Sunday, July 27, 2008

What is Shoaib Malik Smoking?

Definitely not what Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar have been smoking.

In a TV interview on Friday, Shoaib Malik was asked what he thought about Misbah's leadership in the Asia Cup game against India.

Malik's reply to that was:

"There wasn’t anything great about Misbah leading Pakistan to victory in the Karachi game since the selection of the playing eleven on that day was done by me and it clicked famously"

Really Malik?

What exactly was Malik thinking when he blurted that out?

Trying to defend his status as captain?

Did he not think about what he had said exactly a month ago during the same Asia Cup after Pakistan had lost to India in the group game when he was leading the team?

Let me remind him and everyone else.

"When captains are given the 11 players, then you ask this question of the selectors"

This is what Malik said at a post match conference when he was asked about the XI selected for the match.

So now what I would like to ask Malik is how is it that in a match in which you are captain, the selectors get to pick the XI and don't listen to you, but when you are sitting out due to injury and Misbah is captaining, you get to pick the XI?

It bemuses me really.

We all know that the selectors pick the XI in Pakistan these days.

We all know it was Misbah who had been pushing for Saeed Ajmal and Nasir Jamshed's inclusion for a long time while Malik continued to back Kamran Akmal as opener and preferred Mansoor Amjad to Saeed Ajmal.

Surely Malik is trying to fend off speculation that Misbah is the better captain by saying things like "I chose the XI".

But he's kept the captaincy thanks to Nasim Ashraf's backing so maybe its better for him to stay shut and try and lead the team rather than giving public statements which are not true.

Its an insult to the public's intelligence and Malik needs to realise that we do know how Pakistan cricket works and not everyone watching him on TV is going to take every word of his on face value.

Maybe he is smoking that stuff that Shoaib and Asif carry in their wallets.

Make your pitch on this post...



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10 Pitched:

  1. Viswanathan said...
     

    He was smoking a weed called self-preservation.

  2. Anonymous said...
     

    This is a shocking statement even from Malik's intellect-lacking perspective. This guy has a complex and he must be removed. Misbah has been his good friend and supporter up to now and this ought to create rifts between the two senior players.

    He is literally taking the credit away from Misbah. I wonder how Misbah will respond to this.

  3. Gaurav Sethi said...
     

    speech thearpy or just therapy. pak's loss is also delhi's loss.

  4. Anonymous said...
     

    I think he has completely disgraced himself.

  5. Q said...
     

    Haha.. good one Ott!

  6. Q said...
     

    Khansahab, I agree. This would probably bring about major differences between Misbah and Malik. And your right, Misbah has always praised and acked Malik, Im not sure if he will do so anymore..

  7. Q said...
     

    True that NC. Not only Malik but also Asif - both are Delhi's losses.

  8. Q said...
     

    Totally disgraced Wasim...

  9. Anonymous said...
     

    shocking... looks like the stories about the rift in the team are true with the players wanting malik out.

  10. Q said...
     

    Very true Scorps..

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