Former players must back Pakistan now

Now that the dice has been cast and the skipper and squad for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies have been decided, Pakistan must now look forward to the championship with a positive frame of mind. I am not surprised Shahid Afridi has been named the captain. I mentioned this in my previous column when the Indian Premier League (IPL) started. In Pakistan cricket, there is a value for nuisance! Afridi may have earned Pakistan some bad name by the chewing-the-ball incident in Perth in January-end, but all that is forgotten now. Afridi has been captaining Pakistan cricket in T20 internationals and under the circumstances, he is the best man to lead in the Caribbean. He has a lot of energy and this format of the game, needs his aggressive approach. Surely, he will now be thinking about the World Cup because the nation’s prestige will be in his hands. He just has to control his wildfire emotions.Afridi has a few advantages. In coaches Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed, he will have two men who understand the game and the body language of the players. I think this is the best team management Pakistan can ask for. I am happy for Waqar. He always wanted to be the coach of Pakistan. And why not? Waqar has played the game at the highest level, he knows the modern methods and can be a hard task master. Ijaz has been one of Pakistan’s brilliant batsman and a good motivator. This combination should work well. Waqar knows what it is to be in the Pakistan team. Discipline has always been an issue with the national side and I think Waqar, with his persona and work ethics, can wield the danda (stick) to erring players, if required. He must be given a year to prove himself.