Inzamam a cricketing 'dictator' - Akram

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan fast bowler and captain, has lashed out at Inzamam-ul-Haq and called him a "dictator" in Pakistan cricket. In an interview on ESPN, Akram said that Inzamam had become so powerful that Bob Woolmer, the former coach who died under unexplained circumstances in Jamaica, and the support staff approached him for leave.

"I have seen senior PCB officials sitting at his residence and awaiting orders," Akram said. "These things are not good for cricket." With Pakistan looking for a new captain, after Inzamam resigned from the post and announced his retirement from ODIs, Akram felt that Shoaib Malik, the allrounder, was a good choice.

"The only ones who can handle the job are Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf," he said. "Malik is young and he is talented. I don't think we have much of a choice, if Younis [Khan] is not interested."

Younis officially declined the captaincy, citing continuing mental strain after the traumatic events of the recent weeks as the main factor in his decision. He had been vice-captain under Inzamam for two years and was expected to take over the leadership. Younis had earlier rejected the post of captaincy during the Champions Trophy in India, when Inzamam was facing a four-match ban, on the grounds that he didn't want to be a "dummy" captain.

Akram felt that Younis would have been the best person to replace Inzamam but added that it was silly of Younis to make comments about absolute power and control. "For any captain, he must first win the trust of his teammates, get some victories under his belt and power will automatically come," Akram said. "You don't have to clamour for power."

Disagreeing with former captain and coach Javed Miandad's comments that the captain must not be given full authority, Akram said that in India and Pakistan the captain must be the boss as he leads the team out on the field. "Javed has been my mentor but I sometimes don't understand what he says," Akram said.

"When he was captain, Javed bhai wanted full control and now he is saying something else." Akram said that everything would fall into place as long as there was a healthy interaction between the captain and selectors.