Age and experience isn't everything. Some are able to learn quickly from experience, while others never learn. If experience was the only thing required, then the oldest player in the team would always be the captain.
To be a good captain, one needs to be a good motivator, have good communication skills, ability to learn and react quickly, and needs to be able to out think his opponent. In my humble opinion, Rafique has none of these qualities. He is an average spinner who is struggling to cement his place in the team, and his age is really working against him.
During the 1997 ICC trophy (and a period of time after that) Bangladesh had a serious opener problem. Athar Ali was the only specialist opener, but he took a really long time to set in. So, almost every match he would have a different partner. In the ICC final (and same with our solitary win vs Kenya later on), BD needed some quick runs, so they gambled on Rafique, and Rafique delivered on both occasions. But these days, he can't even manage to slog 10 runs regularly.
p.s. - What's the matter with you Ockey ? Good looks were ALWAYS in - didn't you notice ?
|