New Delhi : Mohammed Hafeez, a former T20 captain of Pakistan, spoke to The Telegraph in Calcutta on Thursday.
The first part of the interview appeared in these columns on Friday. For the concluding portion, read on...
Q Why did you give up the T20 captaincy after the 2014 World T20?
A We couldn't qualify for the semi-finals, which was disappointing. Even more disappointing was the response of critics after we'd returned home... The public, too, went after us... That was painful... It hurt... I realised the captaincy wasn't worth it. I'm happy to respect the opinion of others, but not when the language is all wrong and motives get attributed... Surely, we lost only because our brand of cricket was inferior to that of the other teams... No team can become bad after just one loss. Specifically, it was our defeat at the hands of the West Indies, then the reigning champions, that put us out of the World T20... Mujhe woh reaction samajh mein nahin aya.
Had captaincy become a burden?
Not a burden, no... I enjoyed the captaincy and it was a matter of immensepride that I could captain Pakistan in one Test and in 29 T20Is. We won 18 of those T20Is... Actually, at different levels, I'd been used to captaining, so I never felt out of my depth. When I do finish my career, I'll look back on the times that I captained Pakistan as having been very special... Mere liye to woh sunhera mauka tha... I had an outstanding relationship with my players, got the support of the Board and the selectors.
Were you comfortable being called a former captain?
Absolutely. At different levels, the captaincy had come to me, I hadn't gone running after it. Therefore, I had no adjustment to make. I'd begun my Pakistan career as a player and I was back to being one... I'd say that Allah gave me the strength to leave the captaincy and, then, to be back in the team as a former captain... I've never played to be the captain. Captaincy is an additional responsibility bestowed on one individual in every team.
Currently, Pakistan have different captains for each of the three formats... Is that the best way forward?
This is a policy matter of the Board and it wouldn't be proper for a player to comment. When the Board is the one to decide, my views are irrelevant.
Your role model captain?
Imran Khan.
Did you watch Imran captain Pakistan in person?
No, but I used to be glued to the TV during the 1992 World Cup. Years after Imran saab has retired, he's still so highly respected... I've never come across any comment from a teammate of his which hasn't been positive. That, I believe, is a huge achievement... Even those who didn't regularly make the XI under Imran haven't had anything bad to say about him. What else would a captain want?
During your interactions with Imran's teammates, what did you gather about his captaincy?
That Imransaab had a vision and led by example. He never asked his players to do anything which he himself wouldn't have been game to do. Woh ek bahut badi quality thi .
In the period that you were Pakistan's T20 captain, did you speak to Imran about captaincy?
Not often, because of Imran saab's hectic schedule, but a couple of times I did speak to him, he just had one piece of advice: That a captain's mindset should be to win, not to avoid defeat. So, my mindset was to win, not to avoid losing. Essentially, I tried to follow Imransaab's philosophy of captaincy.
What did Imran tell you after you stepped down as captain?
Imransaab was upset when I gave up the T20 captaincy... He'd been very supportive of me, so he had reasons to be upset.
Imran would be in Calcutta on Saturday...
Great news... Maine suna tha.
The final one... Shahid Afridi, the present T20 captain, gets embroiled in some controversy or the other... Your thoughts?
Afridi has been around at the international level for 20 years, so he knows things better than me. Main kaise unko koi advice de sakta hoon. He's senior to me.
