ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan Cricket team chief selector and head coach Mohsin Hassan Khan termed sending out of form top order batsman replacement a fast bowler is ridicules and clearly indicates that the PCB lacks direction. Mohsin expressed these views while talking to The Nation on Sunday.

“I am highly surprised and amazed that a fast bowler, who just came back from long injury lay-off and hardly played few matches, is recalled in the national team and that too against such a tough opponent. Some of the players travelling with the national team don’t deserve to be there but reasons best known to the PCB and the chief selector they are being carried as liabilities.”  He said much-deserved players, who should have been part of the squad right from the day-1, were being badly missed and was the main difference between winning and losing.

Mohsin said after watching Test series and two ODIs, it is evident that Pakistan badly missing the likes of Asad Shafiq, who is given step-motherly treatment by PCB. “Junaid Khan should also have been right from day-one in the playing XI. Same is the case with top and front line bowler, Umar Gul, who could spearhead fast bowling and could have easily provided breakthroughs, which were required from a frontline strike bowler.”  He said the selectors must have kept in mind to make a stable middle order and Fawad Alam could have resolved all issues for the green caps and could have proved as backbone, like he had shown on number of occasions and Pakistan team badly need a player like Fawad, who could steady the ship.

Mohsin uttered his surprise that selectors had missed key area of all-rounders’ as well. He said Pakistan team badly needed quality all-rounders like Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti and Hammad Azam. He said Yasir Shah could have been transformed into the best all-rounder had proper heed was paid.

“Every other team focuses on producing top all-rounders in all three formats of the game. Yasir had shown his potential and if coaching staff had worked with Yasir by now he could have made huge impact as genuine all-rounder as I feel he had what it takes to excel at the top.”

He said he had predicted well before the start of the Test series that Pakistan were more than capable of beating this weak English side at their own backyard, as current English team is arguably the weakest side till date and if proper planning, game plan and strategy had been adopted, the results could have been far different. Some key mistakes led to the drawn Test series and if Misbah and company not played exceptionally well in the last Test, Pakistan could have lost the series, he added.

“Now Pakistan had lost two back-to-back One Day Internationals and Pakistan were actually outclassed in both matches, I still believe green caps are very strong and balanced despite some key players are missing. The just needed to adopt and execute proper game plan and the playing XI should be picked carefully in the remainder three one-dayers. Pakistan is more capable of bouncing back to win all the three matches on trot, but for this, coaching staff had to come up with clear-cut game plan and back up the boys. The skipper also holds the key and he should come with aggressive and winning frame of mind as aggressive approach could easily done the trick and give desired results,” Mohsin concluded.