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Dawn Hasib, Haroon think Miandad should not have resigned
The Dawn - 25 April 1999

KARACHI, April 24: Pakistan World Cup squad is a complete team in every respect and fully capable of regaining the cup but induction of so many officials in whatever capacity they may be, would have a negative effect on achieving success.

The team needs only a manager, a coach and a physiotherapist and no other official is required as the selected squad is the best ever picked, for the World Cup cricket, stated former chief selector Hasib Ahsan while speaking at the press conference here at the Karachi Press Club Forum on Saturday.

About Javed Miandad's resignation from his coaching assignment hardly a week before the team's departure for England, the former Test cricketer said Miandad should have come out with a clearcut statement what were the main reasons for quitting his job. Mentioning domestic reasons for quitting the job in his resignation seems to be no reason at all for no one would believe it. There must be some other reasons and it was imperative on the part of Javed Miandad to let the nation know what were the real reasons that forced him to resign, stressed Hasib.

Hasib praised Javed Miandad for his contribution to Pakistan as a cricketer and also as a coach but so far his resignation is concerned it was ill-timed. He should have carried out his assignment in the national interest till the World Cup is over instead of quitting the job, he added.

He was bitterly critical of appointing former Test cricketer Sarfraz Nawaz for coaching the fast bowlers and also England-born South African coach Richard Pybus as the technical coach. The present lot of fast bowlers of Pakistan World Cup team hardly needs any coaching and training from Sarfraz Nawaz as all of them stand above the former fast bowler.

Who would train and coach the world renowned fast bowler Wasim Akram, the Pakistan captain carrying the rich international experience both in one dayers and Tests, questioned Hasib. Similar is the case with Waqar Younis and so far other highly potential Shoaib Akhtar and Fazle Akbar are concerned the captain on the field is fully capable of extracting the best out of them, he added. Therefore, there is no need of inducting Sarfraz Nawaz as another coach.

He also questioned the appointment of Pybus as a technical coach when Javed Miandad is already serving as a coach, he stated.

Hasib Ahsan further stated no where in the cricketing world so many officials are named to look after the team as in Pakistan.

The outcome would be that Pakistan dressing room would become the hotbed of unnecessary talks and politics in the presence of a number of officials, added the former Test off-spinner.

Hasib said that our target is to win back the World Cup and the selected team is fully capable of returning home victorious irrespective of the fact that it has a coach in its fold or not.

Former Test batsman Haroon Rasheed, speaking on the occasion, stated that he too failed to understand what laid to Javed Miandad resignation. I had played under the captaincy of Javed Miandad and Javed is a cricket brain, he stressed.

He stated that the selected team is the best having depth in the batting upto number eight. We have world class bowlers, both in fast bowling and in the spin and they can destroy any batting lineup. The most heartening aspect of the team is that we have fine fielders as in the past our fielding had left much to be desired, he pointed out.

Haroon, one of the finest fielders in his days and as a coach also has done his job well by grooming a good number of youngsters now in the team, however, said South Africa, alongwith England and Australia are also capable of winning the World Cup. But Pakistan enjoys an edge as it has reached its peak by its recent performance in India and Sharjah, he added.

The nation is looking forward with great hope that Pakistan would win the World Cup, staring in England from May 15, said Haroon.

Former Pakistan captain Hanif Mohammad, who was also invited, could not come because he was sick.


Source: Dawn
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