Rashid Latif: Pakistan cricket's future is bright

Several people have reminded me that I had announced retirement from Test cricket and was going to retire from one-day internationals as well after the World Cup. My answer is that, from a personal and selfish point of view, I could have retired.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board has asked me to assist the team through this crucial time of rebuilding for a resolute and bright future. I have accepted this big challenge.

Rebuilding is a natural process and this phenomenon occurs in all sports. This reformation phase of putting the Pakistan team on the correct and positive route will determine the rest of my career. I have played international cricket under the most accomplished captains: Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Saleem Malik and Waqar Younis. I have also been captain once before for a short tenure. Combining all of this, I feel very confident and God willing, I will perform this assignment most effectively.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Pakistan Cricket Board for chosing me for this significant task, initially for one year.

Pakistani selectors sought my advice and under chairman Aamer Sohail, have come up with a balanced team for the forthcoming Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup scheduled for April.

Before discussing the team, it is more appropriate that I first salute Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar. They are the stalwarts of Pakistan cricket. Their contributions are immense. It has been a privilege having played with these all-time legends. They have been true match winners.

Their services to Pakistan cricket will always be needed in one way or another. New players and stars will come, but it will always be difficult to compare them with these three undoubted superstars.

I consider myself very lucky and thank God that at the start of this formidable rehabilitation assignment, I have got one of the best brains in cricket as coach, Javed Miandad. His competency in analysing the finer aspects of the game is undisputed. His abilities in keeping a close eye on the basic mistakes of our inexperienced but talented youngsters and rectifying those faults will be an asset. His opinions about forthcoming match strategies and tournament plans will be most beneficial.

Pakistan Team Photo © CricInfo

Let's discuss the team.

Openers: Taufeeq Umar, Saleem Elahi - Both have played excellent cricket recently. They are still performing admirably in the domestic NBP Patron's Cup. Taufeeq can be termed as one of the most valuable finds of contemporary Pakistan cricket. It is time for both, Taufeeq and Saleem to stamp their class and consolidate their position. Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Naved Latif can also open the innings, but I shall discuss them further in other categories.

Middle-order batsmen: Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Naved Latif - I am sure to enjoy playing and strategising on-and-off the field with my vice-captain Yousuf Youhana, who will be the backbone of our middle-order. Younis Khan is already established and will be our anchor. Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal and Naved Latif have scored fifties and centuries for Pakistan in the recent past and it is time for them to prove and establish themselves. Naved Latif can also open the innings, if needed. I am totally confident that our middle-order can produce most positive and useful scores against any attack of the world.

Medium-fast bowlers and all-rounders: Abdul Razzaq, Naved-ul-Hasan - Usually the sixth and seventh position in a team goes to an all-rounder. With Abdul Razzaq's excellent performances in the NBP Patron's Cup, it is difficult to find a better player for the all-rounder position. Playing two or more all-rounders in one-day cricket is often useful. Keeping this in perspective, the overdue selection of the exceedingly skilful Naved-ul-Hasan was made.

Spinners and all-rounders: Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik - As mentioned earlier, can both also open the innings. Shoaib Malik has proved in the last two seasons he can score huge centuries, while his bowling and fielding have improved, as is evident from his performances in the NBP Patron's Cup. Mohammad Hafeez has been a revelation of the 2002/03 Pakistan domestic season. He is captain of Sargodha at the tender age of twenty-two, which shows he is a thinking player. He recently scored a superb unbeaten century. In the future, Mohammad Hafeez can perform for Pakistan in the same diligent manner as is done for the West Indies by their all-rounder/opener, Chris Gayle.

Fast/Fast-medium bowlers: Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Zahid, Umar Gul - Pakistan are most fortunate to have immense riches in fast bowling. The trio selected for the forthcoming series includes Sami and Zahid, who at their young ages have already won Test matches and one-dayers for Pakistan. It is time for them to spearhead our bowling attack and confirm their enormous talent. Eighteen year-old Umar Gul has been the find in the past two domestic seasons and has already played for Pakistan A. His weaponry will offer many surprises to international batsmen. I have complete confidence in the abilities of this fast bowling trio to be a salient feature of our future match plans.

Spinners: Danish Kaneria - Nobody can argue against Danish's talents. Leg-spinners take some time to settle down and feel comfortable. Danish will be provided with all the encouragement and guidance on the field by me and off the field by Javed Miandad to become the opponents' wrecker-in-chief. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik will be there to give necessary variety to the bowling line-up with their accurate off-spin.

Of course, I will be behind the stumps for approximately another year.

People have asked what will happen to Azhar, Inzi, Shoabi, Saqi and Afridi? The answer is simple! Players, even legends can have a bad patch sometime. There are many ways to recover. One of them is to take time-off if one is feeling burnt-out. We all know of the fighting centuries under dire situations made by Azhar. Inzi is one of the most successful batsmen of cricket history. It has been merely eleven months since Inzi scored so heavily against the Kiwis at Lahore - the first Test match triple century of the new millennium. Who can ever forget the thunderbolt spells of Shoabi, the guile of Saqi and superb all-round efforts of Afridi? Age is on their side. After some rest and based on recovering their playing form, Azhar, Inzi, Shoabi, Saqi and Afridi will have all the opportunities to make memorable comebacks.

If you look around Pakistan domestic cricket, you can see many gifted uncapped players knocking at the door of international cricket, namely Farhan Adil, Saeed Bin Nasir, Yasir Hameed, Bazid Khan, Bilal Asad, Jaffer Nazir, Aqeel Ahmed, Tanveer Ahmed, Mohammad Asif, Abdul Rauf, Asim Kamal, Maisam Hasnain to name only a few. Then there are other talented players, who are still quite young and have played for Pakistan in the past like Qaiser Abbas, Kamran Akmal, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad Wasim, Wajahatullah Wasti, Imran Nazir, Arshad Khan, Atiq-uz-Zaman, Humayun Farhat, Imran Farhat and several others.

Studying all this, who can argue that the future of the Pakistan cricket team is not promising? I can confidently say, God willing, that soon the Pakistan team will be world-beaters and I am sure Pakistan's prospects are as bright as ever.