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Thursday, March 17, 2005
Not so useless after all?
None of the journalists I spend time with refer to Younis Khan by his name; to us, he's Useless Khan. His batting has always been something of a joke for us, and his being made vice-captain, we all thought, was foolish. It was important to see, first, if he could keep his place in the side.
Yesterday, though, an interesting thing happened. Inzamam-ul-Haq went off the field for a while, and things started happening. As my colleague from Pakistam, Osman, pointed out, Useless made things happened, changed the field often, consulted his bowlers, and gave a sense of energy and activity that one rarely sees from the languid Inzamam. And, as it happens, Pakistan had a great session under him.
Now, all this may not have much significance. The increased energy could just be an attempt to show that he tries new things as captain, and Inzy's alleged lethargy could be a sign of a mature composure. Also, India's collapse was sparked off by two terrible shots, from Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But it was still interesting, and it ensures that whenever Inzy goes off the field next, everyone will be watching that much more closely.
Yesterday, though, an interesting thing happened. Inzamam-ul-Haq went off the field for a while, and things started happening. As my colleague from Pakistam, Osman, pointed out, Useless made things happened, changed the field often, consulted his bowlers, and gave a sense of energy and activity that one rarely sees from the languid Inzamam. And, as it happens, Pakistan had a great session under him.
Now, all this may not have much significance. The increased energy could just be an attempt to show that he tries new things as captain, and Inzy's alleged lethargy could be a sign of a mature composure. Also, India's collapse was sparked off by two terrible shots, from Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But it was still interesting, and it ensures that whenever Inzy goes off the field next, everyone will be watching that much more closely.
