Pakistan: Miandad to play also if situation demands (17 Aug 1998)

17 August 1998

Miandad to play also if situation demands

By Samiul Hasan

KARACHI, Aug 16: Former captain Javed Miandad has not only been appointed coach but has also been directed to take the guard if required, informed sources said.

"The executive council has appointed Javed Miandad as player-cum-coach. If the situation demanded his presence in the field, he will take it as a player," a councillor said on the condition of anonymity.

"But Aamir Sohail will technically remain the captain though Miandad will be there for suggestions," he added.

The councillor clarified that Miandad, if needed, can play in the Sahara Cup, in the Test series against Australia and so on. "Until he is removed, he will remain player-cum-coach.

"The council believes that this experiment is worth giving a try. But the higher tier feels that there is still a vacant place for a batsman like Miandad who could fill the middle-order slot.

"Besides, he can take up-and-coming batsmen under his wings and practically teach them the finer points of the game."

Miandad last played a Test in 1993-94 against Zimbabwe while his final appearance for Pakistan was in the 1996 World Cup quarter-finals against India at Bangalore. Since that game, the country's highest Test scorer with 8,832 runs has played just one game when he represented the KCCA in the National One-day Championship semi-final against eventual champions Allied Bank.

This arrangement has been tried only once by Pakistan cricket officials when Iqbal Qasim toured England in 1987 as manager-cum-player.

The councillor said Miandad will be getting the senior most player's allowances. "He will be in the highest slab prepared by the cricket board. But during off seasons, he will not be getting anything."

He said Miandad had given the cricket board an option to give him either the highest slab's package or a six-figure monthly salary.

While Miandad's selection was almost a unanimous one, the executive council was divided on the choice of captain. Ultimately, majority prevailed and Aamir Sohail emerged as the captain.

The councillor said at least three of his colleagues wanted to retain Rashid Latif as captain but six of them supported the idea for a change and recommended the name of Aamir Sohail.

The council's majority tilting in favour of Sohail bewildered the PCB chief executive Majid Khan who explained the left-hander's record of indiscipline. He recalled his own incident and narrated several other incidents in which the player had violated the code of conduct.

The objection of Majid was politely overruled by a councillor who cited Imran's several acts of misbehaviour including the one in which he clashed with the then BCCP secretary Lt Col Rafi Nasim at Karachi and also told him to leave the players dressing room.

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