Of course stats don't lie and it's hard not to support an argument which is based on numbers. And questions, ‘pathetic’ or not, must be asked. But tables and numbers must be assessed objectively.
“Shahid Afridi is Pakistan’s worst T20 captain ever,” reads a table circulating on social media.
It has stirred a great debate in the wake of Pakistan's 2-1 loss to New Zealand last week.
In the table on the right, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Misbah-ul-Haq can be taken out of the reckoning considering that they have not captained in enough games. Shoaib Malik's record is largely skewed considering 7 out of his 12 wins were in matches against Bangladesh (3), Zimbabwe (1), Scotland (1), Canada (1), and Kenya (1). Mohammad Hafeez was definitely a very good captain; arguably the best T20 captain Pakistan has had.
The ‘Professor’, no doubt, should have continued for longer. His resignation following Pakistan's exit from the 2014 World T20 was one of the most selfless acts we have witnessed in Pakistan cricket.
Sure, Afridi has not been as good a captain. But his figures are not rubbish either. Under his captaincy, Pakistan has won as much as they have lost; alright lost a bit more but just very slightly.
When compared to international captains who have captained in at least 10 T20 Internationals, Afridi's record is better than many including Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle, and Stuart Broad. It is also not very different from the record of AB de Villiers, George Bailey, Brendon McCullum, and the one and only MS Dhoni.
Before jumping to conclusions like “Afridi is Pakistan's worst T20 captain”, one must also realise that T20s are very different from ODIs and Tests.
For more detail A matter of stats: Is Afridi a ‘pathetic’ captain?
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