Salman Butt begins Pakistan's impossible job with words of wisdom

There is no harder job in cricket than the captaincy of Pakistan and, if you are a young captain, then the assumption has long been that the job is impossible. The country's culture demands that age warrants deference, even if age acts with prejudice, self-interest or the utmost folly. In such a suffocating atmosphere, it would be a miracle for a young captain to survive. Salman Butt is a young captain of Pakistan, preparing to face England in his first full Test series in charge. His appointment is vague and temporary, which is probably meant to keep the 25-year-old in check, undermining his status. He has just led them to victory against Australia in his first Test as captain – after Shahid Afridi's retirement following the opening 150-run defeat – so he can be confident of lasting the week, but come the end of August, who knows what the future will hold? He sat alone before the media at Trent Bridge today, with no coach or media officer to sustain him, a singular and intelligent man engaged upon what history suggests will be a lonely struggle. "Power has always been given to the senior people," he said. "But it is for the person who is better equipped to lead a team – whether it is me or somebody even younger than me. It is the right of the nation to have that person in charge rather than because a person is old." He spoke wisely, deliberately limiting his horizons so as not to appear on the horizons of others. In England, we are still intrigued by Pakistan's turbulent series in Australia last winter, one of the most dishonourable ever undertaken by a touring side, involving a mountain of defeats, bickering and machinations behind the scenes to be followed by leaked videos of the official investigation, fines, sackings, resignations and retirements, and the one truth that what was avowed on Tuesday morning would probably be abandoned by Friday afternoon. Butt, as he must, wants to move on. "It is past. We need to focus on the games at hand and not think about what has happened. I don't like to think too far forward because this is beyond my control. If I do well I will stick to the captaincy, if I don't do well obviously nobody will like me to carry on. The results will take me wherever I go." Old men engaged in perpetual power struggles have long destroyed Pakistani cricket. Administrators too often lack all reality, plucking policies like apples from a tree. Coaches and team managers are appointed and replaced on a whim. Politicians are forever grandstanding. Team-mates lobby for preferential treatment for friends and relations. And defeat brings emotional reactions more extreme than anywhere in the world. In England, we recognise that defeat should hurt. In Pakistan, defeat can equal dishonour. "It is true that it has been like that," Butt said. "You always give it to the senior people. It is for anybody who is better equipped to lead a team – whether it be me or somebody even younger than me. It is the right of the nation to have that person in charge rather than a person who is old." His captaincy hero is Imran Khan, like him a son of Lahore. Captains have tried to unite Pakistan cricket in many ways. Inzamam-ul-Haq chose religious fervour; Javed Miandad was combustible, getting down to the infighting with relish. Imran stayed aloof, dominating by social class, intellect and great performances. "Imran Khan has been the greatest captain of all time in Pakistan," Butt said. "It was the courage he showed. When he started he had very limited resources. He picked some players who had not even played first-class cricket in Pakistan and made them world-beaters. The courage to allow them to be free and be themselves is something not many people have.'' Pakistan have chosen a young captain before. When Inzamam resigned three years ago, they opted for Shoaib Malik, championed by their late coach, Bob Woolmer. He saw western pragmatism and tactical acuity. Two years later Shoaib was sacked, condemned as a loner. And now comes Butt, the 28th captain in the past 20 years. Every captain who has passed before him will think – and say – he should do things differently. He will try to build a young and innocent side, only to find such innocence can be tarnished almost daily. "When I make mistakes, I hope I will be told by those who have done the job before," he said. Of that, at least, he can be sure.