Tendulkar unlikely to score 100th ton in Australia

Former Australian pacer, Glenn McGrath, has predicted that the Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar will not be able to score his historic 100th ton during the ongoing tour of Australia. With 99 international tons to his name, Tendulkar is just one century short of becoming the first man to score hundred international hundreds. Cricket lovers and fans have been waiting for the elusive landmark since the English tour of India. He has come close to record on a few occasions the past few months, but falling short every time. Team India is currently in Australia, playing a four-match Test series. With three games still left in the series, fans and analysts alike are anticipating the Little Master to accomplish the record in the second Test at Sydney, starting on Tuesday.

However, McGrath has an entirely different take on the matter, saying that the Master Blaster will remain stranded on 99 tons this summer. He did rate Tendulkar as a class act, and confessed that Tendulkar will arrive at the elusive ton sooner than later. At the same time, he also claimed that the Kangaroos will stop the Indian superstar from achieving the glory in Australia. "Well the scene is set, there's no doubt about that, Sachin's a class player and to be sitting on 99 (international) hundreds is incredible," McGrath was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. "But I'm tipping our boys will hold him back for another few Tests. It would be nice to see Sachin get his 100th hundred first Test in the next series," added the 41-year-old fast bowler. Currently, Australia is winning the 4 match Test series 1-0, courtesy a 122 runs victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first test. Tendulkar made a fabulous half-century in the first innings of the match, but was cleaned up by Siddle to leave him short of his elusive hundred. Tendulkar has another chance in the second Test match, and he will need to be on song if India is to level the 4 match series at Sydney.

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Duncan Fletcher blames luck for India’s dismal show against Australia

India’s coach Duncan Fletcher claimed that his side was unlucky against Australia during their first innings in the second Test of the four match series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The tourists were bowled out for 191 runs, as none of their batsmen really got going. Skipper MS Dhoni was the top scorer of the innings, contributing an unbeaten 57 runs to the total, but there was not much support for him from the other end. If India go onto lose this match, this will be their sixth consecutive defeat in the longest format of the game on foreign soil. They were whitewashed by England in a four-match series played last year and suffered a 122-run loss against Australia in the ongoing competition.

Due to these poor performances on foreign soil, the critics have slammed the Indian players, especially the experienced ones, who have been unable to deliver results on wickets with assistance for bowlers. Amongst the star studded Indian top-order, Rahul Dravid was the only player who delivered against every opposition in 2011. However, his performances went in vain, as the team continued losing matches against quality sides. Despite all this, Fletcher backed his players, saying, “The mood in the dressing room has been very, very good. They're working very hard at nets, they're putting in the effort, they're trying their best. It's just sometimes in cricket we just need a little bit of good fortune.” The former English coach pointed out the mode of dismissal of the most successful Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, saying that it was extremely unlucky. The veteran batsman attempted to drive a full delivery outside the off-stump, but dragged it onto the stumps. According to Fletcher, “How often would he (Sachin) play on from that width, more often than not he would have put that through the covers for four.... Sometimes it goes against you and sometimes it runs with you.” Last year, when the Men in Blue lost to England, they blamed lack of practice and fitness issues. However, they had all their regular players available for the Australian series and also played a couple of tour games in order to get used to the conditions.

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Michael Clarke wants Ponting to score hundred, not Tendulka

All eyes are on Sachin Tendulkar, as he will be aiming to smash his historic 100th ton during the upcoming second Test between Australia and India. However, the Australian skipper, Michael Clarke is wishing for something entirely different, as he backed the veteran Ricky Ponting to hit a century in the second clash at Sydney Cricket Ground, starting from Tuesday. "The way Punter is batting at the moment, he is not far away from a big one. One thing I know about him is if he gets to 100, he won't be stopping there since he's got a very good record at the SCG. I know he loves playing here, so it wouldn't surprise me if he walked out and made a 100 in this Test,'' Clarke said ahead of the 100th Test match in Sydney.

The former Aussie skipper has a wonderful record at the SCG of scoring 1346 runs in 15 games – the most number of runs by any batsman at the venue. Ponting is in good form these days, as he scored half-centuries in both innings of the opening Test at Melbourne. However, the only problem is that he has been failing to convert his fifties into big innings, as his previous Test ton came against Pakistan almost a couple of years ago. While Clarke is pushing his ex-captain to fetch a hundred, he wished the Indian Little Master to score his elusive ton after the ongoing tour Down Under. "I hope his 100 doesn't come until the next series because I'd love to watch it on television. But he's been such a great player and certainly deserves all the credit he's received," added the 30-year-old skipper. The Kangaroos are currently one game up in the four-match Test series. They won the first game comprehensively by 122 runs, and are keen to make it 2-0 at Sydney. The Indian batting line-up failed terribly in the MCG encounter, and Clarke is expecting his bowlers to trouble the tourists yet again. He argued that since the Sydney wicket has something helpful for the bowlers, it will not be an easy outing for Tendulkar and other Indian willow-wielders.

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Dav Whatmore resigns as Kolkata Knight Riders' coach to pursue international coaching

Dav Whatmore, Former Aussie cricketer, has resigned as Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) coach after a stint of two years. According to reports, the Australian born decided to take this action in order to pursue his international coaching career. Venky Mysore, CEO KKR, confirmed that Whatmore will no longer be part of the Indian Premier League franchise. The CEO thanked Whatmore for playing his part in the development of KKR squad. Mysore said, “We fully support Dav's keen interest in pursuing an international coaching role and we wish him the very best. His decision to resign is to ensure that KKR is able to plan for the transition and we thank him for that.”

Pakistan’s national team has been without a permanent coach ever since Waqar Younis stepped down. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has searched left and right for a suitable coach and it seems their search will end up with Whatmore taking charge of things. The PCB has not yet confirmed his appointment, and has decided to keep away from his resignation issue. A commendable source within the PCB has said, “That is his personal decision but as far as the PCB is concerned we are yet to enter into any agreement with him.” The source further divulged that the PCB has shortlisted several candidates for the coaching job, however the experienced Aussie is their first priority. The indigenous source said, “It is confirmed he is the number one choice for the head coach position by the board.” This is not the first time that Whatmore has been linked with a move to Pakistan. The 57-year-old was amongst the top contenders for the post, in 2007, but there was a contingent within the Green Shirts, who opposed his hiring sensing that his style of coaching will have repercussions, as a result fellow Australian Geoff Lawson was given the responsibility of training Pakistan. Whatmore is facing similar opposition this time as well. A report published by Pa akistani newspaper “Jang” reads, “Some of the seniors are reportedly not happy because of Whatmore's reputation as a hard task master and his having attitude problems.”

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Shahid Afridi inspires Melbourne Renegades to their first victory of Big Bash Twenty20

Melbourne Renegades, the Australian Domestic team, registered their first win of the Big Bash Twenty20 League courtesy some splendid bowling from leg-spinner, Shahid Afridi. The match that was played at Stadium Australia, Sydney saw the visiting team post a decent total of 140 runs for the loss of eight wickets. In reply, the hosts could only muster 134 runs. The leg-spinner from Pakistan, who went wicket less in the previous two games, ended this drought as he notched three wickets while conceding 21 runs. Afridi was also pretty handy with the bat, as he made 16 runs. The all-rounder won the Man of the Match award for his excellent all-round performance.

Andrew McDonald, Melbourne's skipper, won the toss and decided to bat first. Melbourne Vanguards, Aaron Finch and Brad Hodge, provided a blistering start for the tourists. The two were fearless in their approach and played lofted shots over the 30-yard circle. Finch and Hodge’s on-field romance came to an end in the 11th over when the 20-year-old spinner Luke Doran showed the door to both batters. Renegades were left high and dry after losing both their openers. Afridi, along with Glenn Maxwell, tried his best to rebuild the innings; however, Thunders maintained pressure as Renegades lost the plot and fell like a house of cards. Luckily for them, some mighty blows from Abdul Razzaq in the death overs propelled the side to 140. Sydney Thunders, who were invincible until the six run defeat against Renegades, had a reasonable start to their innings with openers Chris Gayle and Tim Cruickshank scoring 59 runs for the first wicket. Cruickshank was the first man to be dismissed; “BOOM BOOM” Afridi celebrated in his typical fashion with hands held high towards the heavens. Usman Khawaja gave good support to Gayle, who was determined to finish the match early. It seemed easy sailing for the Thunders while the duo batted. However, after the demise of Khawaja, courtesy of Afridi, none of the batsmen showed any resistance to the opposition bowlers and Sydney Thunders fell six runs short of the total. Renegades will be hoping to build on this win when they go up against Sydney Sixers on January 2, 2012.

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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS SIGNED ON MARK BOUCHER AS BRAD HADDIN’S REPLACEMENT

The Kolkata Knight Riders have signed up the South Africa wicketkeeper batsman, Mark Boucher as a replacement for the injured Brad Haddin.

The Chief executive officer and the managing director of the Knight Riders, Mr. Venky Mysore was upbeat to have someone of Boucher’s status in the team as a replacement of the departing Australian.

"We are fortunate to have someone like Mark Boucher as Brad's replacement. Mark comes with a lot of experience and a terrific track record in all forms of the game," said Venky Mysore while talking to the media on Saturday.

Boucher’s signing came after an MRI of Brad Haddin’s injured finger on Thursday detected a fracture and the Aussie cricketer was suggested to drop out of the upcoming games in order to avoid further aggravation of the injury.

Haddin picked up the finger injury during Australia’s tour of Bangladesh earlier this month, playing a three-match One-Day series.

The New South Wales keeper had earlier missed Kolkata’s three opening games due to his national commitments.

Though he joined King Khan’s KKR soon after Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, he could only managed a single appearance for the franchise, failing to make an impact with the gloves or the bat.

The Knight Rider’s CEO said that they are quite disappointed with Haddin’s early exit due to the fractured finger and stated that the 33-year old wicketkeeper had made his presence felt in a very short period of time and he will be missed by both the team and the management.

"We are very disappointed that Brad (Haddin) will be leaving the squad and will not take further part in IPL 4. In a short period, Brad had made his presence felt both on and off the field."

Boucher, the 34-year old former Proteas wicketkeeper, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first three editions of the lucrative Twenty20 league.

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ADAM GILCHRIST CITES DUNCAN FLETCHER’S VAST COACHING EXPERIENCE AS ADVANTAGE FOR INDIA

Former Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist has said that newly-appointed, Duncan Fletcher’s huge coaching experience will work as an additional advantage for the Indian side when they compete England later this year.

Wishing the former Zimbabwean captain best of luck for his term as a coach with the World Champions, the former Aussie opener stated that Fletcher holds extraordinary coaching skills.

"He has obviously got great skills as coach and all the players from his previous teams seem to be supporting him and saying it's a pretty good appointment. So I wish him all the best," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist, however, avoided to respond to the question that whether Fletcher will be able to replicate the success he accomplished as England team’s coach.

After Gary Kirsten's exit, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Fletcher as Indian national coach for the next two years.

The decision has started a controversial debate about the suitability of a foreign coach for India. The legends like Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar slammed BCCI for appointing a foreign coach while the cricket maestros such as Wasim Akramand Nasser Hussain have been appreciating the decision.

Although, Duncan has never played Test cricket, he is credited of lifting English team to their historic 2005 Ashes series triumph.

Fletcher, who will not be able to join the Men in Blue in their upcoming tour to Zimbabwe because of his personal commitments. However he will with the team when India locks it horns with England later this year.

Gilchrist, who is leading Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing Indian Premier League, uttered that Fletcher was the best choice for the post as he holds a lot of coaching experience under his belt.

When asked to comment on the appointment of a 62-year old coach, Gilchrist stated, "I won't pass comments on his age. It's more what skill he brings and the level of enthusiasm. He had all that in abundance when he was coaching other teams."

Kings XI Punjab’s skipper further described that Fletcher has huge expectations to meet as Gary Kirsten left the Indian side after taking it to the peak of International cricket.

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SHEFFIELD SHIELD GAMES VENUE MAY BE CHANGED FROM ADELAIDE OVAL

The Sheffield Shield games may be hosted away from the Adelaide Oval sports ground for the first time provided, the members of South Australian Cricket Association agree upon refurbishing the venue and sharing it with the Australian Football League (AFL).

Ian McLachlan, Chairman of the South Australian Cricket Association affirmed that Glenelg Oval is being arranged as the secondary venue.

“We would like to be playing all Shield matches here (Adelaide Oval) but I can't guarantee all Shield matches here. We have had Glenelg organized as a No. 2 ground,” said McLachlan.

He noted that staging the Shield Matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is not the most feasible alternative available.

“What they have found in other states is that opening up the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a Shield match is not necessarily the best thing to do; so they have been playing them in other places. In Sydney, they play in front of quite nice crowds in other parts. We have looked at Shield matches in Mount Gambier, matches in other parts of the state,” he further added.

In the past, South Australia have only hosted the Sheffield Shield matches at the Adelaide Oval, with the exception of the first class fixture against Lord Hawke’s XI that was held away from the venue at Unley Oval in 1903.

The state squad performed in two one-day fixtures in 1986-87 at the Football Park, which is the major venue for the Australia Football League clubs in Adelaide. Since then however, the Adelaide Oval has been reserved as the venue.

The matter of the proposed renovation will be decided according to the voting of the member of the South Australian Cricket Association in a general meeting that is scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2011.

Mike Deare, who is the former Chief Executive of the Cricket Association, insisted the association members to reject the proposal, as he reckons that the Adelaide Oval was being underrated in terms of its value. He expects that cricket may lose out to football in the joint contract.

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RUDOLPH AMBITIOUS TO REPRESENT SOUTH AFRICA AGAIN

The famous South African batsman, Jacques Andries Rudolph, is anxious to represent his country again in International cricket. Jacques was born on 4^th May, 1981, in Springs, Transvaal, South Africa. A left handed batsman and an occasional leg break googly bowler, Rudolph is a good player to have in the South African squad.

Jacques first appeared for the Proteas against India in a One Day International (ODI) match on 13^th April, 2003, in Dhaka and made his Test debut against Bangladesh on 24^th April, 2003, in Chittagong. He appeared in the only T20 against Australia on 9^th January, 2006, in Brisbane.

He has played 35 Test matches, scored 2028 runs at a healthy average of 36.21 runs and his best innings is an unbeaten 222 runs. He has five centuries and eight fifties to his name in his Test career.

Rudolph has an impressive ODI record as well. He has taken part in 45 ODIs’, scored 1174 runs at an average of 35.57 runs and he scored 81 runs in his best innings. He has seven fifties to his name in his ODI career.

Rudolph has recently finished the first domestic season in South Africa on a high note after taking part in the County Cricket in England.

He achieved the distinction of the highest scorer in the Super Sport Series and held the second spot of scoring the highest runs for the Titans in the MTN40. He also led the franchise with his leadership qualities, being praised all over the cricket fraternity, and he seemed to be a changed person.

"Looking back over the last nine or 10 years, I've learnt a lot", Rudolph told ESPNcricinfo. "There were a lot of character building things that happened in my career and I'm in a good space at the moment".

He played his last ODI against Australia in February 2006 and last Test against Sri Lanka in August 2006 for the Proteas. Thereafter, his career diminished and he looked like giving up International cricket when he joined Yorkshire for four years and then opted out of the South African national cricket team.

He matured his game by inducting himself in County cricket which gave him a boost and capacious confidence, thus, encouraging him to join the National side again that currently seems to be depleted after being thrown out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in the quarterfinal against New Zealand on 25^th March, 2011. The team was labeled as “Chokers” once again in light of their disastrous World Cup campaign.

Rudolph reacted by commenting, “We do carry this tag of chokers", when assessing what went wrong at the ICC event. "Some people think it's fair, others think it's unfair. I think, to a degree, that it's unfair. But, in pressure situations, we just haven't been able to go through".

Rudolph anticipates being back in the South African side soon and will enable them to come out of the pressure with positive results in prestigious games with his ability to lead them from the front in future, provided they have faith in his leadership qualities.

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Pune Warriors India coach Geoff Marsh disappointed with team’s batting performance

Pune Warriors India coach Geoff Marsh has expressed his disappointment over his batsmen’s unimpressive performance in a critical Indian Premier League game against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
The defending champions thrashed the Warriors comprehensively by 8 wickets at the PSA stadium in Mumbai. After electing to bat first, the Pune side could only manage to score 141 for 6 in 20 overs. The total did not prove enough in the end as the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai side achieved the target convincingly with 3 balls to spare.
Marsh feels that captain Yuvraj Singh’s thrilling knock of 62 from just 43 balls gave the Warriors some hope but the rest of the batting line-up let the team down.
“I’m terribly disappointed with our batting on a good wicket. Our batsmen are not putting up enough total for our bowlers to defend. We were 20-30 runs short on a wicket where 160-170 was the par score,” Marsh said.
It was Pune’s second defeat at the hands of CSK in the ongoing tournament. With four consecutive humiliating losses, Pune Warriors are now just one step ahead of Delhi Daredevils, who are at the bottom of the IPL standings.
The Warriors have lost a couple of their key players including Graeme Smith and Ashish Nehra due to injury concerns. The absence of Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Matthews has also hurt the team combination.
Although Marsh cited injuries as a huge setback for the side, the coach made it clear that the team has enough talent in its ranks to do well against any side in the competition.
The coach further described that the team has not been able to take a good start in the last few games which is one of prime reasons of their successive defeats.
“We lost a lot of wickets early. With four to six [batsmen] down, the least we can’t afford to do is to lose more wickets. You don’t want to be bowled out. With a poor start like this, you put a lot of pressure on the middle order,” the former Australian opener added.
Marsh, however, hoped Warriors to return to winning ways and make it to the knockout stage of the competition. He also expected that his players would not repeat their previous mistakes in the upcoming games.

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NEW ZEALAND URGES THE ICC TO RESTRICT THE WORLD CUP 2015 TO THE TOP-TEN TEAMS

Co-hosts of the International Cricket Council World Cup 2015, New Zealand, have urged the ICC to continue with the decision of trimming the next World Cup to ten full-members, saying that this format becomes easy to organise for the hosts.

New Zealand Cricket Boss, Justin Vaughan said, “A 12-team competition would necessitate the introduction of a Super Sixes stage in between two pools of six and an elimination round.”

Vaughan said that the Super Six Stage creates problems due to the uncertainty of the teams playing, along with the venues. He added that it becomes exceedingly difficult to organise international visitors, as there is no assurance to which team will play where.

The ICC’s second thoughts of reconsidering the decision have raised many speculations. First, it is expected that the tournament will be expanded to a 14-team tournament like 2011, or it may be a 12-team competition.

On the other hand, there is also a possibility that the ICC may introduce a qualifying tournament between the two best performing associate nations, as well as two low performing full-members.

Vaughan also revealed that they are in the process of appointing a Chief Executive Officer for the 2015 edition of the World Cup, a move which cannot take place until they get the final list of the participant teams.

The ICC, two days after the World Cup 2011, had announced to restrict the next mega event to ten heavy weight teams only. Following this decision, the world’s cricket governing body had to face a serious reaction from the Associate nations.

Ireland, along with the 94 other associate and affiliate members decided to legally challenge the ICC’s decision. As a result of the reaction, the President of ICC Executive Board, Sharad Pawar, requested the governing body to reconsider their decision at their annual conference, to be held in the end of June.

The minnows, especially Ireland have now pinned high hopes from the annual conference. Ireland has been one of the most active team among the minnows, after the side enjoyed sizzling wins in their group stage matches in the World Cup.

The Irish put up a spirited performance in the tournament, after the team beat England in a huge upset. Chasing a big-target of 328 runs, Kevin O’ Brien hit the fastest century in the World Cup history, to lift his side to a massive win.

Vaughan added, "Look, I am sympathetic to Ireland, in particular, and the way they have performed at world events."

The New Zealand boss said that the ICC, while reviewing the decision should come up with a quick decision about the playing nations for the 2015 edition of the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by Australia.

In addition, co-host Australia have also supported the ICC’s first idea of excluding the minnows, from the next edition of the tournament.

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Kamran Akmal wishes to join the Pakistan team as a specialist batsman

Kamran Akmal, Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batsman, who has been under much criticism for displaying a dismal performance in the ICC World Cup 2011, has expressed his resolve to make a come-back to the national team, albeit this time in capacity of a specialist batsman.
The wicket-keeper had been ignored for the One Day International series against the West Indies and had been replaced by the emerging player Mohammad Salman for the tour.
Kamran has been into troubled water since the Sydney Test played in January 2010. The selectors have been overlooking him for Test and ODI matches but he has always managed to make a come-back to the national squad.
Speaking in context of his recent omission from the team and expressing his desire to join the team again, even in a different role, he said, “If Pakistan can find a better wicketkeeper than me then I will try to make a comeback as a specialist batsman because batting is something I enjoy a lot and I can bat at any position.”
Having had played 53 Test and 137 ODI matches, Kamran has managed to put six Test and five ODI centuries on the board so far. For seeing an altogether different role for himself in the team, the right-handed batsman said that he was striving to polish his batting skills further as he was desperate to join the national team again. He was of the view that he wanted to serve his country, and was ready to play whatever role the selectors may see for him in the side.
After being constantly overlooked for the encounters against South Africa and New Zealand, Kamran was called to join the team for the World Cup after he got clearance from the integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board. After being neglected for the ODI series against West Indies, there is news that he may not be able to make an appearance into the Test squad either.
Commenting upon the news and the attitude he was being meted out by the selection committee, the wicket-keeper said, “It is true I have had some bad matches in recent months but my performances should be viewed on overall basis. Overall my performance as a wicket-keeper has been fine and I’ve one of the highest dismissals among all the wicket-keepers who have played for Pakistan.”
He said that so far he was the only Pakistani wicket-keeper who has had over 400 dismissals in all formats of cricket. However, he also admitted that his performance against New Zealand in the World Cup Group match was unsatisfactory and the two crucial catches that he dropped haunted him even now.
Kamran also lamented the fact that people were not allowing him to forget the incident and to move on. Referring to that very day of his career, he said that it seemed cursed and people were just criticising him for not putting up against the Kiwis. The people were not acknowledging the performance he displayed against the Australian cricket team.
Kamran also added that as there are not many domestic tournaments being played in the country, he will continue playing club cricket and will look forward to feature in the Sri Lanka T20 League this year.

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SHAHID AFRIDI A TACTICALLY ASTUTE CAPTAIN OR AN INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

With Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies set to begin today, let us take a look at Shahid Afridi and his role as the captain of the national team. There are aspects of the talismanic captain that still raise questions as to what his strengths and weaknesses are, as a skipper.

After emerging on the world stage and making a name for himself as an aggressive batsman, Afridi’s game has undergone many transformations. Although he was originally selected in the side as leg-spin bowler, he has been followed by fans for his flamboyant batting.

Criticised for his poor shot selection on more than just a few occasions, the player would often find himself as a liability for the side, which resulted in Afridi being dropped for the 1999 World Cup final against Australia.

Afridi, however, transformed his game once again to become one of the most feared spin bowlers in modern day cricket. His 21-wicket haul in the ICC World Cup 2011 was the highest in the tournament, as the all-rounder led his side to the semi-final of the mega event.

Tactician or Leader

As a tactician, the jury on Shahid Afridi is still a mixed bag of critics. His pre-match planning before every game seems to reap the desired results. His ‘plan for the Australians’ in the group stage of the World Cup worked to near perfection, as Pakistan became the first team to beat the defending champions after 13 years.

While his pre-match strategy appears to be sound, his ability to adapt to the constantly changing direction of a cricket match, is still up for debate. Many questions were raised when Afridi opted not to take the batting power-play when Misbah-ul-Haq was at the crease, in the semi-final against India, in Mohali.

The tactic demonstrated a lack of flexibility from the captain in a pressure situation and could be one of his drawbacks as a leader.

Afridi’s nature has never been of a person who relies on tactics, as his batting has demonstrated throughout his career. The Pakistan Captain is known for his passion and enthusiasm, which he puts in while on the field.

The aggressive batsman’s strength has been his ability to unite the team and get them all working for the same cause. Afridi backed his spirit, with match winning performances to inspire his side. His three four-wicket hauls in the World Cup, along with a five-wicket one helped his team to make it to the final four of the tournament.

Afridi leading the side gives the team a sense of togetherness, which had not been seen in the squad for ages. The skipper is always seen talking to his players, keeping them calm in tight situations, which is crucial to keep the game under control.

Although he may not be the best when it comes to the technical aspect of the role of captaincy, the fact remains that Shahid Afridi is more of an inspirational figure the side can look to, in times of need.

The success of Pakistan in the World Cup is proof that his approach is not to be taken lightly and the West Indies need to be wary when they face his side in the upcoming series to begin today.

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