The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Ganguly issue: Wasim Akram advocates caution

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Thursday, Apr 28, 2005

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Ganguly issue: Wasim Akram advocates caution

KARACHI: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram on Wednesday backed Sourav Ganguly and advised the Indian cricket selectors to be ``extremely careful'' before sealing the fate of the embattled captain.

``There is no doubt that Sourav Ganguly is passing through the worst batting form which leaves his career in doldrums. I also fear that his career might be reaching a dead-end but I would still back him and advice the Indian selectors to be extremely careful and watchful while deciding his future,'' Akram said before leaving for a week-long tour of Mumbai.

``If I were a selector, I would have definitely given him one more chance before really thinking about his future as an Indian cricketer,'' he added.

Ganguly has scored 9,945 runs, including 22 centuries, in 270 one-day internationals and 4,949 runs for an average of about 41 in 82 Tests.

But in the recent three-match Test series against Pakistan, the Indian skipper scored only 48 runs in six innings while his ODI score was 0, 9, 4 and 18 before he was slapped with a six-match ODI ban by ICC Match Referee Chris Broad for India's slow-over-rate at Ahmedabad.

``Naturally, we didn't see the same aggressive and attacking Sourav we are used to watching. To add insult to injury, India drew the Test series and then also lost the one-day series to Pakistan, that meant knives were out for him '', the 39-year-old Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs for Pakistan during his illustrious career, said.

Part of the game

Akram said such lean patches were part of the game and came in every cricketers' career.

``We have to realise that all the top batsmen pass through a period where the ball does not make any contact with the bat. It has happened to the best before and it will happen to the best in days to come. You see it is inevitable,'' he said.

The former Pakistani captain said Ganguly was among the best products of Indian cricket and one should be cautious before passing any judgement on him.

``Sourav has been a great servant of Indian cricket and his contributions to the Indian cricket team in the last five years cannot be denied. Everyone will have to see Sourav's career in 360 degrees before the judgement on his career is passed.

``And I tell you it is going to be one hell of a decision because Sourav is definitely one of the best Indian cricket has produced,'' Akram, who took 414 Tests and 502 one-day wickets said.

Akram also believes that absence of captain Ganguly's magic in the last two games was one of the several reasons behind India's loss in the one-day series.

``Pakistan was a fitter and younger side. But India missed Sourav because he is a true leader who has matured nicely as a captain. When the chips are down, everyone looks at the captain to lift them and Sourav has that magic,'' he said.

``Sourav, I think, should get his mind away from cricket for the time being, take a breather and come back with a bang. He should take this as a challenge,'' Akram, one of the greatest ever, said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also appreciated the Pakistan team for handling the pressure well despite being the underdogs.— PTI

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