Thursday, October 23, 2008

Good Day for Pakistan

In times like these for Pakistan cricket, atleast some people have something to cheer about - for Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, and Mushtaq Ahmed it was a significant day.

Javed Miandad was included in the PCB Governing Board, a position that was held by Ijaz Butt before he became chairman.

So if you're not a successful coach, you are given a post in the Pakistan board. When will we see Lawson wear a suit?

This may also resurrect Faisal Iqbal's career!

Saleem Malik got his life ban overturned by a Pakistan court after 8 years.

Azharuddin has hope I guess and Cronje can now finally come back from the dead!

Malik talked about setting up a cricket academy. Really? Who is going to join this academy?

Or rather what is he going to coach in this academy - How to lose a match? Or how to set your team up for victory, run some partners out, and then throw your wicket to lose the match?

Mushtaq Ahmed has been appointed spin coach by the England Cricket Board.

There's hope for the ICL players!

Mushtaq is going to work with spinners in England's test and ODI squads as well as in ECB's development programs.

I didn't know they had spinners in England's squads and development programs.

Nonetheless, a great achievement for someone who is involved with the ICL and who was not allowed to be Pakistan's assistant coach due to being charged in a match fixing inquiry, the same one that banned Malik 8 years ago.

High time someone thinks about the current players in Pakistan!

Make your pitch on this post...

Labels: , , , , , , ,

31 Pitched:

  1. Ottayan said...


    Off-topic - Are there any new spinners coming through (in Pakistan)?

  2. Wasim said...

    Whats wrong with these courts? So except for Ata ur Rehman everybody else escaped punishment, now this MF is going to open an academy where he will corrupt the minds of young cricketers.Its a shame.

  3. scorpicity said...

    Azhar is definitely on a witch hunt by the board... I wonder what the board wants to hide about themselves.

    With regard to Pakistani cricket, I guess in a few months, things will settle down and whatever may be, you ought to give a chance to this new administration.

    Though I will be honest that having javed on board is not good news at all and we all know why :).


  4. karachi khatmal said...

    yaay!!! saleem satta is back! as for ata ur rehman - seriously that guy makes a good case for ethnic cleansing. he was shit. saleem satta perfected the art of the wicket throw away. in fact, try and watch pak vs india at kolkata 1999. as pakistan collapsed, saleem satta vainly attempted to repeatedly throw his wicket away. but the edges wouldn't carry, and the catches were dropped. the look on his face was hilarious!!

  5. khansahab said...

    Who do we censure? The charges were against almost everyone who played under Wasim Akram.
    Even Inzamam was charged with match fixing and in fact shortly after Inzamam became captan, Sarfraz Nawaz threatened to expose the charges. What Nawaz was arguing was that other cricketers like Azhar Mahmood and Saqlain can come under the light and be reprimanded, so why not Inzamam?

    This is a disgraceful incident for the cricketing world and for Pakistan where we worship people like Wasim Akram who sold the country's pride for a few millions.

  6. Wasim said...

    Why Scorpi?

    Javed has never been involved in match fixing,no inquiry ever involved his name, in fact it was he who warned Imran about several players in 1992 World cup including Saleem Satta (lol),I don't know about his personal life but he has served Pakistan cricket better than any other cricketer. He couldn't establish himself as a coach because he was not given enough time.His relations with Daud Ibrahim have nothing to do with book making.

  7. Wasim said...


    Only Saeed Ajmal and Mansoor Amjad, their are many others but none of them is noteworthy or likely to join the national team.

  8. scorpicity said...

    That's some insight Wasim on him warning Imran. Yes, the concern was with his ties with Daud and the bigger concern is he strongly pushes his favorite players, especially relatives.

    No doubt he was the best among the Pakistani ranks to have served a nation well. A legend. But that's where the problem comes when one becomes almost larger than life... not many would want to rub him off and his connection with the likes of Daud won't help either.

  9. Ottayan said...


    Is it a dead end?

  10. Wasim said...


    The problem again stems from a weak domestic structure, the last administration ruined the domestic cricket completely, I watched the recently concluded RBS tournament and was appalled at the standard of cricket,the coaching and scouting focus is entirely focused on developing new fast bowlers and openers, other departments have been completely ignored.
    Unless and until more funds are allocated to different associations and clubs and the scouting job is given to professional cricketers a lot of talent will continue to get wasted.In past i remember Wasim Raja used to run coaching clinics which were free for everybody a lot of players were identified and groomed through his clinics, also their were a few renowned clubs operated by ex cricketers also produced and groomed a lot of players, but during the previous administration ex cricketers have been sidelined completely and PCB became too bureaucratic.There are a lot of programs for the development of cricketers and lots of funds have been used but those programs are not being operated by passionate people, most of the development activities carried on by the previous administration were meaningless, the academies remained
    closed for 90% of the time and were used to train only players selected in the A team,u19 and main team, as far as I know their were no coaching camps or talent hunts done for spinners.
    I hope the situation will change under this management as it is taking on board ex cricketers.

  11. Ottayan said...


    BTW, Wasim Raja was my favorite cricketer.

  12. Wasim said...

    Scorpi as I said almost all the high level inquiries which took place in Pakistan and abroad Miandad's name never came up in any illegal activity ,Saleem Satta was an equally great batsman as Miandad but I will not defend him or Akram because that will not be the truth. Miandad's record clearly reflects his honesty as a player he singlehandedly won us so many matches and was most of the times the last man standing as far as Pakistan's batting was concerned.

    You are right his relationship with Daud Ibrahim creates a negative shadow over his personality but he had no involvement in illegal activities. When Faisal Iqbal was included in the team at that time Faisal was performing well but later on he couldn't improve and lost his form and as a result his inclusion was always attributed to nepotism the same is the case with Majid Khan and Bazid Khan, Bazid performed really well in the domestic tournaments but could never perform big in International matches as a result his father's reputation got tarnished, I rank Majid as the best cheif executive PCB ever had, he is a man of integrity and during his time Pakistan's team was at the top and Pakistan's voice was always heard internationally.The fact is that there aren't many quality batsmen in the domestic scene or the system is not in place to identify new talent, as a result PCB in the past few years have developed a habit of working on the same pool of players, partly this problem is a direct result of the new contract system.

  13. Wasim said...


    He was the most under appreciated cricketer in Pakistan during Imran era, he loved cricket and served Pakistan cricket without any greed and for no monetary benefit, I remember whenever he used to come to Pakistan he used to hold free cricket coaching clinics and used to spend days in fixing the technique of young players whom he used to pick from the streets, anybody could walk in his coaching clinic, even as a person he was very humble and polite.

  14. khansahab said...


    I think Miandad has been on many boards before and he has been involved with PCB but I don't think anything positive has materialised under him. It's true that he had some disagreements with other plays because of match fixing. He once asked Wasim Akram to put his hand on the Quran to say whether he accepted bribes but Wasim refused because there was no copy of the Quran anywhere in the ground.

    Miandad was a reputable batsman but his lack of education and charisma affects his personality. He has some good ideas for the PCB but no one pays any attention to him because he does not have that kind of personality.

  15. Wasim said...

    His failure as a coach was a result of one main reason, his feud with Aamir Sohail who was the chief selector and was handing him over raw players and then he expected him to transform them overnight,
    Aamir as the chief selector kicked out a lot of great players all at once, Miandad was given a raw team during the PAK-india series and after a poor rsult everybody wanted to save their own ass so they started accusing each other, basically he was not given enough time.

    Aamir publicly criticized Javed while commentating, also some of the senior players never wanted Miandad as the coach because Miandad was not afraid of anybody and was renowned for cursing out players, I think the players in Pakistan need someone like him.
    But what happened under Woolmer players were taking drugs,drinking in the bars while on tour,one scandal after another the team rankings dropped from #2 to #6 what we fail to understand and remember is that since Pakistan appointed foreign coaches we have not even moved into the second round of WC, now foreign coaches are educated what have they accomplished?

  16. khansahab said...

    I never supported Woolmer as coach of Pakistan but that is more because of the language barrier. It is the young players the coach work with the most and in Pakistan the young players can't understand foreign accents.

    Under Woolmer Pakistan saw improvements in the following areas:
    1) Younis Khan's technique
    2) Salman Butt's technique
    3) Malik became one of the best batsmen in ODI's (at his peak)
    4) Yousuf sorted out his trouble playing bouncy balls

    But unfortunately the negatives were far, far more.

    Actually the senior players wanted Woolmer because he like Lawson is not like Miandad or Whatmore who will demand results from the players. In Inzamam's time the players saw Inzamam as their guardian, adviser and father figure.

    It is a dilemma because we have to first consider whether we need a coach in the first place. If the players don't need technical improvements then they can have any coach they want. The senior players are adamant they don't want to change their style of play. So does Pakistan really need a coach? If they need someone with motivational skills who can counsel the players then they can have any inexpensive local coach to do that.

    The main reasons why local coaches are better are as follows:

    1) Cheaper
    2) No language barrier
    3) Understand the psyche of the players

    Of course there are advantages of having foreign coaches but the idea has not worked in Pakistan at all.

  17. Wasim said...

    Woolmer did improved Younis Khan and Salman Butt but Malik didn't improved under him and Yousuf always gave the credit to Mushtaq Ahmad.Remember the slab technique.

  18. khansahab said...

    Wasim sahab

    I have read the slab technique was introduced by Woolmer (there are links on google that confirm that) but I have also read that Mushtaq helped Yousuf with practising on slabs. It is not important anyway.

    If Pakistan was to have a domestic coach, Intikhab Alam was always the best choice. What I am not very sure is whether Alam has had any successful stints in the past as Pakistan coach.

    In batting maybe Zaheer Abbas can be a good coach because he is always talking about deficiencies in batting technique of players. I don't think Zaheer is a particularly bright person, but no one is perfect.

    I think PCB has made too hasty a decision in first removing Lawson and second in offering the role to Alam.

    I am no fan of Aamir Sohail but from a coach's perspective I wonder how Sohail would have preformed? Sohail is considered to be arrogant and temperamental, but he doesn't waste any time in speaking his mind. He could have been that strict taskmaster the team needs.

  19. khansahab said...

    Salim Malik was a good technical player.

    If he can do some coaching work for some club or regional association, he is not a bad candidate to coach the Pakistan national team.

    I remember watching the interview of Rashid Latif and Basit Ali and they both said Salim Malik was the best strategist Pakistan cricket has ever seen. He used to tell bowlers to bowl a certain line to the batsmen to get them out and most of the times his ideas and predictions turned out to be correct.

  20. Q said...

    Sorry guys, was away for the weekend and have seen some discussion here. Trying to catch up.

    Ottayan - there's Saeed Ajmal and Mansoor Amjad whom u saw in the Asia Cup. Then there's Imran Tahir who has played country cricket for 10 years almost and is now playing in South Africa - he's a very good leggie. JRod has been raving abt him as well.

    Plus there are Raheel Majeed and Ahmed Shehzad - basically both are batsmen at the U19 level but both have troubled opposition with their leg spin. Both talents for the future.

  21. Q said...

    Scorps I think the board were also involved in the whole match fixing racket in the 90s. They were in cohoots with the cricketers. Thats what they have to hide.

  22. Q said...

    Saleem Satta!! Karachi Khatmal I love that name.. welcome to Well Pitched. Hope u keep coming here.

  23. Q said...

    Khansahab, it was Saleem Malik who introduced match fixing to the Pak Cricketers, not Wasim Akram. Malik was the main culprit and yes everyone under Akram got censured but it all started under Malik's captaincy and continued...

  24. Q said...

    Wasim I differ there. Although Javed Miandad may not have fixed matches in his time, but he wanted in during his time as coach. His disagreement with Wasim was not over whether the match was fixed or not, it was over how much his share was. The senior players, i.e. Wasim, Moin, Waqar, etc did not want to share with Javed.

  25. Q said...

    Saleem satta, no matter how great a batsman or strategist, needs to be kept away from all coaching positions! He has no right to belong to any cricket team. He was the best at devising how to lose a match. Pakistan would play on his script and I doubt he's learnt his lesson.

  26. khansahab said...


    Wasim made millions of dollars in match fixing and betting. The only reason why he wasn't treated the same way as Malik or any other cricketer was because of his services to the nation as one of the best bowlers of all time. The team relied on him so much for everything that he could not be banned from playing.

    You may be right that Salim Malik introduced the betting or match fixing culture, but Wasim perhaps went a mile ahead than Malik.

    You can tell Wasim's mentality- he has so much money, yet instead of investing in Pakistan cricket he is going around doing dancing shows in India. It's all about money for Wasim Akram. He has so much money that he can invest millions of rupees in Pakistan cricket and he can still lead a life of luxury till his death.

    He is the best person to coach the Pakistan team because of his vast experience. Instead he holds training camps once every six months. What good will that do?

    Look at the contribution of people like Dennis Lillee to Australian cricket. Under Lillee Australia has produced many good fast bowlers.

    Wasim should build a fast bowlers academy in Lahore and he should spend all of his time coaching bowlers and honing their skills.

  27. Q said...

    Wasim made millions Khansahab but it was Malik who taught him how to. Malik was in the team till 99 and until then all the fixing used to happen through him even if Wasim was the captain. Malik definitely made a lot more than Wasim.. and the only reason Malik got a life ban and Wasim didn't was cos PCB wanted to make an example out of someone and Malik was the easiest because his career was ending. But also because he was the main man.

    Inzi, Mushy, Waqar, etc. were just as guilty but they were also let off...

    As for coaching Pakistan - it is not Wasim Akram's choice.. the PCB need to appoint him and I don't think they have ever made the offer. And I dont think they will. As for those camps, it is PCB who sets up the fast bowling camps and invites Wasim Akram for them.

    Running an academy is one's own career choice, u can't force that down someone. Wasim Akram chose the media career and he's doing that. He doesn't owe it to anyone to start an academy.

    Just the way Imran Khan chose politics. Will u blame him for not helping cricket in the country?

    I am an investment banker. When I retire, is it my obligation to set up an investment bank or train investment bankers?

  28. khansahab said...


    I don't blame Imran Khan for joining Pakistani politics because he is the best man to lead the country. He is honest and his party was formed to combat corruption.

    Wasim is neither the best man to do international commentary and neither is he the best man to sing, dance or make a fool out of himself which is what he is doing in India at the moment.

    He is not a singer or dancer and his English, I am sorry to say, is not competent enough to warrant international commentary. Rather he is a disgrace to the nation sitting inside the commentary box.

  29. Q said...

    After Rameez, Wasim Akram is the best commentator Pakistan have produced from this generation. The past had far better ones. Akram is hardly a disgrace... Waqar and Amir Sohail on the other hand shud be the ones keeping their mouths shut.

    As for singing and dnacing.. well he's on a show for cricketers and actors.. Bhajji and Sreesanth are there too.

    Im sure if he was offered a coaching position by the PCB he'd take it up without blinking an eye!

  30. Wasim said...


    All I know his name never popped up in any inquiry or any report.
    His disagreement with senior players was because of his rough attitude.

  31. Q said...

    Wasim, I agree thast Miandad's name has not appeared in any report or inquiry but it can't because he was never a player involved in this.

    Have you seen the name of any coach or administrator being dragged with that of players in this whole match fixing saga?

    I believe they have been as heavily involved as the players.

Post a Comment