text:
Dav's the man
Pakistan's coaching saga is possibly rushing towards a dramatic conclusion. I say 'possibly' because few predictions can be made with certainty in the realm of Pakistan cricket. Yet the final shortlist looks to be of three Australians, albeit one of them is of Sri Lankan origin. The subtext is that the PCB has decided a foreign coach is the answer to Pakistan's woes, a view I find perplexing since the prime imperative should be to appoint the best candidate from wherever. Bob Woolmer's major difficulty was that he was unable to get under the skin of the players' culture and hence it became possible to marginalise his influence.
Of the three remaining candidates--and you might reasonably ask what became of Aaqib Javed, Tim Boon, and Javed Miandad?--the man for the job has to be Dav Whatmore. He knows the Australian way but he also knows Asia. He has succeeded with both Sri Lanka (World Cup winners) and Bangladesh (World Cup giant killers) in different ways. He has yet to coach one of Asia's big two but the leap should not be beyond him. Indeed, it is a great time to coach Pakistan with a young captain and young team ready to be shaped into something more substantial.
Dav's the Man from this Australian shortlist, but as usual the PCB has managed to supervise the process in such a way that you wonder how they ruled out some of the other promising candidates? Dav Whatmore, welcome to the whacky world of Pakistan cricket.
Kamran Abbasi is an editor, writer and broadcaster. He tweets here
Comments have now been closed for this article
testli5504537 on July 17, 2007, 11:32 GMT
I think it's a mistake. Dave Whatmore would have been the coach. I don't think next world cup belong to the fast bowlers. It will be played in Asia and spiners will dominate. It was Dev who made Sri Lanka the world cup champs. Though Arujuna R boast and try to get the credit. It is true Arujuna is totally responsible for the 1999 world cup. Sri Lanka didn't even enter the semi! Anyhow time will prove pakistan's mistake.It is sad to see that a great coach like Dev W 's talent is not utilized by the Asian cricket teams.
testli5504537 on July 2, 2007, 7:21 GMT
Imran Khan is the best choice in the whole world, but he's working in the politics arena, the only leader of ours capable to lead our country. HE IS NOT WASTING HIS TIME GUL!
testli5504537 on July 2, 2007, 7:18 GMT
DAV'S THE MAN. He won Sri Lanka the world cup and improved Bangladesh by miles. Undoubtly He will fix the pakis, especially their, DOOMED TO LOOSE EVERY MATCH TYPE OF FIELDING!
testli5504537 on July 1, 2007, 12:12 GMT
getting someone with past success will not be a fruitful event. pakistan need a coach who either have passion for the job (like aaqib) or career on the line (like geof or tim). but unfortunatly its like dav gona join... and i can assure u , this wont be any better than previous
testli5504537 on June 30, 2007, 7:37 GMT
We should not forget that Whatmore refused to talk to PCB as he was more interesed in coaching India. Now that he has been rejected by India, he is coming back to Pakistan. I think PCB should now show some self-respect and not appoint him. Whatmore is not sincere to Pakistan Cricket.
testli5504537 on June 30, 2007, 6:13 GMT
Didn't Whatmore earlier dismiss the idea of being the Pakistan coach? This sudden desire has emerged after being over-looked by India. Does Pakistan want India's leavings?
testli5504537 on June 29, 2007, 22:21 GMT
In my opinion only one person could bring the best out of pakistani cricket, his name being imran khan. However he is too busy wasting his time in politics.
testli5504537 on June 29, 2007, 20:47 GMT
I think Whatmore is over rated especially his handling of Bangladesh was terrible. I think what we need is someone who can be equally useful in five-day and one-day format. Whatmore failed miserably in test arena. If one-day was everthing than whatmore is a good choice. I believe Lawson is the man, he has worked with NSW team which has people like McGrath and many other world class batsmen and bowlers. I was also impressed with his comments about Pakistan team. He seems interested and excited about teaching Pakistan and brings in that x-factor that our team needs. I also believe Salman Butt was not the man to be chosen as a vice captain. Asif was also not the man, it should have been any good follower, like, say Razzaq. To me a Vice Captains is not there to become the captain when captain retires, he is there to help the captain like a good lieutinnent and be a captain in case of emergency. He is not there to create rifts in the team or form subgroups. Anyway, Butt is a wrong choice because he does not have a permanent place in the team, he lacks confidence.
testli5504537 on June 28, 2007, 5:24 GMT
Glib generalizations like "Foreign coaches have never succeeded in the past in our country so Dav Whatmore will also fail" are without any logic. I hope we get some critical or analytical evaluation or any reason by the people so when we read their comments we can learn from them. Like a possible solution for the above can be if we get the services of a foreign coach what can we do to improve his communication barrier with the team? As without any reasoning or alternate solutions these e-mails on your blog are useless for the readers.
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 23:08 GMT
Imran Khan was a great player for the world cricket.
He was the wonderful good looking all rounder on his time. He was not only the cricketer; he was and still active in other social activities.
He could be a good looking coach for Pakistan cricket team.
I urged Queen of the United Kingdom to give title of "SIR" to Imran Khan..
PCB should submit their request to the Queen ASAP. Imran Khan has all wonderful skills which are necessary to get the title of "SIR" and Coach of Pakistan. He is the man.
English people and media always like Great Imran Khan.
Dawar LA, USA
testli5504537 on July 17, 2007, 11:32 GMT
I think it's a mistake. Dave Whatmore would have been the coach. I don't think next world cup belong to the fast bowlers. It will be played in Asia and spiners will dominate. It was Dev who made Sri Lanka the world cup champs. Though Arujuna R boast and try to get the credit. It is true Arujuna is totally responsible for the 1999 world cup. Sri Lanka didn't even enter the semi! Anyhow time will prove pakistan's mistake.It is sad to see that a great coach like Dev W 's talent is not utilized by the Asian cricket teams.
testli5504537 on July 2, 2007, 7:21 GMT
Imran Khan is the best choice in the whole world, but he's working in the politics arena, the only leader of ours capable to lead our country. HE IS NOT WASTING HIS TIME GUL!
testli5504537 on July 2, 2007, 7:18 GMT
DAV'S THE MAN. He won Sri Lanka the world cup and improved Bangladesh by miles. Undoubtly He will fix the pakis, especially their, DOOMED TO LOOSE EVERY MATCH TYPE OF FIELDING!
testli5504537 on July 1, 2007, 12:12 GMT
getting someone with past success will not be a fruitful event. pakistan need a coach who either have passion for the job (like aaqib) or career on the line (like geof or tim). but unfortunatly its like dav gona join... and i can assure u , this wont be any better than previous
testli5504537 on June 30, 2007, 7:37 GMT
We should not forget that Whatmore refused to talk to PCB as he was more interesed in coaching India. Now that he has been rejected by India, he is coming back to Pakistan. I think PCB should now show some self-respect and not appoint him. Whatmore is not sincere to Pakistan Cricket.
testli5504537 on June 30, 2007, 6:13 GMT
Didn't Whatmore earlier dismiss the idea of being the Pakistan coach? This sudden desire has emerged after being over-looked by India. Does Pakistan want India's leavings?
testli5504537 on June 29, 2007, 22:21 GMT
In my opinion only one person could bring the best out of pakistani cricket, his name being imran khan. However he is too busy wasting his time in politics.
testli5504537 on June 29, 2007, 20:47 GMT
I think Whatmore is over rated especially his handling of Bangladesh was terrible. I think what we need is someone who can be equally useful in five-day and one-day format. Whatmore failed miserably in test arena. If one-day was everthing than whatmore is a good choice. I believe Lawson is the man, he has worked with NSW team which has people like McGrath and many other world class batsmen and bowlers. I was also impressed with his comments about Pakistan team. He seems interested and excited about teaching Pakistan and brings in that x-factor that our team needs. I also believe Salman Butt was not the man to be chosen as a vice captain. Asif was also not the man, it should have been any good follower, like, say Razzaq. To me a Vice Captains is not there to become the captain when captain retires, he is there to help the captain like a good lieutinnent and be a captain in case of emergency. He is not there to create rifts in the team or form subgroups. Anyway, Butt is a wrong choice because he does not have a permanent place in the team, he lacks confidence.
testli5504537 on June 28, 2007, 5:24 GMT
Glib generalizations like "Foreign coaches have never succeeded in the past in our country so Dav Whatmore will also fail" are without any logic. I hope we get some critical or analytical evaluation or any reason by the people so when we read their comments we can learn from them. Like a possible solution for the above can be if we get the services of a foreign coach what can we do to improve his communication barrier with the team? As without any reasoning or alternate solutions these e-mails on your blog are useless for the readers.
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 23:08 GMT
Imran Khan was a great player for the world cricket.
He was the wonderful good looking all rounder on his time. He was not only the cricketer; he was and still active in other social activities.
He could be a good looking coach for Pakistan cricket team.
I urged Queen of the United Kingdom to give title of "SIR" to Imran Khan..
PCB should submit their request to the Queen ASAP. Imran Khan has all wonderful skills which are necessary to get the title of "SIR" and Coach of Pakistan. He is the man.
English people and media always like Great Imran Khan.
Dawar LA, USA
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 22:48 GMT
I totally agree with Dawar above.
Miandad should be the coach.
I do not understand why our board and some ex players are very impressed from western (white skin) countries.
Any issue came up in our country, they knocked the door of UK parliment. May be they should live there for ever.
Probably, they wants title of "SIR".
Sir Naseem Ashraf Sir Imran Khan etc
Please take out this Sir complex from our culture. we need our national hero as a coach, who proud to be Pakistani every where, like Javed Miandad.
Raja Pakistani Sialkot
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 16:58 GMT
I agree with Kamran - :)
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 12:50 GMT
Dawar L.A. and Zed Fazel Leicester, you guys have summed up very correctly about the artificial and farcical need of a foreign coach for the sub-continent teams hyped by the media. Dawar, I have read all those comments earlier when they appeared in the press and you have not misquoted a single one. But the point is, the PCB jokers are not going to pay any attention to the advise of the famous cricketers and will use their own P-Brains. Zed has very aptly pointed out the names of the ex-greats of Pakistan who are not the products of a foreign coach and also highlighted the point that, "Bob Woolmer could not even unearth one good opening batsman leave aside an opening pair." Perhaps Dawar can dig out some stats to prove that Pakistan has lost more matches during the time Bob Woolmer was the coach. So, why is there a sudden rush of blood or the need for a coach made in England or made in Australia? With the kinda competition and the artificial need that has been created about foreign coaches, very soon there will be Australian origin or England origin coaches made in Taiwan or Hong Kong labels shall be available in the market.
For Dav suddenly everything about Pakistan and Pakistani players is looking very good and very bright, I guess all he is seeing now is $$$$$$$$$$ and what more do you expect from a cricket mercenary? The guy who was not interested in coaching Pakistan and after being rejected by India is now buttering everyone and trying to make the PCB look like a fool. And dear Moon what is your cricketing brain contributing on this blog? Its like you have no right brain and your left brain has left you, except for criticizing you have not written a single word about cricket. To vent out your chronic, persistent frustration, why don't you join some kinda 'saas bhi kabhee bahoo thi' sort of blog?
testli5504537 on June 27, 2007, 5:55 GMT
iam really glad to c that all the bloggers appreciate my option which i gav for pakistani coach....
i believe Javed A Khan really doesn't really mind this onus on his shoulder since he has lots of time as well as lots of knowledge about the game and eventually this will let other bloggers to take a long breathe...!
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 22:21 GMT
It seems that Dav Whatmore is all set to be made the next coach of Pakistan Cricket team, out of the three short listed he seems to be the best for the Job, and personally I feel Dav Whatmore and PCB are a match made in heavens as Dav reminds me of Larry Brown the former Pistons coach who never likes to stay in one place for a long period of time, show him the money and he will move. Dav also has the same tendency to move, after the world cup his name was associated simultaneously with three jobs, England, India and Pakistan. Indian and English board quickly rejected Dav just because they saw he was not keen for a particular job and was only after the highest bidder. PCB in the past has exhibited that they don't like continuity whenever the team is in a crisis the finger pointing game starts and most of the time the blame lays with the coach or the Captain and occasionally with the selectors, the management of PCB has never been hold accountable. Keeping in view the behavior pattern of both the parties it's easy to foresee that they are not in for a long haul and the relationship will be a short one.
The prime reason of not appointing a domestic coach is whenever the blame game starts the domestic coach who is always an Ex player also responds to the criticism by pointing out the financial and management blunders committed by the PCB administration.
These days when PCB is rolling with money and the ad-hoc management is spending next to nothing for the development of cricket on regional basis, as of 30th June 2006 PCB had cash funds of RS 2843.10 million and despite the huge claims by PCB only a paltry sum of Rs 8.1 million was dispersed to regional associations and institutions for the development of grounds and expenses. In such circumstances it is not in the interest of PCB management to appoint a domestic coach as he will be more aware of the internal affairs of PCB and will be more vocal and less diplomatic as compared to a foreign coach in criticizing the administration of PCB. One thing which PCB has over looked is that Dav Whatmore is an Australian and Aussies generally are not diplomatic,they are blunt and often rough around the edges, they also have a no nonsense approach towards work, something which might cause friction in future, Dav has already demanded more powers in terms of selection and has asked to put a curb on Player Power, I would not be surprised if we see a Greg Chappel episode is repeated in Pakistan.
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 18:39 GMT
perfectly quoted
Posted by: M.Ahsan at June 24, 2007 2:57 PM
Saima aka Javed.A.Khan should be coach.He? She? would be top "Kwalty" coach. A sort of Miandad and Pj.Mir all rolled into one:-)
P.S. I believe Javed A Khaaan should leave this blog and start his own blog, if he wants to stay here he must Cut The Crap, his posts are so long and boring and irrelevant to the topic. Lots of good cricketing brains left this blog because of this one guy or girls or whatever he is.
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 18:31 GMT
Pak need a coach with a calming influence, rather than one with attitude.
This is a no-brainer
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 18:08 GMT
I saw bits of the India-South Africa match today and I was surprised see Maulana Zaheer Khan sporting a beard. Is this the beginning of Tableegh in the Indian cricket team?
I was wondering about the disastrous 2003 WC after which some senior players had their careers closed. I have always opined that Pakistan gets it wrong whenever the concept of retribution is concerned. Saeed Anwar, in the 2003 WC, after scoring a century against India, was laid off unnecessarily and almost everyone was of the opinion that he could have played for another year. Currently Razzaq is the culprit and he has been enjoying a free ride for some time now. I don't think the PCB has any plans to penalise those cricketers who cost us the WC but we need to consider whether there need to some penalties? I am obviously referring to Inz-mam, YousAf and YounAs. Perhaps the confiscation of whole or part of WC matches' fees? Or in the case of YousAf and YounAs, the waiver of match fees for the next tournament these players participate in?
A lot has been said about technology overtaking umpires' roles currently in cricket. I support technology in cricket. There is evidence to suggest that technology is not 100% accurate, but we all know how inaccurate human umpires can be. If we have the facility to adjudicate matches with more accuracy, why not utilise that facility? In the interest of the fans, on field umpires should refer LBW appeals to the third umpire. On field umpires do refer close catches or near-catches to the third umpire nowadays; why not use the same service for LBW appeals? In a tense match there is nothing worse than an important batsman returning back to the pavilion being given out when the ball pitched outside leg stump, or when there was an imperceptible inside edge. The opponents to this argument make two major points which are not difficult to rebut. The first is that, why have umpires in the first place when increasingly, decisions are being referred to the third umpire? The answer is that we still need on field umpires to signal wides and no balls, to signal powerplays and consult bowlers or batsmen who are running in the "danger zone" on the pitch, to warn players to mind their language or cool down players in the case of an argument etc. And of course we need the umpires to signal any dismissal which is easy to spot and not controversial. Hence, by making only one more addition to the duties of the third umpire, we are not backing away from the traditional idea of on field umpiring in cricket. The second argument is that referring decisions would waste time when officials and players are under pressure to finish the match within strict time limits. The answer to this problem is that, we can save time by subtracting time from other activities such as drinks breaks and lunch breaks. If a lunch break is 40 minutes we can make it 30 or 35 minutes. If drinks breaks are 15 minutes we can make them 10 minutes. I think if the players are consulted about this, they will not mind because it is in the interests of everyone that difficult LBW and catches decisions are made as accurately as possible. And let us remind ourselves, only the instances that create doubt are being referred, most catches would not be referred because they are easy to spot and many of the times batsmen are dismissed LBW, they are plumb anyway so they are not difficult to spot.
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 17:04 GMT
No matter who they appoint as a coach for Pakistani team,Pakistan will always remain a loser side,Dav Whatmore is not a magician or a wizard he cant turn these rubbish players into real quality players. Pakistani team will remain a terrible team as long as they don't make fair and justified selections. Picking players exclusively from one region (which is Punjab of course) is not helping the situation. Most of these players who have been selected in this particular side are the player who didn't even deserve their place in the side to begin with. The truth is that they appoint hight profile coach so that they could make them scapegoat for their pathetic team's performances.
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 16:18 GMT
I seriously think Pakistan DOES NOT require a coach. They need two things to become a top side in the world: ie - (1) Keep fit n have a trainer for fielding (2) Play with UNITY.
Let us look at the record. Who coached: Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammed, Saeed Ahmed, Majid Khan, Mushtaq Mohammed, Asif Iqbal, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Imran Khan, Salim Malik, Abdul Qadir,Sarfraz Nawaz, Wasim Bari, Moin Khan,Rashid Latif,Wasim Akram,Waqar Younis,Inzamul-Haq,Saeed Anwar,Mohammed Yusuf,Iqbal Qasim & Ijaz Ahmed. They became Pakistan's best cricketers through sheer display of their talents and committments.
Show me one batsman/bowler who is the product of these so called modern coaches in the last 5-6 years. With the exception of Mohamed Aasif and perhaps Umar Gul, the cupboard looks empty. Bob Woolmer could not even unearth one good opening batsman leave aside an opening pair.
If someone reaches a test level and he still needs coaching, then it seems something is wrong somewhere in the entire Pakistan cricket set-up.!!
Instead, employ local coaches at the grass root level to iron out few technical drawbacks such as bowling action etc.
testli5504537 on June 26, 2007, 4:44 GMT
Out of the three, Done is probably the best equiped to do the job. Everyone keeps talking about Whatmore's credentials, but if you look a little closer the whole thing begins to unravel. He was given a lifetime to turn bangladesh around but wasn't sucessful to give them any kind of consistency. Sure they beat sides once in a while, but that can be accounted by sheer percentages. ( If you are a test team and you play 20 games it shouldn't be surprising if you win one or two). Dav couldn't have done anything with srilanka if jayasuria and desilva hadn't been playing well at the time. So I really don't understand what the hoop la is all about. It will be a big mistake if we get Dav. He has nothing new to offer. I haven't seen anything with B desh that is new and innovative. Lets move forward.
testli5504537 on June 25, 2007, 22:23 GMT
Lawson seems to be the man (my analysis might seem superficial): 1) Whatmore doesn't seem like the ideal coach for the Pakistani bowler, judging by his physique and so on...does he have experience in training good fast bowlers? Bangladesh and the historical Sri Lanka didn't have many fast bowlers (or quality ones in any case). Meanwhile, bowling is our strength. 2) I agree with the PCB's initial notion that a coach with lesser credentials will be more motivated. Apart from this, the PCB would only have the best idea about both their credentials, after having interviewed them and understood them.
On the whole, I'd agree that a local coach could bring more to the team, but it is a bit risky as politics abound with local coaches. The existence of the lack of understanding and communication gap between the foreign coach and the Pakistani player would make it inevitable that both are not the ideal match. But, with a local one, it could be worse...
testli5504537 on June 25, 2007, 16:22 GMT
Miandad could be coach of Pakistan: Richards said after Bob Woolmer Death.
Miandad is the best choice for the coach: Rashid Latif
Miandad should be the coach: Moin Khan
Miandad should be the coach for atleast five years: Hanif Mohammad
Miandad understand cricket more than any existing or past player in the country. He is always the best choice for the coach. Asif Iqbal
Miandad is a real servent of Pakistan: Imran Khan
Miandad is a great planner of the game. He is a dangerous oponent to face. Alan Border
I do not understand, why Miandad not coach of Pakistan cricket team? He is a great fighter, planner and wonderful sportsman. Steve Waugh
Miandad could be a real architect of any cricket game as a player or a Coach. He always planned to win the game. He is the best choice for the coach. Sunil Gavaskar
why not Miandad? Ian Bottom replied when he was approched for the coach position for Pakistan Cricket Team.
And more...
You decided, Who is the man?
Dawar LA, USA
testli5504537 on June 25, 2007, 9:16 GMT
PCB has made a decision and as usual it's a 'One Man Show' or rather it is the 'One Man Gang' from the WWF days.
Anyways, the decision seems to be reasonable this time, and those who have already started criticizing it, are doing it just for the sake of it. "Lahoo Garam Rakhnay Ka Hai Ik Bahana", kinda situation.
G-Off Lawson may be better equipped and more beneficial for our bowlers, but unfortunately he does not have proven track-record of international assignments to back his credentials. Whereras, Whatmore, have not only worked with the international teams but that too from within the Asian hemisphere, which shall give him an advantage on anyone else of similar record. Asian cricket is played at a totally different levels, be it India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or even Bangladesh, the politics, power, favouritism, discrimination, 'perchis' and many such influences are unfortunately part and parcel of our games, weather we like it or not. In this background, Dav Whatmore stands as the best candidate for the post, as he has seen the ups and downs of political drams in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Dav have to his credit the successful management or rather manhandling of some of the influential and senior players in Sri Lankan team and at the same time the grooming and guiding of the younger talents in Bangladesh. These are the characteristics, we need the most in a couch for our team, and more so at this time.
Following are some of the positives about the selection of Dav Whatmore:
His Asian experience with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (who both have typical Asian problems from time to time) shall benefit Pakistan.
Dav seems to be the firm believer of taking full advantage of field restrictions in ODI, and as such he would definitely go for Shahid Afridi in any ODI team.
Dav is been 'dumped' by the BCCI, and as such he would like to settle a personal score with India, which shall be to the entire benefit of Pakistan when we face our neighbors.
Last but not the least, for those who argue that we should have had gone with the G-Off Lawson for bowling reasons, well we can always select a second bowling couch for our bowlers. We did that by having Mushy in our squad, didn't we ?
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 22:44 GMT
Bottom Line: Dav's the man and is it just me or this Canadian Version of Borat "JAVED A. KHAN" is really Crazy?
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 22:15 GMT
PCB should hire Dav Whatmore, he is the best one for the job out of the three, he has international experience and proven track record.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 19:37 GMT
I have this question for Mr. Every Sports Persons Network or ESPN of Disney World or cricinfo or whoever and, I know they won't answer me back, but I hope they'll read it, perhaps they will.
Why is that you remove the link of Pak Spin blog from the home page within 24 - 36 hours after its posting by Mr. Kamran Abbassi? Isn't it in the interest of the website to keep the links of more popular blogs on the home page for a longer period of time, c'est ne pas comme mettre bout à bout? I have noticed this has been happening quite frequently, whereas, the other blogs for e.g., right now on the home page under the cricinfo blog section, Pak Spin's new thread "Dav's the man" posted 2 days ago has been removed and replaced by some Rob's Lob and Andrew McGlashan's tour diary. I have checked the topics in Rob's blab and there is hardly any response from the readers and, may be the total posts of the five, six threads of that blog combined together still have fewer responses than Pak Spin. In my opinion Pak Spin is by far the best and most popular cricket blog on the Internet. So, the emphasis that I am laying on my question is, why don't you give a better and longer display to the links for the more popular blogs on the home page rather than replacing it soon with some dull dud boring blog?
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 18:55 GMT
Another about turn in PCB strategy. Whatever happened to "We will only hire a local coach this time around" rhetoric? What happened to Aaqib Javed? Wasn't he said to be Mr. Chairman's "personal" choice? And then afterwards he(Nasim Ashraf) took a dramatic yet pathetic spin and said in an iterview that a local coach may create "problems" concerning groupings and personal grudges. What a hogg wash. At one hand he pledged to distroy any negative player power, and on the other he totally makes a fool out of himself by talking about player groupings and personal or whatever horseshit. Bottom line is, this guy is worse than a pendulum. As a matter of fact, don't you think that the coaching job has been hyped ten folds during the last seven or eight years? and for no reason. I mean, yes the coach is an integral part of a proper combination, but not as much as it has been assumed in recent times. And to those people who think that a coach can better a player's technique, then think twice. Coach's job is to keep everyone fit and look after the performances of certain departments, team as a whole and on player to player basis as well. And to make strategic ploys as how to tackle different teams and what should be the plan of attack. To bring normalcy and discipline in the team and to help with normal technical touchups etc. You dont need to hold a doctoral degree to do such work. Yes, a good coach can do wonders with the team, but the way the whole coaching scenario is being put on the pedestal these days is just ridiculous. Dave Want-more was successful with Sri Lanka because they had a peerless leader then in shape of Rana Tunga. It was the strategic prowess of Tunga that made that Srilankan side so effective. And his stint with Bangladesh is anything but successful. Bangladesh has been around for quite some time now, and by the looks, they seem far behind. Even a novice team of Ireland performs much better than them. They lack consistancy and seem to be a few quarts low on self confidence as well. I mean they've been around for over a decade now and that is good enough time to become a regular on an international level. So I do not understand when people term his stint with Bangladesh as a success. Another thing that brings concern about Mr. Want-more is that he lacks professionalism. He chased Indian opportunity like the kids run after icecream trucks, only to be left behind with empty hands and some international embarassment. Geoff Lawson and Richard Done lack not only international coaching experience, but also the Asian way/style. One of them didn't even applied for the job! How desparate Nasim Ashraf is to bring in a foreign coach? Makes me sick. Whichever way this matter settles, I just hope it works out in teams favor.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 16:32 GMT
Dav Whatmore is the best coach for Pakistan, his credentials are right for Pakistan, he has experience and will take Pakistan to the next level. Lets hope PCB hires him.
Mohammed Khan Islamabad Pakistan.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 15:41 GMT
'Whatmore' could the PCB ask for? :)
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 14:57 GMT
Saima aka Javed.A.Khan should be coach.He? She? would be top "Kwalty" coach. A sort of Miandad and Pj.Mir all rolled into one:-)
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 11:49 GMT
It is ironic to see Mr. Javed Khan complaining about the bloggers' eagerness to acquiesce with Kamran on different cricketing issues. Ironic, because I have on an 'overwhelming' number of occassions witnessed Mr. Javed using the 'Oh I couldnt agree with you more, Kamran' lingo. Infact, it would be fair to say(And I'm sure most regular bloggers would agree with me) that Mr. Javed predominantly reinforces what Kamran has to say as opposed to analyzing what he has said and eventually, disagreeging with him. It is rather hypocritical of Mr. Javed to criticise others for agreeing with Kamran for that is what he does, more often than not.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 11:46 GMT
Answering Calyhigh's question: Mai ka pa jiiiiii tusi sanu pull gaye? Why the hello does Whatmore need to learn Hindi, Bengali or even Urdu? Ahem, pyjamay da koi zikr nai? You get my drift? :-)
Awas, yeah, yeah you are right, I won't repeat the obvious code d'accord 'coz that would be a real "mona - taony". So, in other words you are saying that, he is like a miss under stood Pakkha (fan) and saying its 'too haat' here and, we all misunderstood him? In that case the PCB must think of appointing a tableeghi assistant to keep the team on 'siraat-e-mustakheem' or the right path all the time, especially on foreign tours when Pakistani players jump into a swimming pool with their foreign coach and chill off, which is not Islamic! I guess thats the reason, Inzi and Mushy dropped Sami. Clickety-click and take a look.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 10:55 GMT
PCB have recently unveiled a hectic international schedule for the latter part of this year. For those who are unaware of it, refer to:
Pakistan features a relatively quiet season until September. I know dates are very difficult to work out, but in the interests of the players as well as the fans, the PCB should have arranged a more balanced schedule, not one where Pakistan is not doing much in June, July and August but is heavily engaged in September-December.
These days of course the ICC and all cricket boards see money as the first priority. Yes, the common man always moans about powerful individuals and organisations and how they exercise and abuse their clout, but somewhere a line has to be drawn. In the interests of fans, Pakistan must play a series against India every year. The concept is simple; the interests of the fans take priority because they provide the revenue. PCB and BCCI have stated that they want to organise a series every two years because they do not want an over-exposure of Indo-Pak cricket, but what they really mean is that they want the fans to crave and despair for such matches so that the tickets sell out in a jiffy and enormous interest is generated so that quick money can be made. I spoke about the topic of difficulty in arranging dates. Of course, Pakistan also has to play most if not all of the other international sides too and that is why arranging a full Test and ODI series with India every year would be difficult. But what can be done, is that one year there should be a 3 ODI series (whether alternatively hosted by India and Pakistan, or at neutral venues like UAE, Kenya or Canada etc) and the next year we should have our usual 3 Test 5/6 ODI series hosted alternatively by India and Pakistan. A 3 ODI series can be over in less than 10 days, it will not be such an enormous hassle as far as dates are concerned and it will always generate ample revenue being an India-Pakistan series. Nowadays the relations between two countries are more peaceful, so this opportunity must be exploited by the two cricket boards because you never know what might change tomorrow.
There was a time when India was not as keen to play Pakistan owing to political tensions. The other reason was that for most of the 1990s and a few years after 2000, Pakistan had players like Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam, Saleem Malik, Saqlain, Wasim and Waqar etc who were match winners and hence Pakistan used to win more matches than India, so the Indian fans often did not share the same exuberance and jubilance of their Pakistani counterparts. Now however the landscape has changed. The last 5 years or so have been pathetic for Pakistani cricket. Tableeghism has been a huge factor in this unprecedented descent. The players care more about their personal religious achievements than performing for their country and for their fans. The fielding standards of our senior players remain lethargic, we have problems with the discipline of players like Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and more recently the inept Imran Farhat (his protests following his exclusion from the squad), nepotism (Faisal Iqbal and Bazid Khan) and regionalism still remain at large and we do not have any reliable specialist openers. Conversely, India, despite the decline of Tendulkar and the erratic form of Ganguly and Sehwag, have seen some reliable batsmen like Dhoni and Karthik and a rejuvenated bowling attack, with the presence of the improved Zaheer Khan, the exciting Sreesanth, the talented Munaf and good spinners like Powar and Chawla. So India has seen a balance in terms of decline and ascent, with senior batsmen failing but junior batsmen doing the job, with Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan fading but other bowlers performing in their place. On the other hand, as stated earlier, Pakistan's current position is far outweighed by negatives. That is why, until about five years ago, there was a 60-65% chance Pakistan would win if it played India. Nowadays, that percentage has dropped to 50%, which makes the matches more interesting for Indians.
Let us hope that captain Malik can reshift the balance in Pakistan's favour when the teams play again in November.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 9:17 GMT
Good batsmen do not necessarily make good coaches. Had it been the case, post-Bradman Australian team should have been as good as Bradman himself by only the appointment of Bradman as its coach. No doubt Javed Miandad had been one of the best and most consistent batsmen Pakistan has ever produced, but that doesnt mean he is the best coach in the world. Most of the good coaches in the world had very mediocre records as cricketers, but they made good coaches. Apart from Duncan Fletcher who met with moderate success and may be John Bracewell also, how many international coaches happen to be good players. How many of you have heard of John Buchanan the player or Tom Moody ever turning a match upside down with his come-whack-slap batting and innocuos medium paced bowling? So, we can safely assume that to be a good coach, you dont necessarily need to be a good player.
Let's come to Javed Miadad. He got a chance to coach Pakistan team and that era was replete with players revolts, defeats and personal bickerings. Besides, one can remember Miandad's childish antics of coaching from the balcony a batsman on strike, Taufiq Umer and asking him not to walk across his stumps while playing. His recent statement that "If computer know-how is all that matters, then [Microsoft chairman] Bill Gates should have been the best cricket coach in the world." has done him no good. He has only exposed his own limitations that in this modern age, he is not a computer literate. I think it can be really dangerous to appoint someone as pakistan's coach who does not even know how to check mails on your computer. No doubt cricket has become a science and it needs to be approached and coached scientifically. I appreciate the PCB for keeping him away from the job.
Dav Whatmore has really had success with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but that doesnt mean he may be successful everywhere. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have different cricket setup and therefore it must be different coaching there. Pakistan is altogether a different proposition. Here, internal politics and "Sifarish" system are so rampant that a local coach may sccumb to the external pressures, hence the need of a foreign coach. Whosoever is selected as a coach, I can just wish him luck as he needs loads of it to be successfull in the thorny ways of Pakistan Cricket.
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 8:01 GMT
No way Dav...............
What is the guarantee of commitment from a person who wasn't even interested in this job in the begining. We are to look into the future and whoever would be the coach should be given atleast 3 years and we have no surety if this guy will stay with the team if He gets a call from BCCI again like he did with Banglas.
To me there should be the best man be it a foreigner or Local. Why can't we groom our own coaches to the international level........
testli5504537 on June 24, 2007, 2:01 GMT
Everyone on this blog is casting his /her vote in choosing one of the three short listed candidates by the PCB. As if the whole world has come to a stand still and there is no one else besides these Three Australian Musketeers and no one else would be available to coach the Pakistan team ever again! Not many on this blog want to express their own opinion about a suitable coach. And a majority of the bloggers appear to agree with Kamran Abbassi in their usual, predictable manner by saying; "I am agree...."
The Desi English version of Ittifaaq-e-Rai or, mai aap say Muttafiq hoon = "I am agree" was originally coined by His Exalted Exile-n-cy Nawaz Shareef, when he blabbed it in one of his interviews and said, "I am agree". Now, the way it is getting popular here on this blog its seems like its gonna take over the word spam, spam, spam spam was originally 'spammed' in the infamous Monty Python Spam Skit! Not many people know the roots of spam except that it is so commonly used in the electronic world when we receive junk mails we call it a spam. Is there anyone here who would say "I am agree" (avec moi)? Already more than twenty people must have said, "I am agree" to Kamran Abbassi. I must say that Kamran Abbassi has so much charisma, charm and magic that whenever he plays a tune or whatever tune he plays, there is a "flock of sheep" with a baa baa and a moo moo behind him or what we call it a "bhair-chaal." So, why shouldn't we nominate Mr. Kamran Abbassi as the new Chairman of the PCB? Any one for -----------> "I am agree"? :-)
Zakir Khan your point about a foreign coach getting sick 'in the heat of the night' is well taken, the PCB dimwits should realize it and be more cautious especially after Bob Woolmer's episode and, 'once bitten twice shy' should be a lesson for them. And of course, "I am agree" with you about what you've said that, if something like that happens again, the whole world would be running another juicy story in the Tabloids about "Pakistani Dahshat-gardi & Farangi Coaches."
On a lighter note, may I ask you, what makes you so sure that the Pakistani coaches won't get Diarrhoea? Is it because they cannot spell Diarrhea OR they are used to the spicy curries? Oops, I don't mean you misspelled it. But, the foreign teams and foreign coaches when they come to the sub-continent and, whenever they loose, they always blame the spicy curries and say they have been bitten twice! Hence we desis say, "a good curry always bites twice". Back to serious mode, I wonder why the British spell it as Diarrhoea and the Americans spell it as Diarrhea? Why do the British always make their spellings more difficult and complicated? Is it the French influence or a Royal Complex that makes them do this? Seriously speaking whats the need of stuffing the word O innit?
Amenah grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and for you if things are looking BRIGHTER it could be a train approaching from the other end of the tunnel. So, lets back-off instead of back them up.
Finally, something for Inzi's fan. Please enlighten us more with your religious cricket fatwas & flippers and also clarify whether you are Inzi's table fan, pedestal fan, ceiling fan or exhaust fan? The way you blabbed so much H2s gas, you appear to be his exhaust fan!
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 22:56 GMT
inzi fan
I don't think most bloggers understood him. I believe he tried to be sarcastic in his own peculiar way.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 21:59 GMT
Does it even matter which of the three get to coach Pakista? Well, in my opinion it doesn't. All three would be fine coaches, although just because he could really help out our fast bowling department, (which is the one area i firmly believe we can out perform ANYBODY on) I would give it to Lawson. But i would be happy with anybody.
Also i have a question. Can Whatmore speak Urdu, Hindi, or Bengali. It would make communication a hell of a lot easier. The only thing Woolmer could have done better was speak Urdu, but he still did a fine job.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 20:58 GMT
Although it is my personal opinion that Javed Miandad should not be appointed as coach (he's failed on two previous occasions) I still feel that he still can play a very important part in Pakistan cricket.
Miandad is a great batting technician and a shrewd tactician. Perhaps he could be a batting/strategic consultant to the team?
What do you guys think? Should Miandad be hired as a consultant? -Omar
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 20:08 GMT
i think Richard Done or Dav watmore should get the job as, in the comments above, people are saying that Geoff lawson should be given the job coz he's the bowler, no offence to their arguments but pakistan needs a full time Bowling coach aswell, and that should be one of Waqar younis or Aaqib Javeid as Wasim Akram already refused to accept a permanent place. I personally go for Richard Done as he has something to prove at international yet. No offence to Dav watmore, he's definately is a good choice anytime. Gudluck to whoevr gets the job
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 20:01 GMT
Firstly, the fact that Whathisname has been coaching Asian sides for the last ten years is more of a negative characteristic that a positive one; primarily because having used every trick in the book for the previous sides he has coached, it will now be extremely taxing for him to impart and evolve fresh and innovate ideas for Pakistan. Secondly, I fail to grasp how having coached the Sri Lankans and the Bangladeshis will aid him in getting acclimatized to Pakistan and its labyrinth cricket network? As someone earlier mentioned in this blog, every country has its own inherent infrastructure and consequently, its own intrinsic specifications. After all, the Bangladeshi cricket experience will not even remotely encapsulate what Pakistan, with all its controversies and innate obstacles, entails. So how does this put him in front of the other candidates? Thirdly, the Asian experience is synonymous and tantamount to indolent fitness regimes and a generally, dormant outlook on the game. Therefore, I think it's high time we disentangle ourselves from this 'Asian culture' and seek more western (which in this context, is being equated with supreme fitness levels and professionalism in every sense of the word) methods of surging ahead on the international stage. Fourthly, his eagerness to take the Indian job while still being in charge of the Bangladeshi cricket set up, prior to the conclusion of the Cricket world cup, convinces me that this man is nothing more than an opportunist, an opportunist who having been around for so many years, has probably lost the hunger for the job or the desire to take Pakistan to the next level. In retrospect, I believe we need someone who is professional, bubbling with novel ideas to tackle the best and importantly, someone who is loyal to the country. I hence, think Lawson with his positive outlook should be the man to pick to guide Pakistan to the next level.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 19:35 GMT
Miandad a shrewd cricketer!? Anyone who says that needs there head examined. I remember his last stint as Pakistan coach when the pakistani bowlers were struggling, his response to this problem was that " they will work it out themselves" so I suppose the coaches job is to sit on his ass all day long watching and doing nothing then according to him. I personally think either Lawson and Whatmore could do a good job. I just hope whoever is appointed gets people like Wasim Akram on board to help the team develop.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 19:31 GMT
Yeah, I agree Kamran. Whatmore seems like the best available option but I still wondering how could PCB overlooked Masood Anwar? The Guy is Peerless coach in Pakistan.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 19:24 GMT
People CAN WE PLEASE STOP WRITING ESSAYS HERE?? State your dam* point in a clear and concise manner. No one is grading your wonderful brilliance with the English language or your skillful use of rhetorical devices! This is not a college thesis but a comment on a blog!
And can we please stop being pessimistic? Before the PCB is even given a chance to make another blunder, we have so called experts on this blog saying why they think certain candidates are better...please keep your opinions to yourself because in a few months if something goes wrong, you will be the first ones to criticize the same coach. HYPOCRITES!
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 18:13 GMT
This is a wake up call for all of our cricket fan out there. PCB is thinking about beyond just the coaching the team, they need the recognition of stability in the country so the "sissy" teams like New Zealand, England and Australia will not run away during the middle of the test series. Sri lanka is the good example, regardless of Tamil's attacks and bomb blasts these "gora" teams were still coming in due to assurance and presence of Dave Whatmore. Australia is due soon and hopefully if everything remain calm and with the presence of Australian coach we will have a complete series. He is a good couch for any young team in the world but not for Pakistan, we have too many "khalifas" in our team. Once the test series start we know that its going to be tough time for Younus Khan, since Mr. Ashraf don't like the idea that he did not took the job by default. We all know that 4 to 5 players in the team never like Younus for his guts. Young teams like Bangladesh might work hard for their country under Dave but our team need someone like Javed Miandad to make them patriots. I guess he have to wait till the we get rid of Mr. Nasim Ashraf. I wish that Team Pakistan would have a interpreter (with cricket brain) not like Pervaiz Mir to communicate between the coach, captain and the team.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 17:42 GMT
On a personal note, JAVED A. KHAN from montreal seriously impresses me with his technical knowledge about the game and those mind blowing analogies and occasional sarcastic comments. You should write professionally (I won't be surprised if you say you do)
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 16:43 GMT
I cannot believe some people are still recommending Miandad. Of course he was a great batsman, and got us out of a many a hole, but as a coach he was not effective. Don't put same people back again and again - that's at least one thing we can learn from politics.
I am not against Aqib though - we need some nw thinking. However with a fresh team PCB probably are doing the right thing with getting someone experienced at coaching winning teams.
Finally although the choice fo the coach is of course vital, it's the players who need to step up - a good coach without responsible players is going to fail.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 16:24 GMT
slmz. there is no question of selecting foreign coach then a national coach, because they are more reliable then our national heroes.we can see from the past coaching of late bob woolmer, he has tried to bring some kind of a discipline in a pakistan camp. so plz make wise decisioninstead of creating fight between players and local coaches. thanks,.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 15:10 GMT
We are so naive and would like to remain in state of denial by keeping just relying on external dependencies. When we gonna start thinking like a self reliant nation who believes in themseleves. How many ex pakistani players are serving Australian team but we would like to welcome anyone from foriegn land. God help those who help themselves. We have Jahangir, Jan Sher, Javed miandad, Wasim Akram, Inzi - who trained those legends but we have bunch of young players who had been trained under the super vision of Two foriegn coach and we can see that after 1999 we have declined to such a state it will take ages to move forward. All these coaches have delivered to our young players is negotiating power for money.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 14:44 GMT
Good day Kamran. It's a pleasure to involve myself in Pakistan Cricket through UR Blog. Being a Bangladeshi, before my country was a part of world legue, I followed and suported the 3 subcontinent teams. Not because of religion, nor being the common border country just because of sheer snobishness, superiority compelex and extremely self centeredness, both in terms of monitary and media monopoly, I doubt, how many neutral supporters Indian team will get, even still they are not inviting us to play in India, for a self proclaimed financial loss. I had a great lough when the BCCI had a kick on their ass from Ford.
Let's talk about today's topic, the next coach of Pakistan. I can safely challenge that, I know Pakistan for that matter subcontinent, cricket even more than many of the official of the 2 main boards. To me the ONLY person who could coach in India and Pakistan will DEFINITELY NOT a Countryman. These India, Pakistani past players grew up in Bombay-Delhi, North-South, East-West, Lahore-Karachi, Sindh-Punjab tussle and I am the last person to be convinced that they'll be able to raise their moral above their past lerning. It's only a foreign coach and specially not Javed for Pakistan. As a 13 years old boy I still can remember Javed hitting Sharma for a SIX, his 77 NO at WACA, brilliant rear gaurd at Auckland, but he is a poor, very poor man manager. Hardly been a deciplained dressing room man and also Javed was more of an self cultured batsman defining some of the techniques by himself, doubt how it could be implimented to individuals. I also disliked his tendency to steal the credit himself for a win and pointing individuals for a loss. Javed can helf PCB in another capacity but not as a coach.
It's great to see finally that, PCB has opted for an Aussie Coach. The Pakis do play cricket in Aussie mentality, attacking, positive and pro-active, which was cnever evident during Inzamam's regime and that costed the team. I often found Paki players restrained them-self when not required and often let them into desparate wholes. They need a positive, attacking coach, must be an Aussie and not a English County Pro earning his meat by maintaining seasonal averages, who would encourage the players for playing their natural game.
Among the 3 coaches my choice is Done, surprisingly, I guess. Dones have been working with developing cricketers Pakistan being the U19 Champs for the last 2 editions, there must be enough engradient for him to groome. A national coach should be more of a strategy developer and guide to younger boys. As a high performence coach, he has been doing that. Also this is a stepping stone for Done, a fresh start and ideas.
Lawson is a great bowler, but I feel, for Pakistan Fastbowlers, it should be a Pakistani bowling assistant, for that you know, none better the Pakis, when it comes to guide young bowlers with swing both version. Sarf did it to Imran, to Wasim to Waquar to Shoheb to Asif. The legacey should go on. I feel with Dones, a local batting coach, may be Shohaib, Mudassar or any one and a bowling assitant, Aaquib or Waquar, Wasim I guess is not interested.
The best likely candidate seemed to be Dav, but I really am upset with the last few days of his professionalism. Still India not finding a Coach, there might be a chance that, they will encourage someone of their interest to buy out contracts regardless of the situation of his current employer.
Nevertheless, my choice will be Done, Lawson followed by Dav and Javed in any capacity at NCA.
M Mahboob Hossain, Shuvro Dhaka
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 14:09 GMT
@ Inzi fan
you are pathetic.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 13:42 GMT
NO FOREIGN COACH. PLEASE NO FOREIGH COACH. I can't understand what has happened to us.the only World Cup success we had was without any FOREIGN coach except Intekhab Alam who was more of a Manager rather than a coach. I agree with Imran Khan that coach can't bat,bowel or field for u in the field.so whats the need for creating all this hype over coach. Cricket is a very simple game.its not a rocket science.for a successful team u only need a bunch of thoroughly professional players who plays up to their full potential.Australian team is the best at the moment because they are simply following this rule.U don't need to import guys from Australia for that.even I have rendered this advice for free. get out of the Inferiority complexes and set examples yourself rather than following others. NO FOREIGN COACH as we must not forget that we recently had a nightmare of experience in the shape of the death of Bob Woolmer.the whole ENGLISH and WESTERN MEDIA was up for our blood and were portraying us as the sole responsible for the world problems. Are we looking for another Controversy in future of the same magnitude?? God forbid if tomorow that FOREIGN COACH develop a Diahrrea or Cough or for that matter get Sun Stroke than the whole Pakistan and Muslims all over the globe will be held responsible for that and we will see the same episode repeated again. my request to Australian candidates is that PLZ refuse this job as we Pakistanis want peace of mind.I won't make this request to PCB because they are a bunch of fools who will never learn from their past mistakes.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 13:26 GMT
Dav Whatmore is a brilliant coach. Glory with Sri Lanka, and respectful giant killers with Bangladesh, besides having played test cricket for Australia. He was not 'rejected' by India but by some senior Indian test players who wanted a docile "yes" man who would dance according to their tune. Thats why names like embruery were suggested. Pakistan need a coach who understands the teams Asian aspects and culture, as does India. Pakistan has always being a major force in cricket and deserve to be right on top again with Whatmore.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 12:15 GMT
According to a leading Pakistani newspaper, there is a "revolt like situation" within the Pakistani team, heralded by Shahid Afridi, over the appointment of Salman "Bhatt" as new VC. I knew Afridi is passionate about power but in this case I will support his stance as I think it is unfair to promote Salman unless it is done with the view of hoping the new responsibility makes him work harder on his batting skill.
According to a Pakistani news channel, Lawson is most likely to be appointed coach. Someone stated that Pakistan's key strength is bowling and that is why having Lawson as bowling coach is desirable. If you consider the two best teams of the current age, South Africa and Australia, you will see that they are almost equally strong in their bowling and batting. You can't be a top team unless you are equally strong in all your departments. Some people may think that with the departure of Warne and McGrath, a void is left in the Australian bowling attack. While this is true, I think the problem is only temporary because their youngsters like Mitchell, Bracken and Tait are performing as well as can be expected. That is why as far as Pakistani bowling attack is concerned I would support a specialist bowler in place of Razzaq because Pakistan has the specialist batsmen and all rounders who can take the team 225 in a ODI match but with the frequent absence of Shoaib Akhtar and erratic form of Sami, we at times find it difficult to defend decent scores. Too much reliance is placed on Gul and Asif but they can't work magic in every match.
Muhammad AsAf has said that the role of coach is overrated and we need to build our domestic structure to produce results. Unfortunately the domestic structure cannot be built overnight. When we won the WC in 1992 our domestic structure was worse than it is now. England's domestic structure is amongst the best in the world but they are not a top team. They are lions in their backyard but sissies when they play abroad. I "am agree" that the domestic structure can help you to produce mature and consistent players but Pakistani cricket has always worked with raw talent and not maturity. The coach however is still needed to monitor and improve fitness, improve player discipline and we always need someone who can try their best to work on key weaknesses. Shoaib MalAk improved as a batsman under Woolmer and so did YousAf and YounAs. Umar Gul and Rao also seemed to improve under Woolmer.
Umer Bin Bashar commented that he hopes the players learn some English. Sir, for the sake of the success of Pakistani team I think it's more feasible if Lawson or Whatmore learn Punjabi. The players cannot learn but the coaches are more enlightened, bright and have a greater I.Q and greater learning capacity, hailing from more refined backgrounds.
The Major who trained the players in Abbottabad said that Shoaib Akhtar needs to lose weight and improve his fitness. How can the world's fastest bowler be one of the most unfit players in the world? This makes him a laughing stock and it makes Pakistan a laughing stock too. Imagine how many matches Shoaib could have won for us if he had maintained his fitness more. Brett Lee is so much more fit than Shoaib and so is Sami. Shoaib Akhtar has many fans in the world but what he lacks is respect. He only plays for himself and his problem is that he actually has no qualification to seek a well paying job anywhere. Whenever he needs money he "regains his fitness" and when he is comfortable with his finances he gains weight and becomes unfit. He has stated that he always wanted to the fastest bowler in the world and ever since he achieved that tag his fitness level has become increasingly appalling.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 12:13 GMT
Whatmore is the man
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 10:39 GMT
I think Inzi Fan's talking a load of nonsense. "A true religious coach who can divide equal time between cricket and religion?" A cricket coach should focus on cricket and nothing else, and let his personal religious beliefs be separate. And that stuff about Australia winnig because we were overly religious is nonsense too- they won because they focused all their energies on playing instead of preaching.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 10:05 GMT
Whatmore do we need? "I am agree with you NOT".
I don't agree with the notion that Pakistan is definitely set to hire him even though he is (or has now)going to meet Nasim Ashraf soon. Pakistan was his 2nd choice anyway. He only became interested after a rejection from India. Not much wrong with that as whenever you go for a new job you have a 1st and a 2nd choice. But isn't PCB's criteria to hire a low profile coach? I presume that meant the one who hasn't had a stint as an international coach.
I much rather prefer Geoff Lawson. Other than his credentials and the Australian psyche, something about this bloke, whether it's his looks, comments he made or whatever, tells me he is the one for us. It's like when you see or meet a person there is something within you tells you that you can relate to that person. It's that kind of feeling. Choice would definitely be between Lawson and Whatmore. By looking at his comments, Lawson seems to have got some kind of rapport with Shoab Akhtar which can't be said of many in the past.
My prediction is Lawson.
Someone mentioned earlier, it makes no sense to hire a bowling coach. Not necessarily. At this level it's not just a coach that you need to teach you just how to play a correct cover drive without giving a catch in the gully, for example. Anyone selected at this level should know how to bat. What you really need is a mentor and a motivator with the added advantage of cricketing nous, no matter whether a bowling or a batting type. Only PCB can tell which one of the three interviewees was better at this. The biggest flaw in our team is, without doubt, mental strength. This is one area a coach needs to concentrate on. The current Australian team has abundance of it. The notable Pakistanis who really did have the mental strength were players such as Imran, Miandad and Wasim Akram in that order. The rest are all lacking at this. We have always had batting coaches. Perhaps this time it should be different.
I don't believe Butt has been rewarded with vice captaincy because of his recent good showing. As mentioned in my previous thread, amongst the current crop of players he is perhaps the most competent to communicate in English (other than Shoab Akhtar but never sure he is in or out) with the imminent appointment of a foreign coach. Definitely not because he is an automatic choice for an opener.
inzi fan
Mullah Omar would do nicely as he made Taliban world beaters ;-)
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 7:49 GMT
I guess there are pros and cons of hiring a foreign coach.
He does not take part in politics, bu then the language barrier is quite a hindrance.
I support Dav becuase he has a proven record of helping Asian teams improve. Remember the pre-1996 Sri Lanka, or take the steady development of Bangladesh.
He has the credentials.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 6:51 GMT
There is no way Dave should be PAk Coach simply because he wanted to coach india. everyone knows he prefferd india to Pakistan and has comeover to PAkistan simply because he was rejected. IF both PAk and India were willing to hire him he would have picked india....thats why he should not be appointed. Geoff lawson looks a good prospect because he is a fast bowler and he can help our talented generation of fast bowlers. this does not mean that he is ignorant to batting or fielding...he is quite experienced in coaching and he probably wouldnt need an extra bowling coach like bob woolmer.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 6:51 GMT
With the PCB's current focus on youth (appointing Shoaib Malik as captain being the case in point) I think the Pakistan cricket team needs someone who can nurture their current crop of players.
Dav Whatmore's is an expert when it comes to taking a young team and turning them into world beaters. In both his past assignments (with Sri Lanka and with Bangladesh) he has taken a team which had a great amount of talent but no experience and converted them to a world-class,professional and a competitive unit.
In conclusion, Dav Whatmore is exactly what Pakistan needs at this stage. The PCB would be making a catastrophic error if they decide to not hire him.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 6:48 GMT
i've got a different option really as everybody saying about dav, lawson or richard i believe we want a "desi" coach and one name unanimously comes in our mind and that is " Javed A Khan" yes due to his extreme cricketing knowledge and brain he could rule the team as he does on this blog as well. so, thats the bottom line and iam sure no one 'd disagree with me........!
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 6:26 GMT
Strange comment Inzi Fan "but being religious rewarded them with the world cup" Australians generally aren't religious and we've won the last three! How do you explain that??
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 5:40 GMT
Whatmore (hands down) is the best choice. However, Pakistan has been long declared a "lost cause". That cannot change. This renders this discussion pretty much pointless.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 5:35 GMT
Kamran Sahib,
I was expecting that you weigh your weight on Dav Whatmore, but I do not agree with you merely because I would like to have any foreign coaches if we have to groom. We have a very good coach around, he is dynamic, young and very cultured, sofrt spoken and got international experience and it is high time to support him. He is Mr. Aquib Javed. He was the best performer. He was the member of the World Cup Winner and whatelse you want. He is a qualified coach. If we have appointed young captain, yound VC and then it is turn for the young coach. Aquib Javed is young and I would like to stick to my decision. Only domestic coach can be beneficial and not foreign coach. Please please Kamran Sahib, think twice before writing about the foreign coaches. At the end, coaches could not win matches only players. Coach can guide them and could not play, if this has happened that what was the role of Intikhab Alam during the time of Imran Khan. Come on please appoint Aquib Javed and a national coach, he was a coach of world cup winner of 19 and he could be asset for Pakistan Cricket, in my opinion "Lambe race ka Ghoda hai".
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 5:23 GMT
Thank you MR Abbasi for your initiative to start this debate of new coach, i think if we make our bowling lot better we will be able to do better, go for G Lawson make aval all street fast bowlers available to him and ask him to coach them to throw faST & straight nothing more & you will succeed& carry the day .Let the cat be out now PCB is making all out efforts to bring life into new team.GOOD LUCK PAKISTANI CRICKETERS,The NATION lovesyou donot disappoint us.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 4:24 GMT
I think we should stop looking for foriegn to clean our mess. We need a very good infrastucture at lower lever beacuse it is easier to fix things at an earlier stage. we dont have honest opinion about anything. we take things on daily basis we are dreamer not visioner. we need seminar, sessions and lecture from those foriegn coaches but for coaching we need some local player who knows the strenght and weakness of our player. It is now become a trend to hire such people who does not criticize the PCB. Everywhere in the world they hire engineer, doctors, journalist in their organization if they know the business language. How many player in our team can get benefit from a foriegn coach who cant convey his idea. It is not fault of anyone if message is not conveyed in right context. But who cares just keep reapeating the mistakes ...
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 3:36 GMT
Dav is a proven guy, hugely experienced with the sub-continent culture. I don't see any problem in his initial preference for India over Pak. I think if he gets the job, he'll now work harder to show India did a mistake by ignoring him.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 3:24 GMT
I think whatmore is not a good choice. Bangladesh really underachieved under him, they did play well in the world cup but some of the problems that he was never able to fix with them are exactly the problemsw that pakistan has, such as lack of consistency especialy with the batting. And this was despite him having a lot more control over the players in bangenladesh ( they put him on a pedestal) than he would have in pakistan. I have the pleasure of watching him very closely when he came to pakistan in 1995 when sri lanka toured, and the success of that team had a lot more to do with duleep mendis, who was the manager at that time than dav whatmore.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 3:12 GMT
Dav Whatmore is possibly the right man for Pakistan at the moment. He has coached a poor or below par Bangladesh side, and a par for course Sri Lankan side to varying degrees of success. Sri Lanka have had in that time, one great bowler in Murali, and a few top class one day batsmen, the retired Aravinda DeSilva being the best of the lot. Bangladesh have had nobody to speak of. Pakistan, at this time is a lot like Sri Lanka i.e, nothing to shout home about. A fit again Shoaib and Asif can hide our batting deficiencies for only so long.Wasim and Waqar did the same, to a lesser extent, during the 90's, although Pakistan's batting line up was a lot better with Sohail, Anwar, Inzi, a waning Miandad (early 90's), and that crooked, flat track bully Saleem Malik, all capable of winning games. Whatmore knows all about devising strategies for average sides and with the Pakistan team, he has just that. However, why do I get the feeling that we are about to hire a tired old mercenary?
Lawson was an Australian tearaway for a short stint and maybe one needs a quickie as coach to inspire, encourage, and maybe select some new tearaways. Woolmer's reign saw a plethora of trundlers. These bowlers will never win us games consistently, with the sole exception of Asif. With our dismal batting line-up, Pakistan's chances of winning rest on our ability to consistently produce out-and-out fast bowlers.
For that reason alone, I suspect Aquib might have been the best choice. He knows the talent available and, to boot, has coached the Under-19's to a World Cup victory. There can be a tendency, unfortunately for local coaches, to become embroiled in team politics. Aquib was a hot-head in his playing days - not necessarily the best characteristic required to handle our own tyros - Akhtar and Afridi readily come to mind. That is not to say we should have a wall flower as coach. At the same time, this Pakistan team is a relatively young side (in years!) and Aquib might have a better chance to gel with a younger team than an older one. Unfortunately it seems that Aquib is not even in the running.
Don't know much about Done. Miandad has had 2 stints at coaching with average success, and Intikhab is now, simply put - a dinosaur. Anyone who starts faulting cricketers on their personal life style away from cricket has no place being a coach.
It's a tough call, but as I have commented before on other blogs - coach-smoach - is the team good enough to win consistently by itself?
P.S. I have read the PCB, in all it's undiluted wisdom, is going to allow overseas players to play in the domestic tournament in order to raise the standard of the game. This is ludicrous. Can anyone imagine Australian, English, and Indian (especially Hindu and Sikh) cricketers ever wanting to play domestic cricket in Pakistan. A reality check is required. Maybe the odd Sri Lankan and a few Bengalis. Talk about raising standards!
I have a better suggestion. Why doesn't the PCB ask the ACB to allow the Pakistan "A" team to compete in the Sheffield Sheild. Any batsmen or bowler who succeeds in that tournament should be an automatic shoo-in for the senior team. Australia might even be receptive to that idea as they want stiffer competition from international teams, and allowing "A" teams to play in the tournament will certainly do that.
Maybe I should apply for the post of PCB Chairman - what do you say Mush?
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 2:15 GMT
There are certain issues to consider whether a foreign coach will succeed or the local coach. Pak is very different from SL or BDesh or India. One reason a team is successful is if it has four bowlers whom the team could depend on wicket taking. This rule applies both in a test series or a ODI series. Aus ensure they have four strike bowlers for every series. Pak traditionally has produced both slow and fast bowlers who have succeeded abroad also. The question authorities must try to answer is why Pak found short of bowlers during the last World cup and how much this event shattered Inzy the captain. After the 2003 World cup, at times we thought Pak is going to have atleast four match winning bowlers for 2007 World cup. Akthar, Asif, Razzaq and Rana were proven match winners. Gul and Shabbir were also there. Then there were spinners Afridi and Rehman who too had won matches for Pak. Woolmer must have banked on these bowlers. But how did Pak lose strike bowlers just before the World cup? How can a coach ensure this won't happen again? Look at another angle in this issue. Imran succeeded to forge a combination of strike bowlers in every series. How? He experimented boldly even during 1992 World cup. he never cared about proven talents and always was on the lookout for fresh talent. Will any coach dare to do this which was the cornerstone for Pak success? Unfortunately the Aussie style of using proven talent for major tournament (which Woolmer tried ) falied in Pak.
Then the other issue of opener. There also Imran gave enocuragement for anyone to be opener. But during the last few yrs what was going on musical chair for the proven openers. Is the new coach going to see all these issues? and the biggest question is: Pak has immense talents. Will any coach work out so that Pak is not going to underutilize their talent?
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 1:17 GMT
we need a true muslim as our coach , mushtaq ahmed has done wonders as a pakistan bowling coach.. plus he looks handsome along with mohammed yousuf.
and too be honest the true reason australia won the world cup was because they were overly religious, mind u they belive in issa but being religious rewarded them with the world cup.
so thats my thinking , a true religious coach who can divide equal time between cricket and religion.
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 1:12 GMT
I think Dav whatmore will be the next Pakistan coach, but the cricket board have to make sure that no player disagrees with it, coz we dont want to see another cold war between players and coach as we see it in past (shoaib and woolmer)
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 1:12 GMT
I think Dav whatmore will be the next Pakistan coach, but the cricket board have to make sure that no player disagrees with it, coz we dont want to see another cold war between players and coach as we see it in past (shoaib and woolmer)
testli5504537 on June 23, 2007, 0:50 GMT
Your toothless comment about Bob Woolmer's death is deplorable. But I guess you have some vested interest ....
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 23:52 GMT
Dave was my first choiceI have always dreamed of him coaching Pakistan team,but the fact that he rejcted Pakistan's job while he was trying to get the Indian coaching job, makes me angry.He didn;t wanted to coach Bangladesh anymore and with the Indian team in trouble, he dreamed of taking the Indian job and didn't even give any importance to calls from Pakistannow that he is rejected he has already left the Bangladesh job, makes me feel uncomfortable. If I listen to the call of my ego, I dont want Dave in Pakistan, i was very angry when PCB interviewed him.But if I think calmly, I think he is the best man Pakistan can get among the 3 those were shortlisted.He is a man who loves challenges and he is a strong individual who is aggressive in his cricket approach. But deep down I think Aqib Javed could have been a very good choice but then we have to bear in mind the history and the way the ex Pakistani players indulge in politics and Aqib is no exception everyone knows abput his problems with Waqar and Wasim, so after seeing it all Dave seems like the man best suited for the Pakistan side.I hope Pakistani players learn some english.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 22:44 GMT
I understand where you are coming from. Dav Whatmore seems like the safest bet; however, for some reason I feel Geof Lawson might be our guy. If we can cope with his Aussie attitude and our captain is able to embrace it than our team can start getting somewhere. He certainly seems like a better strategist than Whatmore; however, as he is bowler I wonder how would he help out our technically lacking batsman.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 21:07 GMT
Yes, I believe Dav is the coach Pakistan need at this time. He has more experience working with subcontinent players than any other foreign coach. He understand the culture and how things work in that part of the world. His track record is pretty good as well.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 20:47 GMT
Amongst the three contestants Dave, i suppose, is by far the best (BUT)...he has the australian style but not to forget that style can be suicidel as happened with India. He has the asian knowledge but i would discount that because politics in Pakistan & india is altogether a different ball game than what he encountered in Lanka & B'desh...I have my worries for the pakistan team as they are under a very young captain that looks amateur to me & looks confused for his own role in the team (Batsmen or a Bowler...he is not perfect in either)..& as the situation seems he is a pawn in the hands of the selectors(Since Younis khan decided not to take up the captaincy). A foreign coach that too the one discarded by India could backfire. I would seek the opinion of Mr. Khan from MONTREAL, CANADA as to what he thinks on my thoughts. I love to see a pakistan side with Younis as Captain, & Imran khan as coach...trust me that team will be a world beater.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 20:45 GMT
I have a couple of questions for PCB to consider: Why just Australians as candidates (if "foreign" coaches were the way to go)? How about approaching Cricket like American Football, having specialized coaching, like for fielding (a Jonty Rhodes type), batting (Sir Viv Richards), bowling (Aqib Javed), and a head coach (Tim Boon or Dav Whatmore)? Just having one head coach would be familiar to the PCB of course because of the Ad-Hoc mentality that seems to rule around there.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 20:28 GMT
Dav's not the man, he is only running for money, when he was rejected by India he ran to Pakistan. someone who has passion for the job should be selected as coach.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:45 GMT
The problem i have with Dav is that, no doubt he is a top notch international coach but he is more ODI cricket oriented than Test match material, look at the previous teams he has coached and their records,
if Pakistan are primiarly looking to prepare for the next world cup, then yes, Dav is the right man for the job, he no doubt will improve our fielding but longer form of the game, remains a worry for me.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:38 GMT
I think Dave is just average coach.You can argue Bangla's win over India & SA but they also lost to Ireland which they wanted to win badly.I just dont fill whatever happened in Bangla Srilanka cricket is b'ze of Dave. On Srilankan victory Rantunga had bigger role while don't forget that Bangladesh has nothing to show except those WC victories despite Dave was there for 4 years. Also there were bubbling youth who wanted to prove themselve; story with Pak team will be different. he wont usually get here from admin whatever he got in Bangla. Rahul Dravid I think had clear look at him in last series and he did not favoured him tells much.
I think Aquib Javed was best candidate for Pakistan. we will not let him rust until he is 60 and will make him coach when he wont fit in role. I think PCB dont actually know what kind of coach they want, first they went for Dave, Dave said NO, there was pause then BOON, MIandad, Aquib and now 2 more Aussies.. same as BCCI when it comes for professionalism we are worst and its for quite some time now.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:34 GMT
What was India thinking?
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:28 GMT
Dav's the man: has the skill and temperament!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:20 GMT
"Dav Whatmore, welcome to the whacky world of Pakistan cricket"- I just love the way how you ended this. You put everything into perspective for Dav!!!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 19:00 GMT
I think with so much money at the helm of PCB they should hire Geoff Lawson as the bowling coach and Richard Done as the chief coach. Like all top teams in the world Pakistan also need a full time bowling coach and who else better than Lawson. Richard Done have impressive credentials as a coach. And your assessment that Dav Whatmore should be the coach,I disagree. Not because his heart was with the indian team and only after their refusal did he think of Pakistan, but because a coach in my openion should be a dressing room mechanic rather then the main driver of everything. He had success with Srilanka because they had such a strong team (albeit only in asian conditions)in 1996 world cup and every one knows what Ian chappel did with indian team , hence the bangladesh's success.Other wise bandladesh have only won one out of 45 test matches they have played and that too against zimbabwe. So what success,I must ask, you are talking about!! Now dont say that they have improved, thay did beat pakistani team without any known coach in 1999.In world cup there are bound to be some surprises(like Ireland's success).No Sir the other two candidates are pretty unknown and they would work hard to make their name in the world of coaching, plus they are not big name as Dav is, so there would not be less chances of the clash of egos with the pakistani players, which i must add, is bound to happen at some point of time. A bowling coach(Lawson) and head coach(Done) is WHAT pakistan need, not WHATmore.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 18:32 GMT
the most imp thing...no matter ho is the coach...is to have one Assist COach and to train him for future role of pak coach...we must become self reliant.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 18:09 GMT
I don't want to defend the choice of international coaches but the list of possible Pakistani coaches is not something lot of people are excited about, I would vote for Javed if somehow we know that he would not politicize the game again, Aqib - needs more experience under his belt, I am sure with more experience he will be ready in 5-6 years for the job, it would not hurt him if he can land an assistant coach job somewhere in international cricket, even in India, I am sure they need Pakistani bowling expertise.
I really prefer Lawson on Whatmore, Whatmore struck me as an opportunist and kinda mercenary you know. There is huge difference between Pakistani and Indian cricket, team composition is entirely different, and talent type couldn't be more different. Cricket management is different, I don't know why was he indecisive between the two countries and how can he think that he can be equally effective in no matter what the composition of team is!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 18:03 GMT
Indeed, I agree with you. Dav did well to take a once mediocre Srilankan team to victory in 1996 world cup and recently under his coaching Bangladesh, the team that didn't know what's a win few years back, improved a lot and has become 'Giant Killers' as you mentioned. Another thing you've mentioned about him is his vast experience in asia. I think that's also going to come in handy for coming to terms with Pakistan cricket and settle the scrambling that it has been through in the past few years. In a word "He's the right man for the job".
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 17:50 GMT
Well Dav Whatmore looks like the candidate most people will like to succeed but it will not surprise me if Lawson comes out as the successor. I say this because Lawson has shown a lot more desire based on his post interview statements and may be he has a lot more to prove. On another note if we look at Whatmore coaching CV he has mainly worked with players who were much calmer with little or no egos. Working with Pakistan is very different. i have not heard any where else where an excricketer will have a go at the coach or threaten the selection committee if his son in law is been dropped as if he has the batting average of Hussey or bats like Viv Ricards.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 17:41 GMT
Kamran, A similar conclusion was jumped to before Grahm Ford accepted the job. PCB has better chance of pulling it off since the candidates it iterviewed do not have a job currently
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 17:16 GMT
I am Bangladeshi and Dav Whatmore has made immense contribution to Bangladesh cricket and its development. He will be an ideal coach for Pakistan cricket team
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 17:07 GMT
Dear kamran , I am surprised , why you have stopped to take to task the Dr on his woerds , sonn after hithe Wc2007 debacle , his so called show of resignation and then refusal by Musshy the pattern of the cronies to let him go , He opened his Mouth and said 'Our nest coach will only be a Local Coach " Like his Crony Mushy the pattern who promised the nation and the world to take off his uniform by Dec 2004 and then went back on this solemn given word ! , this Dr of troubles for the PCB is doing the same exactly and no one is taking him to task to abide by his words ! What it will make any diefference if it is either of the Australians , there will be hardly any gains for this team of YOYOs , Just saw a news on Geo screen " a sort of fight between the brainless Affridi and som eone else " Only diehard fools will imagine to see any impriovements , we have started hearing the same repeated words and slogans . we heard after the debacle of 2003 WC and the resutl of a forgone conclusion in the WC 2007 and same is the fate in WC 2011 ( Dav has candidly pointed to the same )
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 16:51 GMT
Out of the 3 Australia Candidates, I would go for Lawson. I think it's worth trying out a bowling coach.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 16:31 GMT
Dav has been involved in Asian teams but that does not mean he can adopt and understand Pakistani culture easily. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Boards are independent with proper legislations, on the other hand Pakistan overall and its cricket board is run on Ad-hoc basis. NO LEGISLATIONS, everywhere you will find One man show. I am afraid in these circumstances it does not matter if you bring Dav Whatmore or Tim bone or someone from Kala Shah Kaku with foreign name, the results are going to be the same.
In the end I want to thank Allah for diverting Imran Khan's attention from Younis Khan to Altaf Hussain.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 16:19 GMT
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 16:01 GMT
Dav is the man for the job if the three on the shortlst are the only ones to be considered for the post of team coach. He was my choice when the process started with his experience of working with asian teams being the major factor. He worked wonders with Sri lanka leading them to world cup glory and has improved Bangladesh also to world cup giant killers. He will be working with a team of supremely talented and gifted players who on their day can win matches on their own and will have to instill a team ethic as he has done with is previous charges. Dav's teams has been been shown great improvements in fielding and fitness which when allied to the skill we have in the team should reap rewards. If Dav is not the choice of the PCB selection committee then I would not be keen o the other two shortlisted austrailians and would prefer to see Aqib Javed appointed alongside a batting coach. He has worked tremendously well with the junior teams and will be able to bring through the next generation of stars.Lets hope the PCB do something right for a change and chose DAv Whatmore.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:50 GMT
Dear Sir With all due respect to your views, I feel every coach has a shelf life. Whatmore has used all of his. His experience with subcontinental teams is something which makes him the favourite but I do believe Pakistan are better off looking for a low profile coach.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:40 GMT
It has to be Dav out of these three, although I would love to see Aaqib Javed given the chance given his huge success with Under-19. It probably speaks of our cultural inferiority complex that despite haveing a proven 'local' PCB is looking outside. Or may be they think a local coach is prone to getting involved in team politics. Miandad is a prime example in this regard. I am a great admirer of Miandad as a player, but not as a coach - his meddling nature means he wants a free hand in all affairs, which has led to division in the team in the past.
Of the other two candidates, PCB should learn from their experience with Richard Pybus. Very capable cricket coach, but with no experience of Asian way he struggled throughout. Chappell is another recent example. These two candidates may have good coaching credentials, but handling of Asian teams takes more than that.
Dav or Aaqib for me. Cheers
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:37 GMT
i dont know much of whatmores speciality but i think Pakistan needs a coach who can help out our batsmen more. We have excellent former fast bowlers who can help out now and then but our batsmen need to tighten their technique. So this said i dont think we need lawson, n i dont no if bone is a good choice either since he was a high perfomance manager not a coach!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:35 GMT
Why PCB is looking for foreign coach? Dav Whatmore is an excellent coach but I do think Pakistan need a coach like Javed Miandad at this moment as no understand Pakistani players, domestic cricket better then him. Do we believe that a foreign coach knows how our domestic cricket is being played. I am sure he will be no position to understand the complexity of our domestic structure with for example Allied BANK playing National BANK. Majority of our players will be more comfortable with a coach like Javed Miandad language vise then likes of Dave Watmore etc etc.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:25 GMT
Assalamolikum!You might think that my questioons trange BUT i have to ask who are the interviewers? what are their qualifications? do they deserve to interview? Do they know their job?I mean you know its a complete science to interview guys and shortlist them and stuff. Sure we should have the best available coach BUT I think its more of an inferiority complex than taking the best available guy, you know what I mean GORA saab and MEM saab mentality. If I would seriously think of shaping up the young guns, what would I do? I will have a blend of foreign + local coaches/assistants. So that we can also groom home grown coaches instead of relying on a foreign coach. Aqib Javed has won world under 19 title twice as a coach. Its not very philosophical to say that two people need to communicate to undersatnd each other, most of our national players are PAINDOOS. I mean we will have communication problems for sure hiring a foreign coach. I believe there is a lot to be done and can be done but if we sincerely want to do something, its MANJANA (DANG TAPAO) culture, i believe lots of re-programming is required. There is a long way to go until every single soul is elected/selected on merit and is accountable. I dont know what difference a local/foreign coach can make if his reigns are in some one else´s hands?
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:21 GMT
I hope the PCB will not insult Dav Whatmore the way the Indians did. This man should be treated properly. Personally, I do not prefer high profile coaches but this man has proven himself over the years and deserves a solid chance. Go Whatmore!!!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:19 GMT
Dr. sahb ye sab sadi bakwas hai, buss ju ho team kay liye acha ho. Why is Mr. Lawson going in camps, talking to players and giving his views on Shoaib Akhtar when selection of coaches is in pipeline, what kind of transparency is this? When Wasim Akram is coaching bowlers, why are we looking for an ex-bowler to be full time coach? My reservation with Whatmore is he was always interested in India's job, he never really looked to Pakistan job as a biggest challenge in cricket; we must make sure about his commitment and that he is not only looking for job because he could not get what he wanted and has to do something.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 15:02 GMT
No Kamaran Bhai I do not agree with you on this one, back to the failed strategy again no foreign coaches and phisiotherapist period, dose'nt matter how good they are. Pakistan have enough talent and people to do the job. Bangladesh was rookies understand able needs someone to guide them but Pakistan does not fit into this category something that is not sinking into the PCB knuckle heads administration, they just wants to keep on spending big time foreign exchange just for nothing. Why dont these jerks spend this money making sporting pitches and grounds and see how the fortune cookie crumbles. Getting an Australian born coach and having a sweet dream that we will beat Australia good luck idiots. Being servant of GORAS they ever going to be mentally their servants, wake up bull headed administration and smell the coffee. I feel so sorry for Pakistan cricket dying a slow painful death and no one to rescue.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:33 GMT
Dav Whatmore bought attacking free flowing cricket to both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh- that will definately suit Pakistan. India were silly to let him go, but their loss is definately Pakistan's Gain. I hope he get the support of Pakistan's 'eratic' former players.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:30 GMT
hey! well Pakistan is in search of a coach. Good!!! we should select the best one....but in my opinion i dont think WHatmore is the man for the job.He tried india first during his contract with Bangladesh. When he was neglected he tried with us,Pakistanis........really i dont think that we need that kind of man. He is a professional coach so why is acting double-minded??? Leave him and see the other two. agar us ney hamarey saath aisa kiya to hum kya karein gain?????????????? Think about it....
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:23 GMT
If Dav is the chossen one, then why this farce of interviews and all with lesser known Coaches. Lawson and the other guy are big names but not for their coaching achievements. What pakistani team needs a good crickting brain. I think the real competition should have been between Miandad and DAV. While waqar or wasim should have been the bowling coach. Plus a full fledge fielding coach; Our side needs match planning and fielding coaching than anything else. There is very less chance the current board with the goofs in charge will do any good, Unfortunately!!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:21 GMT
I like dav whatmore's ways and would agree to have him on as a coach. No one is perfect but I agree that given whatmore's experience with asian teams and given his generally encouraging performance on both the occasions in otherwise mediocre teams of their eras, I think he is quite reasonable option a bit like that guus hiddink for australia and south korea. So best of luck to him. Although I am not quite sure if PCB's highly paid dumbheads would choose him at the end as they always have surprises in store for u. Watch out mate!!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:19 GMT
Ok, so all they have is three Australians. We should have had a Pakistani coach to begin with which at the moment look impossible, as none of the one's shortlisted is a Pakistani. I wouldn't count out the Richardson guy, yep! will take Dav with a pinch of salt. What a sham! what burns me is that each candidate went and had a chat with a group of players. What on earth they may have talked about? It would be a laugh if board solicited the input of players, what do they have to say about the candidate, that he looked competent! I guess there is no point in revisiting this whole sordid affair. Whatmore does top the list in my opinion, regardless of which way the decision goes.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:18 GMT
I have a suspicion that after coaching international teams for so many years and also having been just ignored by his first choice India, Whatmore might not still have the burning desire anymore. Geoff Lawson on the other hand can be a worthy bet. He seems fresher and brings with him the Aussie aggression that coupled with Pakistani talent might just be the tonic we are looking for.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:17 GMT
dav is the fit man for pakistan to coach because he have lot of talent
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 14:15 GMT
I agree with Kamran that Dav's the man to coach Team Pakistan, given Kam's reasoning that Dav's knows the Australian way and knows Asia. Although I hate Team Australia with a passion, I still think they're the team everyone should be looking at as a model team.
Having a local coach could mean a lot of distractions for the team, given our track record of internal politics involving the coach and the board or the coach and the players or the coach and the selectors etc. Dav shouldn't have a problem communicating with the players as he's been pretty successful with Sril Lanka and Bangladesh.
Having said that, I think Aaqib Javed would be a terrific coach but he is needed more at the Academy right now where he's grooming the future of Pakistan. This is probably the best step PCB has taken ever. keep Aaqib at the academy and let him be the architect of the future talent. Later on, he can be their coach if and when they crack the national line up.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:52 GMT
Dav is a good choice but Moody or Aaqib would have been better. I surpirsed they(PCB) did not make any effort to get the best possible candidates.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:41 GMT
I would select him as Pakistani coach. He kept Pakistan as second choice for coaching, and India first. Since he was rejected and not even interviewed by Indian committee, then turned to Pakistan coaching job. I don't think any foreign country coach is going to make any difference. They are all same. PCB has become a laughing stock, initially they wanted to hire a low profile coach and after making a u-turn in their policy going after to a high profile one. Also David Whatmore has not even applied for the job, PCB has contacted him personally. Why not the same policy for Pakistan Great Miandad? You cannot compare apple with orange. The status of Miandad is far from imagining for Dave. Under present circumstances Miandad is the best choice. We have to control our cricketers and completely eliminate the power player and then a less costly Pakistan coach can bring more than what we're trying to achieve from a foreign coach.
New York
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:38 GMT
In my view two people have chance Lawson and Whatmore but I think Whatmore have more experience than Lawson and possess good man mangement skills. It was his idea to go out and kill the bowlers in the first fifteen overs. My vote is for Whatmore but PCB should give him a bowling coach as well. In the end it doesnt matter whoever get the job, but one thing is for sure the winner will be an 'Austrailian'.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:35 GMT
I think Whatmore will be a good choice to coach Pakistan. He has experience in coaching asian sides so would be familiar with the politics that goes around our team and would also be able to understand the star player culture which we have. He has proven credentials already in the international arena. Good luck Mr. Whatmore and i wish Team Pakistan all the success in the world.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:25 GMT
Kamraan for God's sake don't build the mountain of hopes on hollow foundations of nostalgic scepticism. Call me a pessimistic or cry baby but what is certain is this that I like realistic people and statements which give credence to the ground realities. May be your are either unaware of those realities or deliberately trying to supersede them in the name of nationalistic pride. Look our cricketing infrastructure and the process to govern the domestic cricket is so horrible that either you call some one from heavens to coach this bunch of unruly and arrogant cricketers who have a history of non cooperation and undermining the authority of any one and collude to form factions within the team. What Dav or heaven's sake any other super hero kind of coach can do when the whole system which breed our cricketers is decadent and is perennially ruled by the autocratic and unprofessional administrators who's prime priorities always to such the leader of board (Chief patron or any other so called higher authority in this hierarchical organization PCB) and to get stick with the post for their own benefits with no concept of accountability and questioning. Until our system and processes is to be overhauled and strict code of discipline is enforced ..yes enforced ruthlessly not just mere by talking I challenge you and anyone from the same mental aptitude like yours that not in this current world Pakistan cricket can even imagine to compete the powerful dynamics of world cricket and its proponents like Australia , South Africa. After all we had one of the best and most professional coaches at the helm the late Bob Woolmer, but what he got in the end undermining his authority and marginalised that supreme strategist of contemporary game to a just training and conditioning individual.
Such a disgraceful and contempt full attitude towards that innocuous person who before taking the reins of Pakistan team was the accepted magician from around the world and resurrected the fortunes of Warwickshire and South Africa and was doing a wonderful job at ICC as high performance manager. Nothing would be changed, this team no matter how talented it is unless it is properly harnessed with proper and systematic administration with utmost professionalism and strict enforcement of disciplines would definitely bound to fail more miserably abroad as our team have the habit of doing this to beat mediocre teams at home based featherbed stripes and when the going got tough in tough conditions (Like seaming and bouncing tracks aided by some good pace bowlers) we have seen its (Pakistan team's) ultimate humiliations on countless occasions and there is no need to outline them here because the list is very long. In the end I have to urge you Kamraan that be realistic and don't show the rosy path of optimism to our flicking and emotional fans of Pakistan, majority of those who always allows the emotions to carry away them and never think realistically and critically to the changing dynamics of this fast paced game.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 13:19 GMT
Sorry Kamran Bhai, I do not agree with you on Whatmore. My suggestion is that we should go for someone who is hungry for success at this level. Whatmore has nothing to achieve and thus not hungry anymore. I would go for Geoff Lawson. I have seen him bowling in the 80s and he was a tough nut to shell even on dry subcontinental wickets. He was very very agressiv and skillful fast bolwer. I think we need this kind of a guy. He was very masterful in changing the pace of the deliveries while bowling fast. And I think that he should be more hungry at this level then the other two. Beside that he has no international coaching expirience. Go for someone new and not for those who have been proven.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:57 GMT
As predicted Dav Watmore is still the first choice candidate for the job even though *his* first priority was India and not Pakistan. To be honest I don't blame him for making such a choice but being a Pakistani I'm glad BCCI didn't even consider him becasue it means PCB is in good position to negotiate with him as he's got no other choices now. I personaly think Watmore is the best coach Pakistan could get considering his successful coaching stints in SL and B'desh. He's got the Aussie attitude and knows how the Asian cricketers work so I'm quite positive he'll be a good choice for Pakistan cricket.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:57 GMT
If Dav is the chossen one, then why this farce of interviews and all with lesser known Coaches. Lawson and the other guy are big names but not for their coaching achievements. What pakistani team needs a good crickting brain. I think the real competition should have been between Miandad and DAV. While waqar or wasim should have been the bowling coach. Plus a full fledge fielding coach; Our side needs match planning and fielding coaching than anything else. There is very less chance the current board with the goofs in charge will do any good, Unfortunately!!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:47 GMT
Salaam All I really dont think dave whatmore is the right guy for pakistan cricket at the moment reason is that even though whatmore has Asian experience and this itself is not good enough to become multi dimension pakistani cricket team coach. Whatmore recently was not able to promote bangladesh cricket team to level where world would see improvement and some consistent results after all the time whatmore had with them. Now one must ask that bangladesh was able to upset india and south africa in recent world cup. If i remember correctly bangladesh was able to upset pakistan in 1999 world cup and after that bangla team went into self destructive mode and they are still not out of it completely. Whatmore had 4 years with bangla team and he should have made some progress to show by winning SOME crucial matches on consistent basis which he was not able to. bangla team showed glimpse of being an international team here and there and that's all. What pakistan need is the coach who can create atmosphere in a team where they only go out to be positive and have that fire to win all the matches all the time. I would think that Jeff lawson could be the right guy for pakistan team. Lawson has the credential and he knows Australian system and physic to bring new ideas and new strategy to this pakistan team. Lawson would be able to groom fast bowlers for pakistan and in his contract there should be a clause where if the national team is not competing than he should spent some time with local fast bowlers. Whatmore had a young bangla side and he was not able to groom them as a unit in 4 years time. Its time to move on to someone who can bring fresh ideas to take pakistan cricket into 21st century. That's my story and I am sticking to it. Thanks
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:45 GMT
Yup, i agree, there is no doubt in the ability and capabilities of Dav. he is a superb couch and possibly the best suited, with the remaining contenders, the script could be same as that of Grig Chappel, so its the need of time and pakistan should avail Dav to get the big boost to 2011 world cup(which is going to be held in sub ciontinent) and these conditions are best known to Dav more than anyone else. and beside Dav PCB should also hire a person, who can teach players on their career milestones, and i am sure that this will boost players performances itself, rather than playing without any ambition
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:10 GMT
Although the previous thread was about suing the Caribbean authorities or those involved in publicizing Woolmer's case against Pakistan with a malign intent and, my last two posts in that thread were about the new coach. Kamran Abbassi has once again proved that his role and the role of the bloggers should be, if we can't beat them join them. Because, I see the same kinda similarities in views and expressions before the captain was selected. Now, I am expecting the same kinda response from the readers like; "yes Kamran you are right, Dav is the man", well written Kamran, "I am agree." Yes Kamran, Dav Whatmore has the experience to deal with the sub-continent teams and he has proved his mettle, so he is the man etc., etc.
Lawson, who appeared from nowhere on the crime scene did his last bit by praising Shoaib Akhtar, what he said about him isn't wrong. And he also said, "he is impressed by the PCB organization." This is pure Australian butter, unfortunately he cannot cook his butter chicken in Pakistan as Dav's recipe has more spice innit. As regards Aquib Javed and Javed Miandad they fit into the category or the proverbial expression, 'desi murghi daal barabar.'
You have also hinted Bob Woolmer's difficulties and inabilities in blending or to get under the skin of the players' culture and hence it became possible to marginalise his influence. So, what is the guarantee that Dav will succeed where Bob failed? Is it the Inzamam factor or the Tableeghi culture? One of them is still prevailing to some extent. Most importantly, the Big Bad Boy is still in the team, he has his own tantrums and issues to deal with. I think its for this reason Lawson wanted to please him and appease him or to grab the bull by its horns before he gets the job. I think thats what he must have thought by targeting Shoaib Akhtar and to deal with him on the basis of his experience as a bowler and, maintain the fast bowler's brotherhood with him to keep him on his side or under control.
This is exactly what Greg Chappell did when he arrived in India and before his selection, he targeted Tendulkar and started praising the out of form and injured little master batter by saying; he's still got three or four very good years left in him and he will be the man to watch in the World Cup. We all know what happened after that and how he managed to get rid of Ganguly and how hard it was for Ganguly to get back in to the playing XI again. There were divisions and fractions within the team, some senior players were openly taking sides with Ganguly and the Indian media labeled him as "Guru Chappel". Isn't that politics? Chappell would have stayed longer had India succeeded in reaching the second stage of the game but, his dreams were shattered and he must be cursing Bangladesh.
Nasim Ashraf thinks, as he says: "there is too much internal politics and only a foreign coach can neutralize it." The problem is Nasim Ashraf has a coloured curtain over his eyes or he views everything with a kaleidoscope. Besides, he has no experience for this job and the simple and easiest solution would be a mere resignation instead of prolonging his agony and ultimately facing a humiliating departure with usual kicks on butts and the traditional Pakistani 'jootaon ka haar' for the losers. There is a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Pakistan but, that is only for poor people I guess, the big fish is not accountable even when they rot and stink they are 'untouchables in a different way' and are always above the law and not accountable to anyone!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 12:08 GMT
Dave is a great coach but Richard Done has great credentials as well. He succeeded Bob Woolmer as ICC's high performance manager, and has also been associated with Australia's cricket academy. Dave's initial preference for India, while still coaching Bangladesh somehow disappointed me. Didn't look too professional. In this context, I wonder how he would've reacted if he had been our coach at Lords last year.
A lot of people are also talking about Lawson but I am not sure if he has better qualifications. It would be great if someone could dig up the trio's coaching methodologies and win/loss record.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 11:58 GMT
I hope they give him the job. I also hope that in the first India-Pakistan series after his appointment sees India getting beaten badlyy.
Dav Whatmore should then write an article on India lacking "tactical awareness" during the series - a subtle hint to Sunil Gavaskar saying that he fuc** up, and badly.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 11:44 GMT
The role of the coach is over-rated. Australia is not number one beacuase of a coach but the system that they have developed to groom their players for International cricket. So invest in domestic cricket, instead of hoping some magic from the coach.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 11:34 GMT
All of Pakistani nation would welcome Dav. I think a foreign coach is somehow better for Pakistan cricket then a local coach. Although language is going to be a problem with the foreign coach but not as much as it's going to be politics with domestic coach. Any how I and my friends would be really happy if PCB appoints Dav Whatmore. Best of luck Pakistan cricket and best of luck Dav.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 11:20 GMT
Hi, sry Kamran Sahib but i dont agree with you about Dav Whatmore. I like Lawson or Done to be the coach of our team. I think we need some1 who is agressive and young. He should also concentrate fully on our team. Dav Whatmore shoed his interest during world cup in Indian coaching when his team was already playing there. I dont like it at all.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 11:15 GMT
bring in lawson
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:56 GMT
Only PCB can select Dav Whatmore as a coach.Last month when he was coach of Bangladesh,in the last test match against India, he intentionally took decision to bowl first after won the toss.He did this because he was interested for the post of Indian coach. So he tried to please & give oiling to indian cricket management.He was much more eager for indian win rather than Bangladesh team. But India certainly did not honour that type of man who can do against his own team for personal interest. But unfortunately PCB invited this man for their coach. What a shame. PCB must rethink for the future of their team.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:46 GMT
Hello to Everyone I have written one or two times earlier. I think at the moment Dav is the best choice for the coach of Pakistan cricket team. There are several reasons of my support. 1) He is coaching in asia from almost previous 10 years with success so he knows the asian conditions very well. 2)He has the vast experience of coaching and of producing good results also in county circuite as well. 3) He is an innovative person. 4) He has the knowledge of australian style as well as of asian style which could be benifical for PAKISTAN cricket.
Now some would say that PCB shold go for javed miandad but I am not in his favour at all because he already worked in the capacity of coach three times but every time there is a revolt from playres and he has to go. Because he wants to impose or force things on players every time which I think is a wrong atitude. Anyway DAV WATMORE is an excellent choice for PAKISTAN.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:44 GMT
Hello Kamran, I am not so sure as you that Dav is the man. 1st question is does he read your blog (surely a pre-requisite for any Pak coach!)
My main short-givings with Mr Whatmore are two-fold - 1, he got rejected by India - if they didn't want him, why do we? and 2, he has potentially pre-conceived ideas - things that may have worked with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh may not do so with Pakistan - after all the people of all three countries are all different, and he will have to deal with cultural differences within the team - the Punjabis as opposed to the Pathans - the Urban Karachi youngster as opposed to a village cricketer.
He also needs to be strong with our former cricketeres - get them on his side and working with our players and for our country - a failing of every previous coach - why aren't Wasim, Waqar, Aaqib, Mushtaq, Qadir used more for coaching youth - Imran should be urged to set up leadership training for our Captains, Miandad, Ijaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbass should be showing our batsmen the way - if a Pakistan coach - indeed if Dav Whatmore can harness this resource and use it to develop and nurture a strong team, only then will we be successful.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:38 GMT
What happened to next coach will be a Pakistani !!! For me Javed was the best choice, however....Dav will have a big task on hand.
Good luck to next Coach
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:06 GMT
With all the greatest respect to Mr. Whatmore's skills, I object to his appointment, if it be made. Mr. Whatmore was never interested in the Pakistani job, but only realized that it was his best bet once the Indian corridors were closed on him. I won't use the word greedy as everybody looks for the best for themselves. And furthermore, reports emanating from Bangladesh suggest that Dav is not "perfect" when it comes to dealing with senior sides, but is capable of handling junior ones. I would support whosoever takes the job, but my gut bet is that Mr. Geoff Lawson, test bowler par decent excellence, should be given a chance as if we have to beat the best, we have to join the best, and Dav is more Asian than Australian ... needless to say Australia(n) is the way forward!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:00 GMT
I totally agree...you cannot see beyond Dav Whatmore at the moment. He has the qualifications and, more importantly, the pedigree (based on his stints with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) to be successful in Pakistan. If he isn's appointed, i will not be too surprised - after all this is pakistan cricket. Interestingly, i too have to ask the question regarding Aqib Javed and Miandad - maybe they were too pakistani for the post. Anyway, Dav seems to be able to operate within south asia and he seems to understand the psyche and so, lets get him in and try to win things.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:57 GMT
Lawson is the man. Bowlers win matches and that should be Pakistan's new direction. Along with proper fielding methods, fit battery of bowlers and confidence given to our batsmen, I feel Pakistan would flourish under Lawson. Pick Lawson PCB!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:54 GMT
Thank you Mr Abbasi for this new thread.
You say that Whatmore "knows the Australian way but he also knows Asia". I hope that will be helpful in that Whatmore can nurture the raw talent of Asia into the professionalism of the Aussies. Many individuals have supported Miandad for the post of the new coach. When Miandad has had a few unsuccessful stints as coach, I don't know how his reappointment in the future would be of any material assistance. He is a bit before my time and I never saw him play, but his records are awe inspiring to say the least. The majority in Pakistan want him to be portrayed as a simpleton and an uneducated "street rat" but in truth he seems to be a shrewd cricketer whose only problem was that he was too good and lacked the support of the masses. What Pakistani batsmen have lacked is consistency (which is probably the main reason why Pakistan has not been a top team for a long time) but Miandad was probably the most consistent batsman Pakistan ever had.
Just to remind the readers, I mentioned earlier that the benefits of having a foreign coach are that he would be more adept at addressing the main weaknesses of Pakistan- opening and fielding. However, the Woolmer experiment demonstrated that that target is difficult to achieve. The benefits of having a local coach are that he would be more approachable and the communication gap would be eroded. So the answer is not easy to provide but at present it does seem that Whatmore will be granted the job. When we were discussing the "new age" of Pakistani cricket on this blog, many people said that this is the time to take risks and experiment. Yes we can experiment to a certain extent, but we must keep in mind that the training for the next World Cup begins now and we still have a long way to go when it comes to players' fitness, discipline, opening and fielding. Hence the PCB must ponder hard before it comes to any conclusion and this is where I must repeat that is the appointment of Whatmore (who only looks Asian but apart from that is completely "westernised") a prudent decision in the light of the fact that Woolmer was probably the most skilled and approachable (as in approachable to the players) foreign coach Pakistan could appoint at that time? And I totally agree with those bloggers who state that Woolmer's appointment did not really produce the results that were expected. The fielding has improved but that is only because of the young, more fit players like Hafeez, Nazir, Malik, Hameed etc. The opening problem is worst than ever. Under Woolmer all Pakistani openers failed and under Woolmer we had to come to an implicit conclusion that all our openers, right from Taufeeq Umar to Imran Nazir, are incompetent and hence we have started this rotational policy. Otherwise, what was the point of bringing Imran Nazir back in the World Cup when he had not played international cricket for a long time? What is the point of including Salman Butt when only in his previous stint as opener he showed us he does not possess the temperament to open? Now after a few months we will see Imran Farhat, the worst opener in the history of Pakistan cricket, making a return to the international arena. His father-in-law is going on a hunger-strike-till-death as a protest to his ban from entry into Gaddafi stadium. I have only one thing to say to that: L-O-L.
Butt has been appointed vice captain for the time being. This decision is only commendable if it has been made because the PCB want the youngster to take some responsibility and improve his batting skill. If there is any other reason, then it is unfair to make him VC when there are more deserving players like Rao Iftikar and Umar Gul. Heck, Mohammad Sami is inconsistent like Butt and has played for longer than Butt. He has such a supreme control over his fitness that he is available for selection for every series. Why not appoint him as VC? I know Butt had a successful recent series in Abu Dhabi but it is folly to appoint someone VC just because he scored two good knocks on a flat track.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:30 GMT
Salam to all. I have totally no problem with dav whatmore terrific coach and personality and feel he is the man for the job. So please kamran stop the negativity and lets just get behind whoever the PCB EMPLOY.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:26 GMT
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO This cant be happening. Rest in peace Pakistan cricket :'(, we'll miss you.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:23 GMT
PCB will never learn from their past mistakes. Foreign coaches are tried numerous times before and they have failed miserably.
Its no use of arguing, Nasim Ashraf definitely has his own ways. There is a one man show in the country and in PCB. ******** Dictators ruling our Country...
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:14 GMT
whacky world of Pakistan cricket !! Excuse me !! But for once the board handled the situation better. Miandad with his comments about new scientific ways is no candidate in any part of the world!! Geoff Lawson has great credentials and i think is a better option for Pakistan team & cricket we need some of his philosophy of "get on or get out". Things are looking BRIGHTER lets back them up
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 8:52 GMT
At this particular juncture of Pak Cricket it would have been useful to look for the best coach instead of the best foriegn coach. However if our board decides to go with Dav Watmore it will look to be like the correct move. one thing i have learned abt our Criket if that you can never make any prediction. lets hope for the best and pray to God that our senseless Board and its riducilous Chairman give the new coach all the essential tools required to get us back into the top teams.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 8:38 GMT
We all love see next Pakistan coach Richard Done, the ICC high performance manager. I think he be the will best choice from three three Australians the PCB have interviewed for the post left vacant since the death of Woolmer.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 7:31 GMT
No Kamran! Geoff's the man!
Historically the success of Pakistan cricket has been due to its successful fast bowlers. Geoff Lawson a brilliant bowler of his time can nurture and bring the best out of the current crop of fast bowlers.
He is most likely to get the best out of Shoaib Akhtar and Pakistan's success over the next three to five years depends on a switched on and fit Shoaib Akhtar.
Come on PCB, Give Geoff a chance.
No featured comments at the moment.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 7:31 GMT
No Kamran! Geoff's the man!
Historically the success of Pakistan cricket has been due to its successful fast bowlers. Geoff Lawson a brilliant bowler of his time can nurture and bring the best out of the current crop of fast bowlers.
He is most likely to get the best out of Shoaib Akhtar and Pakistan's success over the next three to five years depends on a switched on and fit Shoaib Akhtar.
Come on PCB, Give Geoff a chance.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 8:38 GMT
We all love see next Pakistan coach Richard Done, the ICC high performance manager. I think he be the will best choice from three three Australians the PCB have interviewed for the post left vacant since the death of Woolmer.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 8:52 GMT
At this particular juncture of Pak Cricket it would have been useful to look for the best coach instead of the best foriegn coach. However if our board decides to go with Dav Watmore it will look to be like the correct move. one thing i have learned abt our Criket if that you can never make any prediction. lets hope for the best and pray to God that our senseless Board and its riducilous Chairman give the new coach all the essential tools required to get us back into the top teams.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:14 GMT
whacky world of Pakistan cricket !! Excuse me !! But for once the board handled the situation better. Miandad with his comments about new scientific ways is no candidate in any part of the world!! Geoff Lawson has great credentials and i think is a better option for Pakistan team & cricket we need some of his philosophy of "get on or get out". Things are looking BRIGHTER lets back them up
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:23 GMT
PCB will never learn from their past mistakes. Foreign coaches are tried numerous times before and they have failed miserably.
Its no use of arguing, Nasim Ashraf definitely has his own ways. There is a one man show in the country and in PCB. ******** Dictators ruling our Country...
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:26 GMT
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO This cant be happening. Rest in peace Pakistan cricket :'(, we'll miss you.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:30 GMT
Salam to all. I have totally no problem with dav whatmore terrific coach and personality and feel he is the man for the job. So please kamran stop the negativity and lets just get behind whoever the PCB EMPLOY.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:54 GMT
Thank you Mr Abbasi for this new thread.
You say that Whatmore "knows the Australian way but he also knows Asia". I hope that will be helpful in that Whatmore can nurture the raw talent of Asia into the professionalism of the Aussies. Many individuals have supported Miandad for the post of the new coach. When Miandad has had a few unsuccessful stints as coach, I don't know how his reappointment in the future would be of any material assistance. He is a bit before my time and I never saw him play, but his records are awe inspiring to say the least. The majority in Pakistan want him to be portrayed as a simpleton and an uneducated "street rat" but in truth he seems to be a shrewd cricketer whose only problem was that he was too good and lacked the support of the masses. What Pakistani batsmen have lacked is consistency (which is probably the main reason why Pakistan has not been a top team for a long time) but Miandad was probably the most consistent batsman Pakistan ever had.
Just to remind the readers, I mentioned earlier that the benefits of having a foreign coach are that he would be more adept at addressing the main weaknesses of Pakistan- opening and fielding. However, the Woolmer experiment demonstrated that that target is difficult to achieve. The benefits of having a local coach are that he would be more approachable and the communication gap would be eroded. So the answer is not easy to provide but at present it does seem that Whatmore will be granted the job. When we were discussing the "new age" of Pakistani cricket on this blog, many people said that this is the time to take risks and experiment. Yes we can experiment to a certain extent, but we must keep in mind that the training for the next World Cup begins now and we still have a long way to go when it comes to players' fitness, discipline, opening and fielding. Hence the PCB must ponder hard before it comes to any conclusion and this is where I must repeat that is the appointment of Whatmore (who only looks Asian but apart from that is completely "westernised") a prudent decision in the light of the fact that Woolmer was probably the most skilled and approachable (as in approachable to the players) foreign coach Pakistan could appoint at that time? And I totally agree with those bloggers who state that Woolmer's appointment did not really produce the results that were expected. The fielding has improved but that is only because of the young, more fit players like Hafeez, Nazir, Malik, Hameed etc. The opening problem is worst than ever. Under Woolmer all Pakistani openers failed and under Woolmer we had to come to an implicit conclusion that all our openers, right from Taufeeq Umar to Imran Nazir, are incompetent and hence we have started this rotational policy. Otherwise, what was the point of bringing Imran Nazir back in the World Cup when he had not played international cricket for a long time? What is the point of including Salman Butt when only in his previous stint as opener he showed us he does not possess the temperament to open? Now after a few months we will see Imran Farhat, the worst opener in the history of Pakistan cricket, making a return to the international arena. His father-in-law is going on a hunger-strike-till-death as a protest to his ban from entry into Gaddafi stadium. I have only one thing to say to that: L-O-L.
Butt has been appointed vice captain for the time being. This decision is only commendable if it has been made because the PCB want the youngster to take some responsibility and improve his batting skill. If there is any other reason, then it is unfair to make him VC when there are more deserving players like Rao Iftikar and Umar Gul. Heck, Mohammad Sami is inconsistent like Butt and has played for longer than Butt. He has such a supreme control over his fitness that he is available for selection for every series. Why not appoint him as VC? I know Butt had a successful recent series in Abu Dhabi but it is folly to appoint someone VC just because he scored two good knocks on a flat track.
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 9:57 GMT
Lawson is the man. Bowlers win matches and that should be Pakistan's new direction. Along with proper fielding methods, fit battery of bowlers and confidence given to our batsmen, I feel Pakistan would flourish under Lawson. Pick Lawson PCB!
testli5504537 on June 22, 2007, 10:00 GMT
I totally agree...you cannot see beyond Dav Whatmore at the moment. He has the qualifications and, more importantly, the pedigree (based on his stints with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) to be successful in Pakistan. If he isn's appointed, i will not be too surprised - after all this is pakistan cricket. Interestingly, i too have to ask the question regarding Aqib Javed and Miandad - maybe they were too pakistani for the post. Anyway, Dav seems to be able to operate within south asia and he seems to understand the psyche and so, lets get him in and try to win things.