Two glittering careers in cricket are on the verge of receding into the sunset in the coming week. It is not surprising that this year has already seen many such farewells – after all, World Cup years often see the end of the run for many a veteran stalwart in any game, more so with cricket with two World Cups in the same year. Newer stars emerge and the older lot often finds itself unable to hold its own against the younger challengers. Undoubtedly, some survive to fight another day, some come back for final hurrahs but many succumb to the inevitable. Some, however, are still willing to pack a punch, but find to their dismay, that there is no ring to fight in.
Such is the peculiar scenario in which the burly Inzamam-ul-Haq finds himself in. After 15 years of distinguished service to Pakistani cricket peppered with the most test centuries for his country [25 of them, no joke], close to 12,000 runs in ODIs [3rd highest ever], an average of more than 50 over 119 test matches and long years of stewardship of Pakistani cricket through some of the most tumultuous phases of its history, Inzy has been run out one last time – his own team mates are wary of him occupying the crease again.
Today, at a sombre press conference in Karachi, Inzy decided to bid farewell to Pakistani cricket after being given the chance to play one last test for Pakistan against South Africa at Lahore next week. Many hailed it as magnanimity on the part of the Pakistani cricket establishment, while some called it timely from Inzamam, a parting shot which would help him leave cricket with some dignity. And therein, lies the cruel irony of it all. For it is sad that somebody like Inzamam had to ask for largesse from his own cricket establishment to be a part of a team, of which he was the lead just a little while ago. Yes, he is touching 38 and he has achieved much in cricket and this valedictory gift allows him a chance to leapfrog Javed Miandad to the top of Pakistani run-getters’ list – but here was a person who had clearly spelt out his desire to play tests for Pakistan a little while longer and if statistics are to be believed, was still performing as well as anybody else. But it seems the new team command in the dressing room does not want him pottering around and Inzy himself pointed that out – “I have played cricket all my life and I felt I had 12-18 months left in me still. But I realised the boys are playing well since the World Cup and felt that the age gap between me and them, in the dressing-room, might have been too much. It could have affected the dressing-room.”
Marvan Atapattu in Sri Lanka has not announced his retirement yet, but his international cricketing career is all but finished as well after he chose to burn bridges with the Sri Lankan selectors by refusing to meet them and consequently, seeing himself dropped from the Sri Lankan team for the Australian tour. A former captain, Atapattu too, was humiliated by the Lankan cricketing establishment after being taken as a tourist for the Caribbean World Cup and being overlooked for all matches immediately thereafter.
At the ages of 36 or 37, admittedly, time was running out for both Inzamam and Atapattu. But the way their sagas wound up is a lesson in life for all – how fickle fortune can be – captains and undisputed leaders not too long ago, they found themselves dumped not too long after – Inzy, after his cubs decided that they no longer needed a pater familias guiding them, Atapattu after realizing that all around him had become used to his absence and were better off with it, post his injury which saw him losing his captaincy and then his place in the team.
In a way it is good, for both Inzy and Atapattu epitomized cricket, the way it was – a lazy and sublime sport for entertainment – not the power-packed, frenzied, big moneyed, winner takes it all avatar, that it has turned into with Twenty 20 and all that.
"There are many things you want to achieve but you can't always. Overall, I can look back and thank God for the career I have had." Thus spake Inzamam at the end of that conference in Karachi and I say the same – Thank God for giving us players like Inzamam and Atapattu to tell us what sublime beauty is all about.
[For my post on Inzy's ODI retirement announcement - check out]
