I hope Bangladesh
marches into the quarterfinals, precisely because it is the very opposite of
England: Its spirit is greater than its ability, unlike England, which brought
along quality to the Cup but mislaid its spirit somewhere on the flight to the
subcontinent.
The one fascinating aspect of this tournament so far is
the difference in the management style of its captains. The test of a captain
lies, obviously, in adversity, and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is blessed with
the courage of self-belief. He could have fallen into that worst of all traps,
sulking self-pity, when angry fans broke his windowpanes after his team's
pathetic loss to the West Indies. Instead, he picked himself and the team up,
and led them to a famous victory against England. It does not actually matter
now whether he goes into the next round.
He has restored his nation's pride. Bengali fans are right. They do not
expect Bangladesh to win the Cup, but they will not tolerate a team that
betrays its honor.
The surprise is Shahid Afridi, who could easily join
Pakistan's foreign service after this swan song. The man, who has tweaked a
ball or two in his time, has flowered into a diplomat. He soothed ruffled
feathers after defeat against New Zealand through a brilliant strategic pincer
movement: He invited the huge Pakistani media contingent for dinner with the
players. Mollifying the messenger is the best treatment for the ache of bad
news. Afridi is clearly aware that contemporary Pakistan has only two powerful
institutions, the Army and the media. The Army has only cursory interest in
cricket during wartime, so an alliance with the media is sufficient for crisis
control. Pakistan remains the contrarian's favorite; and if Afridi can handle
his temperamental eleven with the kind of aplomb he has shown off the field,
then watch out for the Greens. Predictably Pakistan's erratic, slippery-fingers
wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has induced the best joke so far: "What is
Akmal's favorite pick-up line? Can I drop you anywhere?"
In contrast, Mahendra Dhoni is so laidback he could have
been training in a sauna. Dhoni is proponent of the Yawn School of Business.
When asked why India had made such heavy weather of defeating
less-than-ordinary sides like Holland, he replied with a verbal shrug. India
was winning, wasn't it, and that was good enough for him. Well, he might lose
when there is no second chance left. It may not be much of a problem for him
personally, since the advertisement deals are done, check are in the bank, and
he probably thinks that the Great Indian Public is fickle in its affections
anyway. Somebody should tell him that the symbol of India is the elephant, and
while the elephant treads with a light step, it also has a long memory.
The captain who really knew how to lie on his back was the
incomparable Viv Richards, but he had a few advantages over Dhoni. He was a
genius with the bat. He was fearless (he disdained a helmet, trusting his eye
and instinct instead). And he had a set of bowlers who could break your hand
when you were looking and crack your head when you took your eye off the ball.
Dhoni has fashioned half a team for this tournament, just a set of brilliant
batsmen, on the assumption that opponents will get themselves out. We shall see
what we shall see.
The finest gentleman ever to captain England was surely
Colin Cowdrey. In his last match as captain Cowdrey walked to the pitch for the
toss, dressed in immaculate whites. And waited. Richards sauntered up twenty
minutes late, wearing a T-shirt and bandana in more colors than a rainbow would
dare to advertise. The coin was tossed. Richards won. Richards looked at the
prim and proper Cowdrey and asked the Englishman what he wanted to do, rather
than exercising his right of decision. Once Cowdrey had recovered, he said
England would like to bat. Okay maan, said Richards, you bat.
The West Indies won that Test match by ten wickets. That
is why it was Cowdrey's last match. And that is why few lovers of cricket can
remember Cowdrey, and no one has forgotten Vivian Richards.
Style is an art, particularly if it can be complemented
with swagger. But style is not a substitute for substance.
The columnist is editor of The Sunday Guardian, published
from Delhi, India on Sunday, published from London and Editorial Director,
India Today and Headlines Today.
