The Winning Way 2.0Learnings from Sport for Managers

by Anita Bhogle

It is good that Imran Khan did not suffer from insecurity, or else the cricketing world would have missed players like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Imran always put Pakistan first and was very secure himself, so he didn’t mind picking young players who, in a few years, would actually become better than him, for his skills would decline with age. He also believed in leading from the front and so, when his fast-bowling skills had significantly declined during the World Cup campaign of 1992, he moved up to number three in the batting order. The captain was making a statement there. Imran was also aware, as all good captains should, that if his younger players grew to become outstanding players, he would win more matches as captain because, as we said earlier, the wins and losses go against a captain’s name. And so he ensured that Waqar Younis was not allowed to become anything other than a genuine fast bowler and he held Wasim Akram’s hand till Akram became the champion cricketer that he is now recognised as.