Should Intikhab Alam and his team search the globe for an illustrious
foreign coach or juggle the bag of locals? Ashar Zaidi bats on this
soggy wicket to target the right formula.To the naked eye
Mohsin Hasan would appear to be the ideal coach for the Pakistan cricket
team. Smartly groomed, proudly donning the green shirt, and
scrutinizing each ball while sipping freshly brewed Arabic coffee,
Mohsin Khan has a Test, ODI & lone Twenty20 victory in his pocket.
Have a closer look, however, and you will see a different picture.The
team had refused to go for the kill in the Sharjah test. Batsmen on
average posted just two solid scores in the six test innings. In the
field, especially in the area of catching, no one managed to make us
proud. Apart from the third ODI we don’t have a mentionable opening
stand or a single century in five outings. Sadly, Umar Akmal still
hasn’t learned the art of finishing. Had it not been for the magic of
boom boom’s wrist and the deadly doosras of Ajmal, the block buster hit
could have easily turned into a disaster. Most of you reading
this piece would brush away my analysis as absolute rubbish, arguing
that despite the level of the team’s performance, both series have been
pocketed. Let me remind you though, that this is not Ranatunga’s world
conquering squad, instead these are Dilshan’s innocent angels that have
allowed six of their last eight series to slip away. In the coming year
we are to face the terrorizing Englishmen and this series is bound to be
a back-breaking test for our boys.So while there is still
time, Pakistan cricket needs to find someone experienced enough to do
the fine tuning that is required for our team. After Waqar’s departure,
we are hunting for the right head to fit the cap. The question is where
to go shopping, home or abroad?This is a furious debate with no
dearth of arguments on both sides. The homegrown would contend that a
local understands the system, culture and conditions better as he
himself has walked the same wire. Others would stand behind a foreigner,
favoring the technological advancement, zero tolerance to indiscipline,
unbiased selection and exciting coaching methods that would come along
with the package.Keeping these arguments in mind, what would be the right way to go about it?For
me India, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh fall in the same league as
we all are similar in more ways than one. We love our cricket and hate
defeats, we all have dead wickets and love spicy food. We cry over
national corruption and selection and won’t mind walking on fire to grab
a free pass. Living with matching attitudes, we should observe the
choices of our neighbours on the matter of selecting the right coach.Sri-Lanka
brought in Watmore in the mid 90’s and he managed to turn them into a
fearsome bunch. John Wright and Gary Kirsten gave India the habit of
winning. Bangladesh also depended on foreign aid and this surely helped
them leave a mark. We too had our own fair share with Richard Pybuss,
Bob Woolmer and Jeff Lawson, but there were no major achievements to
their names. Woolmer met a tragic end, and the others were never really
given a fair run. You can’t expect any coach to turn your fortunes
over-night. It’s a slow and painstaking process which demands bundles of
patience, something we always fall short off.Waqar claims he
had a successful stint only because he came up through the system and
hence understood it quite well. To this I would ask the Burrewala
express: In the end wasn’t he himself bitten by this very system? Till
today we are unsure as to why he quit. Explanations referred to
conflicting reports on his health, demands in selection and differences
with Afridi. Will another homegrown coach face similar obstacles or will
he be able to sail with them?Our formers have a
funny way of defining patriotism which comes alive only in talk shows or
when offered the lucrative national post. I still dream of the day when
one would see Jawaid Bhai adjusting youngsters' foot-work at Annu Bhai
ground, M. Yousuf showing kids how to middle the ball in model town or
Inzi fixing grips in Multan; all free of cost and for the love of the
game and country.The Pakistan cricket team of today is any
coaches’ dream. With one match winner after another, our current boys
know their game well. We don’t need someone to teach Afridi how to grip a
bat or show Gul the right seam positioning. What Pakistan needs is a
sensible mind that could keep them gelled together, give and gain
respect, adjust minute follies and enrich them with game plans.
Observation reveals that locals haven’t been good at doing that.Ask
me and I will continue to bat for a foreign coach. With our complex
cricketing culture, only a powerful, yet neutral person can bring
justice to all areas. Of course he would replace experience with
something fresh, but that’s too small a price for shinning accolades.
