Having lunch a day before the world cup kicked off 'in style i may add' , a colleague just started off with 'what a lame decision to appoint Afridi as captain', paused for a while and continued 'a player who doesnt even know what role he has in the team '
I tried to inquire and understand why he (or they actually) as a couple more stepped in and agreed in unison, thought this way ?
They : He thinks he can bat but he cant !
Me: Well, to be precise Afridi himself says he is a bowler who can bat a bit
They: Well, only if he could bat sensibly, our generations wouldn't waste their talent trying to copy him ! if he dint bat the way he does, our youngsters would have better role models to follow Me: How is it his fault if people follow him and want to bat like him?
Afridi doesn't go about knocking on every door begging people to slog like hehe does ? He was actually drafted in as a replacemen to Mushtaq Ahmed and not Javed Miandad if you know !
They: Well he makes silly decisions as a captain, takes too much pressure and presses the panic button almost instantly
Me: Would you rather have the reactive and boring captaincy of Inzimam then who would wait for a couple of boundaries to be hit in a particular direction before a planting a fielder there ? or would you want someone like Mohammad Yousuf to lead you who thinks spreading the field with 6 fielders outside the circle is the way to attack when you have a tailender on the crease and a bowler like Mohd Amir on the runup ?

I think it's time we started to try and accept Shahid Khan Afridi the way he is। He is impulsive but fuels aggression in the side - He shouts and screams on the field but let's the seniors take center stage when they want to - He runs like a maniac after holding on to a catch and that believe me is enough catalyst to wake up a napping Pakistan side ! I believe this is all this side needs to win। You don't teach them how to bat with a straight bat, or what to say at the post match presentation, or how to behave on the field ! You tell them to go in and tear the opposition apart, YES ! exactly like Imran Khan did in 1992 and if anyone in this squad is good at this, it is only one man ! The Magician, The Pathan, It is Pakistan cricket's Superman, it is Boom Boom Afridi.

However they fare at this tournament, I'm somehow convinced that Afridi and his men will try, and try their best।
Did we forget how the South Africans greeted their team when they lost the semi's in 1999?
They landed at the airport to placards saying "You tried, and we love you"
In 1992, it wasn't just the team, it wasn't only the determination to win, not just a sincere person leading the team but prayers flying in from all corners of Pakistan.

Do you think it's time we give them what they've been missing ?