Goodbye Stephen Fleming. The flamboyant Kiwi wasted little time last night in announcing his decision to step down as skipper of the ODI squad after being mauled by the Lankan Tigers.
I had written two days back, it would be tough for the Black Caps to bounce back after the thrashing they got from the Oz in their last Super8 tie. Looking back, it is easy to blame Fleming for having ‘rested’ key bowlers against their trans-Tasman rivals.
If one compares what Lanka did against Australia – resting trump card Murali and a few more bowlers – it is clear they knew there was no pointing in exposing them to marauder Matty.
It would be unfair and biased to judge Fleming’s captaincy on what happened in the World Cup semi-finals. Certainly, he did appear flummoxed when rival skipper Mahela anchored the innings beautifully in the last 10 overs to post such a huge total.
Shane did not turn out to be a ‘Bond” and almost every bowler was being given the stick with wickets in hand. Yet, when the Kiwis began the chase, it finished in almost no time.
We have heard of the famous cliche: Playing a captain’s knock. Mahela did it but Fleming could not thereby rendering the chase as futile. From day one in this tournament, the variety in the Lankan bowling has been the talking point.
So what kind of a plan could Fleming have conjured chasing a mountain of a total? I think had Scott Styris been around, it could have made some difference. But once he also exited, Fleming must have decided this was enough and he no longer was going to continue as ODI skipper!
Having led in 217 ODIs, he had a 98-106 win-loss record. But the point is, for someone who has been around so long, is the Kiwi cricket board going to let him be in the squad purely as a batsman. I don’t think so, since at 34, he is not growing younger.
Fleming has a huge (female) fan following. If he is going to be forced out from ODIs, be sure it is going to break many hearts. It is a long journey back home from the West Indies. The world of cricket surely will remember him as an astute captain. So what if he never could break the WC semi-final jinx.
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Another head falls! My God how many more victims will this World Cup claim…the list of retiring skippers and coaches is endless and what’s worst one of them passed away.
The WC semi-final jinx for Black Caps may be continuing but I would say this World Cup in itself is jinxed with so many ‘casualties’ not to speak of the financial strain it has put on the Island nations. Soon, they would be sitting with a bowl in their hands in front of the IMF.
Coming back to Stephen Fleming’s poor form, I would just say that the burden of captainship was so crushing that it got to him and he just could not concentrate on his batting. Maybe now that he has freed himself of a few responsibilities he would be able to focus better and as he says: “Finish off with some stats that are worth it.”
Speaking about the stats he is certainly among the runs. The 8037 runs that he has scored in 269 one-day innings is a proof of that, though the average (32.40) is a bit low, but then lets not forget he has been one of the most astute skipper in the history of cricket.
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