Laxman versus Afridi

VVS Laxman, who led the Hyderabad team Deccan Chargers in the inaugural Indian Premier League, is in a verbal duel with IPL teammate Shahid Afridi after the Pakistani allrounder criticised the Indian batsman’s captaincy in the Twenty20 tournament.

After Laxman retorted by saying that a player as experienced as Afridi had a poor understanding of ethics, Tim Wright, the recently appointed CEO of the Deccan Chargers, clarified that necessary action would be taken following an inquiry. Wright’s statement reads: “In the interest of fairness and of thoroughness, both players have been advised of this process and have been invited to contribute to the inquiry.”

What made Laxman furious was Afridi’s unflattering remark that not only did he lack both aggression and leadership qualities, he was not suited for Twenty20 cricket and that is why the team could not make its presence felt in the tournament. It may be noted that Deccan Chargers finished at the bottom of the table in the IPL.

Afridi went on to add that the stand-in captain of the Deccan Chargers, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist who took over from Laxman after the Hyderabadi suffered a hand injury, would have been a better skipper.

Laxman, who missed a large part of the tournament, feels that the team failed as a unit. Afridi himself failed to click as a batsman. “It was not fair on the part of Afridi to comment on this issue. I was captain for six matches and won one; Gilchrist captained the team in eight matches and won one. The bottomline is that the team did not perform. Why should I be blamed for the team’s, performance,” asks Laxman.

With the controversy turning ugly, Afridi has toned down his remarks. “Perhaps what I said about the team on TV has come out a bit too strongly. My only point was that Laxman needs to be more aggressive on the field,” says Afridi. “There was neither any intention to demean Laxman’s stature or contribution as player or captain nor to create controversy. I was asked a simple question and I answered it honestly.”

Symonds versus Clarke

Meanwhile in Australia, after colourful allrounder Andrew Symonds went fishing when he was supposed to be present at a team meeting ahead of a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, stand-in captain Michael Clarke was one of four men who decided that Symonds be sent back home for indiscipline.

This was a joint decision by Clarke, captain Ricky Ponting (recuperating from injury), coach Tim Nielsen and manager Steve Bernard although reports in the Australian media indicate that Clarke was instrumental in sending Symonds back home.

Teammates have come out in defence of Clarke on the Symonds issue. Vice-captain Michael Hussey says Clarke took the risk of sacrificing his friendship with Symonds. “It was hard for him; he and Andrews are very good friends. But he seems to have handled it very well and hasn’t got himself down about it. In a leadership position you will be required to make those tough calls and he has done so.” Nonetheless, Symonds reportedly had a showdown with Clarke when he was told to pack his bags.