Asif Named Pakistan Vice-Captain

Oh, it could, but I just get irate at the sight of a tired-cliche-Pakistan-bashing post without consideration these days.

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TT Boy said:

Also, hasn't Inzy’s ‘favourite’ Danish Kaneria converted to Islam?

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Spitfires_Fan said:

Ahh, come on, my tongue could not have been more firmly in my cheek!

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Richard said:

Fair noof, but as I say - those sorts of things have been said way, way too much in the not-too-distant past, and even when people say them without seriousness it's still a case for me.

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Richard said:

WTF?

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Richard said:

Oh, me too, that's certainly not something I'd dispute.

But yeah - there was one hell of a lot of snide anti-Pakistan one-line comments like that at a time, and said with genuine meaning rather than as a tongue-in-cheek reference - read this for a little bit of background.

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SJS said:

If you need more just say so.

These are not bloggers. These are respected cricket writers writing for very respected establishments. So just dismissing all this as mere rumours and being 'distatseful' doesnt do anything to make it go away.

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TT Boy said:

Also, hasn't Inzy’s ‘favourite’ Danish Kaneria converted to Islam?

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Fusion said:

Then I guess your friends in Pakistan are reading the same bloggers and journalist. Doesn't change the fact that they're speculating and not presenting facts. Why is it so hard to believe that Yousaf might have been passed over for Captaincy because he's simply not Captaincy material? What has he done in the past to make you rate him so highly? Why didn't people like Bob Woolmer (who I would assume was not biased against Christians) advocated him as a future Captain more? Imran Khan never thought that highly of Yousaf's captaincy potential either. I don't think Imran has anything in his background to suggest he's biased against Christians either. Besides, let's say that the rumors are true. That the only reason Yousaf was not given the post is that he was Christian. Well, he converted and became a hard-core Islamist. He was one of Inzi's closest friends on the team. Some of the same bloggers and journalist you cited have also said that Inzi was a "dictator", and that he didn't get along with Younis. Well then how come Inzi the dictator wasn't able to get Yousaf (now Muslim) appointed as his VC? Doesn't add up to me. Personally, I can't question a man's faith and character like that. Who am I to suggest that the only reason Yousaf converted is because of a cricketing job? I think that's highly unfair to him to imply such a thing.

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SJS said:

possible.

Anyway. Forget my Pakistani friends. Read some of this

- The real motives for Yousuf's conversion to Islam may never become clear.
Perhaps it was his desire to be a part of the pack. Or maybe, as the rumour goes, one of the preachers told him that he was the only thing standing between God and his team.
Whatever the reasons, the team finally had the "uniformity of thought" the preachers had sought.

- Aamer Ahmed Khan BBC News Karachi​

and this :-
According to some, Yousuf's decision to convert was in part motivated by an eagerness to blend in with the team and improve his captaincy chances. But that theory was dismissed at the time by the Pakistan board and queried by Woolmer, who described his players as tolerant towards other faiths

- Alex Brown The Guardian London​

and this :-
at the age of 31 he is very much in his prime. Inzamam-ul-Haq is unlikely to play on much beyond the next World Cup, which means that there could be a captaincy vacancy in the not-so-distant future. Cynics have suggested that may have his main motivation for conversion, while critics would tell you he's not the sharpest tool in the box at any rate. But if Pakistan are in need of a man who'll lead by example then, on current form, they need not look any further.

- Andrew Miller, UK Editor, Cricinfo​

and this :-
“When Youhana has substituted for Inzamam, his captaincy has been imaginative and astute, but highly placed insiders claim that Youhana is too self-serving to win the players’ confidence. His religion too makes the calculus more complex, when it should not even be a factor”.

-Kamran Abbasi, Wisden Asia Cricket (October 2004)​

and this :-
Inzamam was, is, and always will be a bad choice as captain.
The PCB says it has no other options. Yousuf Youhana is thought to be a schemer, not trusted by some of his team-mates, and others are shamefully reluctant to be led by a captain from a minority group.

- Kamran Abbasi cricinfo (April 2004)​

and this :-
"one major factor that will have to come under scrutiny is the atmosphere in the dressing room. To be more precise, whether the overt and not-so-overt display of religiosity has been a distraction of sorts and taken away from the real job: that of playing cricket and focusing on the game".

"There have been numerous reports of team activity which, if true, would indicate that the job of playing matches was apparently not the top priority of some members. This needs to stop, and whoever runs the PCB should send this message loud and clear to the team and the new captain: religion is and should be a private matter and not something that needs to be worn on one's sleeve, as some members have been doing.

"The point is, by all means if a particular team member wishes to become devout and turn to faith he should, but not at the expense of the team's performance. The suitable thing then would be to retire from the team and pursue the other matter."

- The News, Pakistan​

If you need more just say so.

These are not bloggers. These are respected cricket writers writing for very respected establishments. So just dismissing all this as mere rumours and being 'distatseful' doesnt do anything to make it go away.

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Fusion said:

Then I guess your friends in Pakistan are reading the same bloggers and journalist. Doesn't change the fact that they're speculating and not presenting facts. Why is it so hard to believe that Yousaf might have been passed over for Captaincy because he's simply not Captaincy material? What has he done in the past to make you rate him so highly? Why didn't people like Bob Woolmer (who I would assume was not biased against Christians) advocated him as a future Captain more? Imran Khan never thought that highly of Yousaf's captaincy potential either. I don't think Imran has anything in his background to suggest he's biased against Christians either. Besides, let's say that the rumors are true. That the only reason Yousaf was not given the post is that he was Christian. Well, he converted and became a hard-core Islamist. He was one of Inzi's closest friends on the team. Some of the same bloggers and journalist you cited have also said that Inzi was a "dictator", and that he didn't get along with Younis. Well then how come Inzi the dictator wasn't able to get Yousaf (now Muslim) appointed as his VC? Doesn't add up to me. Personally, I can't question a man's faith and character like that. Who am I to suggest that the only reason Yousaf converted is because of a cricketing job? I think that's highly unfair to him to imply such a thing.

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Pratyush said:

A lot of MSM journalism is irresponsible crap.[/URL].

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