Former Test stalwarts on Miandad's resignation (23 April 1999)

23 April 1999

Former Test stalwarts on Miandad's resignation

Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, April 22: Former Test stalwarts have lamented Javed Miandad for resigning as Pakistan coach maintaining that the timing of his decision was wrong. The former cricketers observed that if there was something wrong, he should have announced his decision well before the World Cup instead of five days before the team leaves for England.

"The timing of the decision is terribly wrong," felt Little Master Hanif Mohammad, adding: "As a cricketing point of view, it is very bad for Pakistan cricket."

Former chairman of selectors Hasib Ahsan said: "If Javed (Miandad) was having adjustment problems with the players, he should have quit long time ago instead of ditching the team at the eleventh hour."

Former captain Ramiz Raja said: "It is a big, big blow. I think Javed Miandad should come out with a statement to clear the air because there is too much confusion."

Haroon Rasheed observed: "The excuse Miandad is giving is weightless. Instead it (contents of the resignation) shows that all is not very in the team."

Hanif Mohammad, who was recently inducted in cricket's Hall of Fame, said the nation deserved to know what were the circumstances in which Miandad left. He said though a lot of things have been appearing in the print media, the exact story was only with Miandad and the cricket board.

However, Hanif was of the view that Miandad's absence would have no effect on the team. "The team is well set. It is winning and the players are giving their best to skipper Wasim Akram."

The former captain opined that if Miandad was having problems with the appointment of Richard Pybus and Sarfaraz Nawaz, he should have expressed his views in newspapers instead of resigning.

Hasib Ahsan criticised Miandad and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). "I blame both of them, PCB because if they had appointed Miandad they should have not created situations where there was no option left for him. And Miandad because he took a selfish decision."

Hasib called PCB an incompetent body. "They have appointed a bandwagon of coaches. They have a technical coach and a fast bowlers coach. But why there is no batsmen's coach? We have the best fast bowlers who don't require any coaching. But our batsmen need some (coaching) and who can be better than Javed Miandad to guide them how to play in English conditions."

Haroon Rasheed, who was replaced by Miandad, said excuse he was giving no sense to him as it was only a matter of 35 to 40 days. "The team was ready for the World Cup and suddenly he comes up with a statement that he is resigning because of family commitments. Anyone can have family commitments but not in the circumstances in which Miandad had."

However, Haroon said besides dressing room problems, Miandad might have also resigned because he would have been feeling uncomfortable in the presence of Pybus and Sarfaraz Nawaz. "For me, three coaches doesn't make any sense to me. Every Test playing team has one coach but we are having three. It's absurd."

Ramiz Raja said the team can't afford to lose its one of the major contributors on the eve of the World Cup. "The team will definitely miss him. His contributions in the last three months have been invaluable.

"But I think there couldn't have been a workable solution for Miandad except to resign," he said.

The secretary of the Hyderabad Division Cricket Association (HDCA) Abdul Majeed Khan has appealed to the executive council of the PCB not to accept the resignation of Javed Miandad.

He said that Miandad should continue as the team's coach. He said the former Test star should be persuaded to withdraw his resignation.

The president of the District Cricket Association, Mir Rafique Talpur, said he was shocked to learn the news of Miandad's resignation. He said if anything had gone wrong between Miandad and senior players of the team in Sharjah, the matter should have been brought to the notice of the disciplinary committee.

He said Miandad must withdraw his decision and appealed to President of Pakistan and the PCB to settle the issue immediately before the team leaves for England.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)