Captaincy and Leadership in Cricket

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 We've all heard that phrase "A captain is only as good as his/her team". This may be true for some sports like football, basketball etc. where the captain's leadership stems from passion, aggression and leading by performance on the field.  As far as cricket is concerned, leadership is very different on the field. There is strategising during the game and thinking on your feet to make proactive decisions and essentially go with the flow. This is essentially why the role of a coach is minimal in cricket as opposed to football where it is at the epicentre. 

           This is a short overview of Pakistan's 1992 World cup win under Imran Khan. Not many people gave them a chance before the tournament with Khan actually forced to come out of semi-retirement to lead the national side. He was known to be a towering figure who commanded great respect from his teammates and opponents. A swagger that was unmatched (He actually wore a t-shirt for the toss during the final), an approach which was unconventional and a special eye for talent. He picked up Inzamam-ul-Haq literally from the nets straight into the XI. He had immense belief in his players and more importantly he was very assured and confident in his own abilities. 

          Many experts and my personal belief is that if it wasn't for Imran Khan and some rain, Pakistan would not have won that world cup. You can substitute this scenario in any other big final like the Champions League, FIFA World Cup or any other sport and I don't think the captain would have as much to do in those games as he has to do in a cricket final. Understanding the nuances of captaincy in cricket does take a while, but it's fascinating as to how much is dependent on the captain's decision making, and smart bowling and field changes which is unlike any other sport in the world. P.S I love cricket just a tad more than football. 

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