by http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2006/aug/09imran.htm
Inzamam didn't inspire, says Imran
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UNI | August 09, 2006 | 13:19 IST
Criticising Inzamam-ul Haq's decision to bat lower down the order with
a chest injury, former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan said the captain
should have braved the setback and led from the front in the Leeds Test
which saw the side losing the match and the series to England.
The World Cup winning captain was aghast at ''Pakistan's lack of
spine'' and in his column for The Nation, Imran said Inzamam just could
not inspire his side.
"Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq should have known that he would not be able to
go up the order on the crucial last day and so should have made every
effort to spend time in the field on day four to be eligible to bat in
his regular position.
"When a captain leads from the front and plays through injuries, it
inspires his charges to brave challenges and adversity. I once saw Ian
Chappell bat for two hours with a broken hand against the likes of Andy
Roberts and Joel Garner. His standing firm despite the extreme pain and
discomfort that roused the Aussies to turn the tables against the West
Indies despite facing much superior odds in the next Test match," Imran
recalled.
"Unfortunately, Inzamam prefers to play down the order which at times
has been successful yet it is a technically wrong strategy because when
the chips are down, the best batsman has to go up the order to avert a
crisis. It is far more difficult to bat once there is a crisis," he
explained.
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