Pakistan’s legendary batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq on Saturday said the team’s captain plays an important role in instilling confidence in players and all past World Cup champions had strong captains. “All captains must have confidence. This then trickles down to others in the team. Therefore, the team’s confidence comes from the captain,” Inzamam said at AajTak’s Salaam Cricket conclave.
Asked why Pakistan is no longer producing brilliant cricketers, he stressed the country still has talented players but they need more cricket tournaments to hone their skills. “Currently, only a few tournaments are being held in the country and this has affected the game. The more the merrier. We need more cricket tournaments to spot the talent,” he said.
“We need a stable board (Pakistan Cricket Board) so that the decisions and policies for the development of cricket in the country continue. Frequent change of board members disrupts the implementation of policies. Again, different officials have different views,” he added.
Asked if Misbah-ul-Haq is the best person to lead the Pakistan side in the World Cup, Inzamam said that he should continue to lead the team. The captain should get enough time before the World Cup to prepare the team. The captaincy shouldn’t be changed so frequently. Stressing on the importance of a positive mindset to win matches, former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev, who was one of the speakers, said: “Once you start believing in yourself than everything is possible. Once the thought processes change, everything else changes.”
Asked about the 1983 World Cup team, he said: “There was immense self-belief in the team. We were only 14 players and a manager. When you have few people in the dressing room it sometimes helps, because everyone gets a chance to express their feelings. That’s what happed in 1983. Belief was the biggest thing.”
Asked if the current Indian team has the potential to win the cup, he said that it will all depend on how they perform during the tournament. It doesn’t matter how they perform before the World Cup. “You have to be good on that particular day. We need big commitment as a team not big names. Whoever plays better in the 20 days of the tournament will win the cup. But we have all kinds of players that a team requires,” he said.
Asked if the World Cup final in 1983 against India was any different, West Indies legend Clive Lloyd said: “We were looking to win but we didn’t play well, whereas they did. We had already won two World Cups and the Indians were doing their best to come up. And it was good for their cricket.” Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, who also spoke, said: “We had a very strong side when I took over the team’s captaincy in 2003. We also had some adversities like injuries and drug issues. We were lucky enough to go through the game. When the big games come, we find a way to win,” he added.