Pakistan needs a young Captain, who will be around for at least three years: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian national cricket team Captain Sourav Ganguly was critical of Pakistan’s inconsistent performances today. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President was also sceptical of Current Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi’s future tenure as Captain.

During a press interaction, he said, “I’ve played with Shahid Afridi for years, and I completely respect his contribution to the sport of cricket. However, there comes a time when a team requires freshness. Hence, I believe that Pakistan cricket desperately needs a young Captain.”

He added, “Pakistan cricket shouldn’t be looking for a quick fix at any point. They should be looking at using the experienced players in their squad to help guide the team. The likes of Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Anwar and Younis Khan have immense experience, and it doesn’t make sense how they aren’t a part of the national cricket setup there.”

Ganguly also stated that he was surprised, when Afghanistan revealed Inzamam as their Coach. He said, “When you have someone like Inzy, who has played at the highest level for so long. He should be an asset to the team. However, he is coaching in a completely different country. No one will be able to share the kind of knowledge and more importantly big game knowledge, like him.”

The Pakistan cricket team has faced some major captaincy issues, over the past couple of years. Their Test Captain Misbah-Ul-Haq is said to be contemplating retirement, and there are several question marks, over the legitimacy of Azhar Ali as limited Overs skipper. The latter was directly picked as Captain, without any prior experience.

He added, “The Pakistan team needs a stable Captain, he should be told that you will be Captain for three years. It’s not something that happens overnight. One must be there at the helm as a leader for at least three years, so that others can also look up to him. Others should know that he is go-to man.”

“If you look at MS Dhoni, he has been around for close to nine years. He’s had his good times and bad times, but he stuck in there and the results are there to see. But, there has been a change in the Indian cricket mindset over the past 15 to 16 years. Pakistan already has the talent, I meant this is the same country that’s producing pacers like Mohammed Amir, without any proper structure. The talent is there, but authorities and players should not look for a quick fix.”

Pakistan begin their World T-20 campaign against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on January 16.