LAHORE - Pakistan's former captain and national team batting consultant, Inzamam-ul-Haq has confirmed that he will be travelling with team to South Africa next month after turning down an offer from PCB to go to India for One-day series. A private TV channel quoted Inzamamul Haq as saying on Sunday.
According to channel, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf had earlier asked Inzamam to accompany the team to India and South Africa.
"As far as India is concerned, Inzamam expressed his regrets as he has already signed contracts with a TV channel to work as an expert during the coming series," the official said.
"And for the South Africa tour Inzamam said he will confirm his availability soon but the Chairman wants him to go with the team," Zaka added. Inzamam, who is Pakistan’s most capped player with 120 Test and 378 ODIs appearances, also attended first day of national training camp for the tour of India. "Inzamam was in the camp today and worked with some of the batsmen," he said.
"I can't go to India because of my prior commitments for the series but I will be going to South Africa," Inzamam said. He is presently working with the India-bound players in a conditioning camp in Lahore, indicated that there was a need to bring about consistency and continuity in the batting order.
"I don't see talent-wise wrong players in the team and in the batting order. But I think perhaps there is a need to have a set batting order so that every player knows which position he is going to play in any format of the game," Inzamam said.
The former great said that when team would go to South Africa he would like to see changes in batting positions. "We have some very good batsmen. I think we might need to move around the batting positions and then have consistency to give players confidence," he said.
Inzamam's remarks came at a time when national team management has come under criticism for too much shuffling in the batting order, particularly in Twenty20 and One-day cricket. Inzamam said there were some minor technical issues with the batsmen. Star batsman and former captain of Pakistan cricket team Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that though ‘consultancy’ is a new experience for him, but his first priority would be to make improvement in batting side.
Inzamam, one of the greatest players of Pakistan cricket history, was expressing his views after being appointed batting coach ahead of the T20 and one-day matches to be played in India from December 22.
He said a discontinuity in the game creates problems for sportsmen. “Batting technique of our team is not good enough, it should be worked upon”. He said that team has many match-winning players and if players play as a unit, they could defeat Indians at their home grounds.
The more the players will practice, the better they will play. Inzamam observed that the squad has ‘match winning players, but stressed that they will have to ensure real teamwork in the forthcoming event. The former leading run-scorer hailed Pakistan Cricket Board’s initiative to hold the event. "What I want to tell these guys is that to go and play positive and aggressive cricket on the coming tours that will make a huge difference to their confidence," he added. The former captain also made it clear that he wouldn't face problems communicating with the players in the team as most of them had played under or with him.
"Most of them have played under my captaincy or with me, so we know each other very well and I understand the psyche of most of these players. So it should not be a big problem communicating," he said.  Earlier, the PCB had invited interested candidates from abroad and in Pakistan to apply for the batting coach position until a deadline last month but now deferred the appointment of regular coach for indefinite period, the source added.
The board had decided to give Inzamam a permanent role in the team but due to certain criteria it had set for the post of batting coach; appointed him as batting consultant. Pakistan will go to South Africa in the third week of January to play three Tests, five ODIs and a couple of T20 matches.
He noted, “In T20 and one-dayers, it’s difficult to pick a favourite, especially between Pakistan and India and Pakistan team can put pressure on India by playing attacking cricket.”
He agreed Pakistan batsmen lacked in temperament — especially while chasing in international matches. But he blamed the proliferation of Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan batsmen’s inability to stay longer at the wicket