridi played the last of his 26 Tests almost four years back in Manchester and his critics doubt his chances of making a successful comeback in Tests.
‘I will focus on my batting and my bowling because that’s the way I can contribute properly in Tests. It won’t be easy but I’m mentally prepared to take up this challenge for the sake of the team.’
A docudrama plays a story of women cricketers’ struggle and triumph
Kolkata, Sep 9 (ANI): A docudrama titled ‘Indian Women’s Cricket team Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies’ highlights the disparity between men and women cricket players in India.
As the title suggests, the docudrama shows how while men cricketers hog all the limelight and bask in the glory of success and money, women cricketers are way behind their male counterparts though they have been able to carve a name for themselves in the international sport arena.
The 25-minute audio-visual commentary narrates a story of the triumph of women’s cricket despite the disparities and differential treatment.
Former Indian Skipper Anjum Chopra said the docudrama has been able to mirror the women cricketers’ struggle, hard work and determination to reach the milestone they have achieved despite receiving far less attention of sports authority, sponsorship and media coverage as compared with their male counterparts.
“I really liked it. I think it’s very nice. It covers a lot of angels into the lives of women cricketers on and off the field. It’s a true depiction of the lives and struggles of Indian women cricketers go through,” Anjum Chopra added.
The The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI ) spends millions of rupees on men’s cricket and its stalwart players but women’s team, which has consistently done well in the context of world tournaments, has not received the same attention and promotion.
Sunil Yash Kalra, who has directed the documentary, said it’s time to tell the story of players engaged in the most popular and fast growing game in India despite their gender.
“It’s a sport which is a nerve centre of India, the subcontinent. And, it’s also included in the Asian Games next year. So, basically if you were to look at it… A, it’s the fastest growing game. B, there is a story that needs to be told about each individual member, that’s what the idea is to showcase the best to the rest of the world,” Kalra added.
The film also reveals interesting facts about women’s cricket in India. For example, women’s cricket in India can be traced back to early 20th century when an Australian school teacher Anne Kelleve made cricket a compulsory game at the Baker Memorial School in Kottayam, Kerala, in 1913.
The Women’s World Cup was initiated in 1973, two years before the men’s World Cup. And, Indian eves played T20 international cricket in 2006 while Indian men played their first match in 2007. (ANI)