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'To go into a must-win Test with only four
bowlers, two of whom were spinners, was, in the charitable words of Graeme
Smith later in the day, an interesting selection'
© AFP
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An ex-captain was asked recently about Shoaib Malik's ascension to the
captaincy. The true test of it, he said, will come during the course of a
Test match or a series, and particularly when he loses. "When you have to
gee up the team after a bad loss," he said, "getting the team together will be the
toughest part."
Malik passed his preliminary tests in Abu Dhabi and the Twenty20 World
Championship. He has shown himself to be a proactive and intelligent captain,
keenly attuned to the demands of shorter games. That he is already
comfortable and secure in both the shorter formats undoubtedly helps.
But Test matches? They bring with them their own little and large
peculiarities. There's so much time - too much in which to think, sometimes - so
many different ways to approach a situation, strategies to implement,
different rhythms and moods to contemplate. This is a different test
altogether, not given readily to leadership by rote or formula. And until
he became captain, Malik was not a certainty in the XI.
Two Tests is far too early to be drawing conclusions on any leadership but
some observational banter is valuable. A caveat or two first: South Africa
are a far superior side to Pakistan. Three Test wins out of four over the
last year says it, and if they win tomorrow, a fourth will do so loudly.
Further, losing Mohammad Yousuf (for the first Test) and Shoaib Akhtar (to
both) to factors beyond his control robbed him of two impact players.
Having a farewell foisted upon him as Pakistan looked to level the series
here was also a bit much, for it further upset the balance of the team.
But in any case, the balance was skewed to begin with and here Malik must
shoulder responsibility. To go into a must-win Test with only four
bowlers, two of whom were spinners, was, in the charitable words of Graeme
Smith later in the day, an interesting selection.
"We always knew if we spent good time in the middle, those two seamers
would carry a lot of strain and that is what has happened," said Smith.
Mohammad Asif's elbow injury meant he didn't bowl more than four overs in
the second innings and Umar Gul bowled only four this morning.
That left only two spinners, one in his second Test. Well as Danish
Kaneria and Abdur Rehman bowled today, their role was solely to control
the flow of runs. And generally when that situation arises in a Test, it
is because trouble is looming. When Pakistan really felt the lack of bite
was when South Africa were 259 for 7 on the second morning and no one to
finish them off.
The world is not out for him, much as he seems to act as if it was, and
captaincy wasn't forced upon him, it was offered
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Pakistan's strategy, their mantra, for this Test series - with spin we win
- was Malik's. He made that clear at the very start and he must acknowledge now
it was faulty. Pakistan captains have more say in selection and pitches
than most others, so by default some blame goes his way.
Taking the new ball after 90 overs and handing it to the spinners was
surprising, partly because it is so rare, but in his and the spinners'
defence, it worked for runs still had to be ground out thereafter. South
Africa didn't set a target of 500 by tea, as they were likely planning
though to call that any kind of victory is stretching it.
But Malik's manner all through suggests he is feeling the pressures of it.
Granted it is difficult to be proactive when a contest is slipping out of
your hands the way this one has, but what is captaincy if not difficult?
Pakistan have rarely looked so lacking in spirit and energy, even during
Inzamam-ul-Haq's poorer days.
Details apart, this Test has mirrored the preceding one and Pakistan, with
Younis Khan rampant, are familiarly placed. Lose by a heavy margin and
reactions will be strong, a situation Malik's demeanour at press
conferences has done little to assuage.
The world is not out for him, much as he seems to act as if it was, and
captaincy wasn't forced upon him, it was offered. The decision was not
lambasted, only greeted with understandable caution.
Now on the final day of this series lies an opportunity. Twice in three
innings Malik has batted as a leader. If he can do it again, when and if
he is needed to, Pakistan can save this Test. The world then might start
looking a slightly better place.
Osman Samiuddin is the Pakistan editor of Cricinfo