Leading from the front is a phrase we all hear time and again when we talk about leadership. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s most prolific run getter in ODIs, had been facing the firing squad for quite some time before he finally decided to call it quits. Inzamam’s biggest criticism has been his failure to lead by example while captaining the Pakistani team.
You will hear people giving examples of how the other captains have batted so bravely for their country and in doing so have led from the front. Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Stephen Flemming, Greame Smith are few names that come to mind when we think about captains. Here is a break down of how the other captains have performed while leading their team in an ODI.
Games avg 100s 50s
120 36.50 5 18 - B.Lara
73 37.75 6 12 - S.Tendulkar
211 32.66 6 37 - S.Flemming
142 44.31 15 31 - R.Ponting
86 39.36 6 20 - G.Smith
54 29.79 0 10 - M.Vaughan
89 44.34 2 19 - I.Huq
65 42.43 2 22 - R.Dravid
It is truly amazing to see that Inzamam-ul-Haq’s average of 44.34 puts him at the top of the list. The only other person who bats at number 5 – when the pressure is high, Brian Lara, is way behind Inzamam.
So, why is Inzamam blamed for not being able to lead from the front? There are a couple of reasons why a batting genius like Inzamam has accrued so much criticism as a captain.
Firstly, if we dig deeper in his career we will see a tendency to fail at the highest level. His world cup performances have not been any where close to his potential. A competition like the world cup is where the greats triumph. Inzamam’s batting average of 44 is even higher than king Viv’s batting average (39) as captain of West Indies, but it is his failure in the finals and world cups that has kept his name from being taken in the same breath as Viv Richards’. Inzamam averages a shade under 24 in 35 world cup games and his average of 32 in all finals is below par. For comparison purposes, Richards’ average is 63 in 23 world cup games and 53 in the 24 finals he batted in.
Secondly, Inzi’s decision to demote him self in the batting order is perceived by most as an act of cowardice. The reason Inzamam is criticized so much in spite of his batting average as captain, is because of his mentality. He preferred to bat at number 5 with the tail enders/pinch hitters and took it upon him to give support to Afridi and Razzak from one end. It is this approach that led to most of the finger pointing, and ultimately his down fall. A person of Inzamam’s class should have batted at number 3 or 4 and in doing so faced the maximum number of balls.
Inzamam’s average at different positions as captain:
pos Ings Avg 100s 50s
4th 27 49.69 2 6
5th 43 45.24 0 13
6th 8 22.57 0 0
We can clearly see the improvement in the average when inzamam decided to go out in the middle earlier than his usual number 5. Not only did he score more runs, but batting at that position he was able to bring more stability to the ever so vulnerable Pakistan middle order. Inzamam scored two centuries as captain and both of them came when he batted at number 4.
The over-all stats will dis-prove that Inzamam did not lead by example. However, in Inzi’s case, the issue of leading from the front was quite a literal one. Had he batted a spot or two higher, not only would Pakistan have had a better win ratio, but PCB may not have been looking for another captain just yet.
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2 comments:
Indeed the stats provide a very interesting story, but I think the criticism is not that he does not perform, atleast I do not feel that way, but I feel that he is not an inspiring leader. That is why names like Fleming, Smith, Ponting etc. are mentioned as being leaders. Even if you look at Steve Waugh's career his greatest asset was not his batting or bowling (when he used to) but rather the fact that he can inspire a whole team with a performance. That was Inzi's worst quality if I say so, he has lead the team but then when the team came out to bowl or face the next innings there really wasn't a fire within, the players didn't seem like as if they would give their all for a leader like Inzi. Inzamam has played like a leader but he was not inspiring. That is what I feel is his biggest criticism.
Assalam o alikum
I think the title should have been "a loser with a losing attitude". I say this because he never could win anything substantial. But on another note i think Inzi is not the only loser. The whole cricket team, the staff and PCB even the freaking president is a loser. After the debacle of the WC we have still managed to retain the chairman of the PCB. If this goes through and nothing happens I believe we can extend the scope to even include us and all other Pakistanis everywhere.
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/pakspin/archives/2007/03/power_without_responsibility_t.php#more
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