Pakistan cricket: A merry-go-round

Whilst senior international cricketers like Nasser Hussain, Alan Donald, Andy Flower and others decided to quit with honour, Pakistani seniors have opted to linger on, hoping to repair their tarnished reputations.

Unfortunately, this shows up the sorry state of affairs with the older generation persisting with hopes of remaining in the side, rather than giving way to the young brigade. It is obvious Inzamam, Waqar, Akram, Anwar and Latif cannot possibly carry on to the next World Cup (in West Indies), yet they have chosen to stay on, hoping to figure in the line-up for upcoming tournaments. This has made the job of the selectors a tough one, as they would prefer to re-build the team around new faces, but fear a backlash from the public in case the youngsters fail.

Pakistan cricket seems to be on a merry-go-round; very obvious from the fact that players often excluded from the squad for one tournament, return as captain later on, only to be unceremoniously dumped once again after a string of poor performances. The amount of come-backs made by Pakistani cricketers is probably a world record in itself. The likes of Rameez Raja, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Rashid Latif and Moin Khan have all been left out on more than one occasion, only to be brought back as the captain.

These decisions have been mind-boggling, as many Pakistani captains fail to justify their place in the playing eleven, but yet must be included solely on the grounds of being captain. An example of a player is Ijaz Ahmed, who has made a number of returns to the game, after failing, with the claim that he was included to `beef up the batting order.

How long will we keep falling back on individuals who are no longer the force they were, hoping they can produce something magical now?

The same theory seems to apply to coaches, where the PCB opts to re-appoint coaches who have already been tried, tested and failed in their previous tenures. Richard Pybus had three tenures with the Pakistan side, and it would not be surprising if he is re-called in a year or two after the dust settles.

I completely agree with Imran Khan who has said, the role coaches play in improving a player is only an incremental one, and its really domestic cricket or a chance to play in the counties in England that really polishes raw talent. To spend exorbitant amounts of money on a Pybus or Boycott, is nothing but a waste of money.

Pakistan has been trying to emulate the success of rivals India and their coach John Wright, but they fail to understand Indian players have a totally different mental approach. Their desire to learn, improve and accept authority being the major difference. If we do want to learn from their success, we must observe how they have built their side around youngsters, whose exuberance and commitment is guiding them towards success.

At the moment, either Javed Miandad or Zaheer Abbas seem the most likely candidates for the next coach of Pakistan. In my opinion this is the right way to go and I hope this happens and the lobby for foreign coaches is finally brought to an end.

The other question is why was Miandad pressured to resign his last tenure, when it was obvious he had a brilliant impact on our side? The answer is player power, exercised by the seniors! Pakistan's senior members have always shown a reluctance to accept authority and they could not get along with Javed Miandad or Mudassar Nazar in the past, purely for that reason.

I believe this is precisely why we need to remove those `seniors', who take their place in the side for granted, wield `player power' in the face of authority and then show low levels of commitment. Younger players are more likely to accept authority and not suffer prejudice or bear grudges against an ex-colleague who is now their coach. They would want to cement a place in the side and put in their maximum effort, which is more than you can say for the older warriors.

It seems that Wasim Akram, Rashid Latif or maybe even Moin Khan might get the captaincy of the Pakistan team, and that would further prove how we cling to the past for elements of success, rather than invest in the future. A decision now, to appoint a young captain is needed and the side of the future must be built up under him.

There is talk of stop-gap solutions by retaining Rashid Latif for a while or picking Moin Khan but this will deprive Kamran Akmal, a highly talented youngster, of a place in the side once again. His talent will go to waste and after a couple of years the management will again desperately hunt around after these two retire.

So what can we expect in the future? Pakistan rising in international cricket to its position of former glory, or a further decline, even when it seems that Pakistan cricket can sink no further. One can only hope the cricket authorities get up the courage to bid the `seniors' farewell and make the brave decisions required for the future of Pakistan cricket.

Ed: If readers wish to correspond with the author, please email Taha Noor