Innovative Captaincy

[Aditya]

I really don't agree with you. Which captain has NOT opened with a spinner?(okay, maybe i am going too far) but really opening with a spinner is nothing new. WI have done it, SA have done it with a lot of success. India has done it, I think even Bangladesh has done it.
Big Gamble also doesn't strike me as it. What's the worse that could have happened? Gayle could have hit him for a couple of sixes? I have never found Gayle to be very dominant against spin.

Gamble in a sense that rest of the captains, Smith, Dhoni, Shakib all have opened the bowling with the first choice spinners. Botha, Ashwin and Razzak all are first choice spinners. As far Afridi is concern, he opened the bowling with Hafeez, who is certainly not a first choice spinner. We never know with Gayle, he is a batsmen who once gets going can be very dangerous against the spinners but I do agree with the point that you have made that Gayle is not very dominant against spin but that's not the case always.

 

[simsanta123]

Gamble in a sense that rest of the captains, Smith, Dhoni, Shakib all have opened the bowling with the first choice spinners. Botha, Ashwin and Razzak all are first choice spinners. As far Afridi is concern, he opened the bowling with Hafeez, who is certainly not a first choice spinner. We never know with Gayle, he is a batsmen who once gets going can be very dangerous against the spinners but I do agree with the point that you have made that Gayle is not very dominant against spin but that's not the case always.

SA opened with Peterson who is not their first choice spinner. India has opened(given the 3rd over) with Yusuf Pathan who is a part time bowler. I do agree though that Afridi brings out the best in the team.

 

[Owzat]

I really don't agree with you. Which captain has NOT opened with a spinner?(okay, maybe i am going too far) but really opening with a spinner is nothing new. WI have done it, SA have done it with a lot of success. India has done it, I think even Bangladesh has done it.
Big Gamble also doesn't strike me as it. What's the worse that could have happened? Gayle could have hit him for a couple of sixes? I have never found Gayle to be very dominant against spin.

I 100% agree, it's more an "accepted tactic" than an innovation and while you can argue about the choice of person to impliment that tactic is not the obvious one, who says it has to be? Is Strauss not picking the best two opening bowlers "innovation"? Is bowling 4-5 overs of nothing with Shight innovative or just plain stupid? Is "innovation" dependant on result, if it don't work it is a mistake, if it does work it is "innovative" ?

Perhaps therein lies a key, with most things if something different pays off we credit the captain, but they probably try 20 things and one pays off for which they claim credit when in fact they try so many things you can't really claim intent. Was turning Yardy into a spinner "innovative" ? England did something that most wouldn't have bothered, perhaps again it wasn't exactly innovative because Sussex did it in T20s, but had it worked would it have been "genius" ?

England opened the bowling with Yardy, look how that worked out. He copied Smith with a bowler that simply isn't ODI quality. That "innovation" nearly cost England, South Africa were set for victory while Yardy was whatevering. And that same game, was it "innovation" to make Broad the FIFTH bowler he turned to? Or to give Pietersen eight overs (0/30) and Yardy nine (1/46) yet the match winner Broad only got 6.4 and seemed to be last resort?

While I do feel captaincy is WAY more important in ODIs than Tests, changing bowlers, who to use and how etc, I think it is still only really clever when it works. Move a fielder and a catch goes straight to him then the captain gets credit, but other times he moves a fielder and the ball goes where he was at catchable height...............................

 

[Atharv]

MSD with his lucky touch is back again.Good to see M S Dhoni of the earlier days .

 

[simsanta123]

MSD with his lucky touch is back again.Good to see M S Dhoni of the earlier days .

Lucky or not, I saw the Dhoni of old vs. Aus. He was constantly keeping Attacking fields (keeping slip for Haddin against Yuvi when Haddin was on 50, keeping Short leg for Ponting against Bhajji even when Ponting was on 60 odd). The fact that he brought back Zaheer after Clarke's wicket really turned the match.

 

[bluequin]

After today's performance I'd say Vettori could stake a pretty good claim to this title.
Kept the fielders up against Kallis and de Villiers - very impressive I thought.

 

[Z.Khan]

Shahid Afridi. Very unfavorable team before the world cup is in semi final now. Ended Aussies streak, nobody was expecting that before the WC. This all is due to Afridi's captaincy; had he made wrong decisions, they would have been in Pakistan now. He made right decisions at the right time and the strategy worked for him. All other teams were already favorite for world cup title. Proving onerself and making people wonder is I think what an excellent captain can do.

I would say Taylor did very well against Pakistan when Vetorri got injured.

 

[Auwais]

Andrew Strauss. His lack of leadership throughout this tournament is innovative in itself.

 

[Sedition]

The most innovative captain will be from which ever team wins the cup, as you can see by the trend of captains being nominated any time they win a game and the games are only getting bigger from here.

 

[aussie1st]

Haven't really seen anything spectacular like 92 when NZ opened with a spinner or SL being aggressive from the outset in 96. Australia showed something new when they promoted Johnson up the order against England but that wasn't seen again.

 

[simsanta123]

Haven't really seen anything spectacular like 92 when NZ opened with a spinner or SL being aggressive from the outset in 96. Australia showed something new when they promoted Johnson up the order against England but that wasn't seen again.

Yes, you are right. This world cup hasn't thrown any surprises when it comes to tactics.