Buchanan's multiple-captain idea a joke: Miandad

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has dismissed John Buchanan's multiple-captain theory, calling it nothing but a 'joke'. Miandad said the former Australia coach's unique theory has nothing to do with serious cricket.

"I see it as a joke, nothing more. How can you have three or four different captains of one team in one tournament? Does a country have four prime ministers and four presidents?" Miandad told PTI.

"Twenty20 cricket is 'masala' cricket, it is about entertaining people in a short period of time. I don't consider it real cricket and I guess Buchanan is also playing to the demands of this form of cricket," Miandad said.

"I don't think players can adjust to the captaincy style of different captains," he said. According to him, Buchanan's success as the Australian coach was more due to the fact that he had a number of outstanding players at his disposal.

"He has no cricketing background and his coaching theories I presume are based on theory more than practice. So I don't think anyone is going to take his four-captain theory seriously," Miandad said.

Insisting that the longer version of the game remained the ultimate challenge for a player, Miandad said.

"It (Twenty20) is a good thing commercially for the sport but in the end cricket is always about Test cricket and even the players take Test cricket more seriously even now.

"It is the real test of character." Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and Australian spin legend Shane Warne also criticised Buchanan's idea, while Dilip Vengsarkar called it a mockery of the game.