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By: Staff Report | Published: April 14, 2011 LAHORE – Pakistan chief coach Waqar Younis wants the PCB to hunt for someone else after Javed Miandad’s refusal to join the team as the batting coach job.
Talking to journalists here after the last session of the training camp ahead of the West Indies tour, Waqar said the PCB should find someone else for the batting coach position. Miandad refused to accept the batting coach offer on personal grounds, the all-time leading run-scorer for Pakistan in Test matches gave tips to players during the two-day conditioning camp at Lahore, which ended today.
“I don’t know why we go round and round and come back to Miandad again and again. If Miandad doesn’t want to do the job then we must ask someone else for help because its not an issue of technique, its an issue of slight adjustment in batsmen’s scoring runs,” said Waqar. Waqar added that whoever becomes the batting coach will be “more than welcome.”
Pakistan leave tomorrow for a tour of the West Indies to play two Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International. AFP adds: Waqar hoped to use the upcoming Pakistan tour of West Indies 2011 to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead.
With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain — both 21 — and 20-year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam. “We have selected some youngsters for the tour in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future,” Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in the eastern city of Lahore.
Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Hussain’s tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90. Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month’s World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin.
Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1505 runs in 24 domestic matches. “We are not taking the West Indies team lightly. We also have experience at our disposal and we hope to do well on the tour,” said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side’s batting.
“Whatever shortcomings we had during the World Cup, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement.”
LAHORE – Pakistan will use the upcoming West Indies tour to groom the youngsters to replace seniors in near future, said coach Waqar Younis here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Pakistan will leave today (Thursday) for West Indies tour to play one Twenty20 international, five one-dayers and two Test match series.
Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain, all-rounder Hammad Azam, wicketkeeper M Salman and Usman Salahuddin after the retirement of Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar while Umar Gul has been rested. Gul will later join the squad for Test series. “We have selected some youngsters for the tour to groom them to serve the country in the future,” Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in the eastern city of Lahore.
Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Sadaf Hussain’s tally in 18 domestic matches stands at90. Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month’s World Cup, made way for 29-year-old M Salman while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin.
“We have picked some youngsters for the tour (of West Indies) in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future,” Waqar told.
Waqar Younis wants the batsmen to show substantial improvement on the upcoming Pakistan tour of West Indies. Waqar is hoping that his new-look team will show an improvement in the Caribbean. Waqar, a former Pakistan Test captain, is confident that youngsters like Salahuddin, who has scored 1,505 runs on the domestic circuit, are the future of Cricket Pakistan.
“We are not taking the West Indies lightly and also have experience at our disposal to do well on the tour,” said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side’s batting. “Whatever shortcomings we had during the WC, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement,” added Waqar.
Javed Miandad has turned down the role of Pakistan’s batting coach due to personal reasons, the team manager Intikhab Alam has said.
Miandad had said earlier that he would consider taking up the job after Pakistan tour of West Indies, which begins on April 18.
“The Cricket Pakistan team surely needs a batting coach and the board approached Miandad, but he unfortunately declined the offer because of personal reasons,” Alam said.
“But I am sure that he will help the players in the near future.” Miandad was approached by Shahid Afridi and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt following a shaky performance in the World Cup, during which there was no Pakistan batsman in the top 20 run-scorers list.
Miandad, who has had three stints as Pakistan’s head coach and is a director with the PCB, had said in early April that he would not travel with the team to the West Indies, but would work with the batsmen before their departure, as he did for Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand last year.
Reacting to Miandad refusing the post, Afridi said the board should look for “other batting greats” to take up the role.
“If he [Miandad] is not available, then the board can hire other batting greats that this country has produced, or even look at a foreign batting coach,” he said.
“Pakistan cricket has to move on and it is not as if we have produced just one great batsman in the past.”
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After Pakistan’s limited overs captain Shahid Afridi failed to board the flight along with the other members of the national team for the tour of the West Indies on Thursday morning, two different versions of official explanation were given. While the first version said that he had forgotten his pas
sport in Karachi, the other version said he had requested to leave later as he wanted to return to Karachi from Lahore to meet with his father who is not keeping well.
Early on Thursday, the entire Pakistan squad departed from Lahore for Qatar, from where they will fly to the Caribbean via London, but Afridi didn’t leave with the team.
“Afridi will now join the team after leaving later on Thursday from Karachi,” a board official said.
But Afridi’s failure to also attend the last day of the training camp in Lahore on Wednesday, has also raised eyebrows.
“Something may be wrong but no one is willing to speak about it,” a source close to the team said.
The source also pointed out that normally passports of players were with the team well before they left for any tour.
Meanwhile, before the team’s departure for the West Indies, manager Intikhab Alam told the media that he was hopeful of a good performance by the team.
“I am hopeful the young cricketers who have been picked in the side will perform well and Inshallah help us to win the series against West Indies,” said Alam.
Pakistan will play a Twenty20 International and five-match ODI series under Shahid Afridi’s captaincy, while two Test-match series under Misbah-ul-Haq.
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