Former Pak captains rue lack of vision and structure

[Eshen]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/4853180.cms

KARACHI: From Twenty20 World Cup triumph to double series defeats in Sri Lanka -- Pakistan's consistent inconsistency saddened former captains who blamed it on the absence of a scientific cricket structure in the country.

Legendary Imran Khan, who captained the team to the 1992 World Cup triumph and is now an active politician, said he wouldn't blame the players for the losses in Sri Lanka because they are the same set who won the Twenty20 World Cup in July.

"There is no proper cricket structure in the country something on the lines of what Australia and England have. And that is hurting our players and our progress," Imran rued.

"There is no shortage of talent in the country but the only need is to have a system where this talent is properly groomed and matured to go onto play international cricket," he said.

Former captain Zaheer Abbas said Pakistan's existing cricket system, including domestic cricket and the board administration. was outdated and needed to be revamped.

"There is no logic in the way Pakistan cricket affairs are being run at all levels. You need to have a strong system to produce good results. We need a batting coach in Sri Lanka and instead we have a bowling coach with the team," Zaheer said.

Zaheer pointed out that the same set of people were coming in and out of the board for the last so many years despite having failed to produce any results.

"It is clear to everyone. I don't understand they are so many former players available in the country and why cannot they also be given a chance to prove their worth and improve the cricket system," he said.

Former captain Aamir Sohail, who resigned last month as director of the national cricket academy after reported differences with the board Chairman, said nothing would improve in Pakistan cricket unless it was reorganised on scientific and logical lines.

"Some of the decisions make no sense at all. We sent two specialist openers to Sri Lanka for the one-day series and yet we are depending on a make shift pair in the series which we have now lost," he said.

Sohail said unless there was proper utilisation of human resources and strong leadership in the board, nothing would improve and Pakistan will continue to remain an inconsistent team.

"No one seems to have a clear plan in mind what he wants to do whether it is in the board or in the team and that is why Pakistan cricket is not moving forward. Things and times have changed we need to completely revamp our cricket structure now," Sohail said.

Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said there appeared to be no problem with the players selected for the Sri Lanka tour but the problem was that the tour selection committee was playing the wrong combination all the time.

"They are not playing the right combinations for the given situations and that is why we are suffering one defeat after another. You need to have more stability and consistency in the team affairs and selection matters," Inzamam noted.

[Imteaz]

100% True. Moreover, Pakistan team should learn discipline as well.

[Surfer]

They are right.....though I dislike the Pak formers having something to say on everything and they are hardly ever sympathetic to the sufferings of the current captain though the former captains are, unlike the general public, aware of the dressing room difficulties a Pakistani captain faces unlike any other cricket captain in the world.

YK's hands, I am sure, are tied down on a lot of things. For example, he could drop MOYO who had a long fall out with the PCB, but Malik continues in the team. I think dropping Malik is beyond YK. Malik quite clearly enjoys the sympathies of people in high offices in and outside PCB. So does Kamran who in spite of terrible keeping averaging a drop per innings and a horrible run of batting form, seems untouchable. Pakistan does not even have a back up keeper ready. Look at India- Dhoni has been a great success, but BCCI had ensured that there is a back up keeper in Karthik in case Dhoni gets injured. But Pakistan, in spite of the horrible keeping form of Kamran, does not even have a back up ready.

Can YK trust to have PCB's support if he wants to deal with the non performers and wants to test a few new comers in? No.

The former captains who are happily pointing a finger at YK know this. They have gone through this and they had their share of fingers pointed at them. But they don't show an iota of sympathy for YK.

Malik was a bad captain with the most terribly depressing and discouraging body language when in trouble. YK is better and can get better. But he is a new captain and he needs some support, does he not?

[wiseshah]

pakistan team's problem is discipline, lack of respect for each other, corruption, dishonesty, jealousy, lack of education, high self esteem and countless...........

[Eshen]

Surfer, I don't see any former captain here pointing finger to YK. Everyone very much said the problem is with PCB.

[BANFAN]

Pak has a back up keeper: Malik

PCB's problems are quiet well known to all and the parliament is after them as well. Former captains are all belonging to some political camps.

[Tintin]

PCB has always been run as a fiefdom of one or other individual, and hence relied heavily on how capable this despot was. They never had a decent cricketing infrasctructure. This is quite unlike ECB or CA which will continue to run the same way no matter who the guy on top is. Imran was the last able ruler in Pakistan. When lesser individuals took over, the organization cricket gradually sunk into chaos.

Another thing is that the cricket in rest of the world has moved forward while Pakistan has stood still. There was a time when raw, but talented cricketers could score runs in plenty and keep doing it. Pakistan had a wealth of them. They probably still do. But that era ended some time in the nineties. Now the world is small and any fault in technique or temparement could be found out very quickly.

Umar Akmal scored a very inventive fifty yesterday with several memorable shots (a slice over the slips off a bouncer and a four to fine leg off another bouncer were very much so). But in three or four months, the chances are that every team will spot the faults in his technique (whatever they are) and after this his career will go downhill. This has been the story of every Pakistani batsman, especially openers, who debuted in the last 10 years - bright start and fading away. Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hamid, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt and so on. Seems that there is nobody these days to guide the Pakistani cricketers, as there are in every other country.

[Eshen]

Domestic setup is flawed - Younis

"The problem with Pakistan cricket is that our domestic structure is flawed," he said.

"The players produced have flawed techniques," Younis said. "They only manage to overcome it once they start playing for the national team."

"When I made it into the Pakistan team, my technique was not so good. It took me two years to get it right,"

[mahbubH]

Originally Posted by Tintin
Umar Akmal scored a very inventive fifty yesterday with several memorable shots (a slice over the slips off a bouncer and a four to fine leg off another bouncer were very much so). But in three or four months, the chances are that every team will spot the faults in his technique (whatever they are) and after this his career will go downhill. This has been the story of every Pakistani batsman, especially openers, who debuted in the last 10 years - bright start and fading away. Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hamid, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt and so on. Seems that there is nobody these days to guide the Pakistani cricketers, as there are in every other country.

Very good point Tintin.