ISLAMABAD - Pakistan cricket team’s downfall continued unabated under super flop coach Waqar Younis and company, as the green caps lost three-match ODI series against Black Caps 2-0.
Things could have been even worst had rain not saved green caps blushes in the second ODI. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar M Khan is sleeping so as the PCB patron Nawaz Sharif, despite worst results for the last one year or so. The patron is least bothered about at least seeking explanation from the board as why such pathetic results are coming thick and fast.
Ever since Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmad were hired as head and bowling coaches, Pakistan cricket team’s downfall started. Bowling was always considered as main weapon and even top teams of the world had fear of the green caps’ bowling armory, but Waqar and Mushtaq completely destroyed that image. Now teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh could easily thrash Pakistani bowling, which was a sign of grave concern.
Had the PCB not living in fool’s paradise, Waqar and Mushtaq could have been long sent home, but the PCB knows better, why these gentlemen are still hanging onto their jobs. Same is the case with Grant Flower, as Pakistani batsmen could never learn from an ordinary batsman like Flower. When likes of Miandad and Inzamam and others are very much on the disposal, then why the PCB has been extending the contracts of such flop coaches. Inzamam has completely changed the fortunes of Afghanistan team, now they are a force to be reckoned with, while on the other hand, green caps are turned into punching bags.
M Aamir looked a bit rusty, but he was the one and only bowler, who enjoyed freedom and posed serious threats to Kiwi batting, while all the other bowlers were given a real bashing by the Black Caps. The national team’s batting once again flopped miserably, as Ahmed Shahzad, despite a huge flop with the willow, continued to enjoy unconditional backing of coach and team management, while Sohaib Maqsood also failed to justify his selection. Umar AKmal and Kamran Akmal should have been very much part of the national team to strengthen the team’s batting department. If Malik, Hafeez and even Rizwan can play as specialist batsmen, then why not Kamran Akmal, who has been scoring loads of runs in domestic cricket and recently finished as top scorer in the One-Day Cup. But Haroon Rasheed has some hidden agenda, as he is out to destroy careers of number of quality players without any reason.
The poor rather pathetic selection is another major reason behind the team’s debacle. Chief selector Haroon Rasheed has always proved himself a big failure in almost every role assigned to him by the board. But nobody moved in the board and Haroon is given clean chit to play with the emotions of millions of cricket mad masses.
Cricket is like religion in Pakistan and people love to play and watch this game widely. Merit is the thing, one can hardly find in the PCB as top class players are always ignored and blue-eyed are given nod of approval. Instead of super flops like Ahmed Shahzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Wahab Riaz and Azhar Ali, who don’t deserve a place in the ODI squad, had the deserving players got place in the playing XI, the results could have been far different and the green caps could have been lying on top of ICC rankings.
Time is not far when Pakistan team has to appear in qualifying rounds to secure a place in ICC mega events. No one else but Najam Sethi, Shahryar Khan and patron Nawaz Sharif will be blamed for the worst results. Why the PM has kept a mum on consistent poor results, why does he never bother to say a few words about ever declining fortunes of the national team? On what grounds, Najam Sethi is calling all the shots? These are the questions, direly needed to be answered and a stern action in this regard is required.
Now already too much precious time has been wasted on Waqar Younis so time is ripe to show him and his company doors and appoint local coach like Mohsin Hassan Khan, who was a huge success and guided Pakistan team to numerous victories against world’s best teams. Living legend Hanif Muhamamd also demanded Waqar’s sacking and supported Mohsin to take over as head coach. If Pakistan team wants any realistic chance of doing well in the Asia Cup and in World T20 Cup, then Waqar and Haroon must be sacked.