"I have completed my tenure as bowling coach with dignity and pride" : Azhar Mahmood

[Abdullah719]

In his latest exclusive blog for PakPassion.net, Azhar Mahmood writes in detail about the challenges and achievements during his recently concluded tenure as Bowling Coach for Pakistan and explains why he feels that Pakistan bowling attack has an excellent core for the foreseeable future.

I have completed my tenure as bowling coach for Pakistan with dignity and pride

It’s interesting and disappointing at the same time to see media reports of my departure from the role of bowling coach for Pakistan being described as ‘sacking’ when the truth is simply that I was initially hired by the PCB for a two-year contract which was recently extended up to the World Cup and that contract has reached its natural conclusion. A further extension to the contract would have taken place based upon mutual understanding but as we know, the PCB for their own reasons have decided not to extend the contract which is their prerogative. To be clear, I have completed my tenure with dignity and pride. Whilst the decision to not renew the contract is PCB’s alone, there is understandably some disappointment on my side for their decision, especially as I felt that we were all working really well with the team towards preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2020. In addition, we had made some good progress with the Pakistan side in all formats so to see all that not taken into account by the PCB does leave me a little sad.


I was never given a chance to make a representation in front of PCB’s Cricket Committee

The actual decision to not renew the contracts was taken by the PCB Cricket Committee. From what I understand, the committee spoke with Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mickey Arthur and allowed them to make their representations, but I was never called up to offer my point of view regarding the detailed technical report which I sent of my own accord to PCB MD Wasim Khan and the Cricket Committee after the end of the World Cup. In this report, I had described the technical work done with our bowlers and offered recommendations. It would only have been fair that I should have been cross-questioned on the contents of that report and on my views, in the same way Mickey Arthur was when it comes to how the team has performed in recent times.


I could only work with players that were provided by the Selection Committee

I have heard a lot of unfair and uncalled for criticism levelled at myself which seems to imply that our bowling has been at its worst during my tenure as bowling coach. Whilst it is easy to point fingers at the bowling coach, let’s be clear about the fact that I could only work with players that the selection committee provided to me and I have no say in that choice of players. If we look back at the players handed to me at the start of my stint, we had Wahab Riaz who had a huge issue with no-balls where he had bowled no less than 90 no-balls in one year alone. But I am proud to say that this problem was sorted out during my tenure as was his issue of inability to bring the ball back into the batsman. Even during the time when Wahab was not part of the Pakistan side, he was continuously in touch with me to work on his problems and that did pay off with inclusion in the 2019 World Cup squad. Pakistan also had a problem with extras where almost 30-40 runs in extras were being conceded in most games, and once again, this issue was sorted by my persistence.


Our critics should open their eyes and check the statistics of bowlers during my tenure

Looking at the bowlers that I worked with, you will note that most of them were very young and inexperienced at the international as well as the domestic level and I helped them transform them into excellent prospects for Pakistan. Take the example of Hasan Ali who came in very young and then became the number one bowler in ODIs. Of course, nowadays, his form has taken a downward turn at the moment. Now, a bowler’s form can drop from time to time but if one is to look at his overall statistical record, he isn’t that far away from the current number one ranked bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. And whilst it is true that Yasir Shah is a leg-spin bowler, I worked a lot on his technical and mental aspects and helped him improve so much in Test matches. What is painful for me is to listen to criticism about my efforts on the field with our bowlers by people who have no interest to learn the truth and understand what work I have put in. I for one can see the results of my labour with these bowlers and I would also recommend that critics open their eyes and look at the statistics of these players before commenting on my performance with the side.


Many positive for Pakistan during my tenure as Pakistan Bowling Coach

Obviously one of the greatest highlights of my tenure was our victory in the Champions Trophy in 2017 but our memorable Test series victory in the Caribbean also stands out as a huge achievement during my time with Pakistan side. The fact that we reached the number one position in ICC’s T20I rankings is also an achievement no one can deny but what makes me really proud in terms of my responsibilities as bowling coach is the how well our bowling resources have progressed. If we look at the period preceding my appointment as bowling coach which was between 2012-2015, only once did a bowler take a 5fer in ODIs and that was Sohail Khan during the 2015 World Cup game against India. In contrast during my tenure, from 2016 to 2019, our bowlers achieved 5-wicket hauls on 7 occasions. Hasan Ali reached these milestones 3 times, Mohammad Amir once, and we all know about that special spell during the World Cup when Shaheen Shah Afridi took 6 wickets. On top of that, we have the likes of Usman Khan Shinwari and Afridi who took 4-wicket hauls four times during ODI games for Pakistan.


Our current domestic structure to blame for lack of pace in fast-bowlers

There is some strange perception that the fast-bowlers’ pace has fallen during my coaching tenure which is laughable to the say the least. The reason for this is not because of my coaching but due to the domestic structure we have. If you look at the case of Shaheen Shah Afridi who had come to us from the Under-19 system, you will see that his body simply cannot take the workload so inevitably his pace has suffered over time. Where he was used to bowling ten overs in One-Day format, he is now having to bowl twenty to twenty-five overs per innings in a Test and he is struggling. But all that had started to improve once he came under our care as his fitness and conditioning also took a turn for the better. This is a similar problem that was faced by the likes of Mohammad Imran Khan and Sohail Khan as well. Both of these bowlers and others too, were used to playing matches in domestic cricket where teams got bowled out in 60 overs and a second or third spell was a rarity. So, coming to international cricket where a Test innings could easily last 90 overs or more, was a huge issue for such bowlers and their pace was affected by this.


Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi both came to the fore during my tenure

If we look at the Hasan Ali’s ODI record, we will see that all of his 53 games so far have been played during my time as bowling coach. And if we look at Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ODI career, all of his 19 games have been played during his time with us. Usman Khan Shinwari who in my view was hard done by the selection committee has 28 wickets in 15 ODI games. So, for those looking to castigate me as the destroyer of Pakistan’s bowling attack, I will respectfully submit that I am the one who has developed excellent new bowlers for the side who will serve the country in the future.


Despite poor match results, our bowlers have always performed well

It is unfortunate that the majority of the bowlers being provided to the national side are coming in on the basis of Twenty20 cricket which also explains why we are the top team in T20Is. Regardless of that, we are still doing well in ODIs and our bowling in Tests, despite the match results has not been that bad. Once again, our bowlers have received some unfair criticism in ODIs but if you look at the completed games of our recent ODI series against World Cup winners England, they made 1424 runs against us but we also made 1356 runs which is a difference of just 68 runs. These are types of facts that some members of our media do not pay any attention to and are also ignored by every Tom, Dick and Harry who sits on a TV show to analyse Pakistan cricket.


Pakistan bowlers under my supervision have been more consistent

It was during my tenure that Imad Wasim became the number one ranked T20I bowler in ICC rankings. Similarly, Hasan Ali took the top position in bowlers in ODIs and Shadab Khan is now ranked number 3 in the Twenty20 format, whilst Faheem Ashraf is holding the number 10 position in the Twenty20 format as well. In the case of Mohammad Abbas, who came to us via the domestic cricket route, we immediately identified him as a good future prospect. We then saw what he did in UAE, where he took wickets on flat pitches. Could we have imagined a Pakistan fast-bowler bowling so well in UAE? There was time before I started that bowlers would be happy if they took 2 wickets, but we had a high number of 5fers in my tenure which cannot be ignored. The fact is that Pakistan bowlers under my supervision are more consistent and they have improved variation in their bowling. From the experienced Mohammad Amir to a newbie like Mohammad Hasnain, each of the bowlers have shown improvement under my supervision. I would venture to say that we rarely lost a match due to our bowling in the last few years. Our bowling has rarely disappointed us and if there are defeats then there many other issues such as our fielding which come into play. Take for instance, our recent World Cup campaign, where we were guilty of dropping the greatest number of catches but still, somehow the bowling got the blame. It stands to reason that if a catch of a player like Jason Roy is dropped then he will more than likely make you pay.


Coaching at the national team level should be about fine-tuning skills and not fixing basic problems

Mohammad Hasnain had a lot of promise and was selected based on his Under-19 and PSL exploits. He was supposedly looked after at the NCA but despite that, I spent a lot of time sorting some basic issues like his bowling run-up which is not what should be happening at the senior level. Apart from Hasnain, other bowlers had basic technical issues as well and I mentioned these problems in my report to PCB MD Wasim Khan and the Cricket Committee. The fact is that at the international level, I as a bowling coach should be working on planning and strategy and fine-tuning skills of bowler. This is how it works in the rest of the world. I am certainly not complaining about this as I took that as part of my job, but am simply making an observation that I should have not spent my time solving basic problems such as no-balls and run-ups, all of which should have been addressed at the NCA.


I will always be there to help Pakistan cricket

PCB have now embarked on quest to find a replacement for the bowling coach position and I do wish the next person to take on this role my best wishes. I will always be available for any of each of the bowlers I worked with in case they need advice. Even now, I am getting messages from some of my bowlers asking for technical advice and that was the same when I didn’t take part in the 2019 edition of the PSL. I will always be there to help Pakistan cricket and if the bowlers I have worked with ever need my help, I will be available for that too, of course with the new bowling coach’s consent.


Serving Pakistan was the only motive behind taking up the role of bowling coach

Being the bowling coach for our national side was indeed an honour for me and taking on this role was all about wanting to serve Pakistan. It was never about anything else. In fact, when I took on this coaching role, I was still playing cricket and was already considering an offer from Surrey. It pains me to hear some saying that I was more interested in the financial rewards and perks of this position when clearly that is not the case. Whilst I love contributing to Pakistan cricket, it's not the end of the world if the coaching role has come to an end. I am glad that due to the direction provided by our Prime Minister Imran Khan and as implemented by PCB MD Wasim Khan, Pakistan cricket is moving towards a more professional approach with a new structure being planned for the future. This will result in good quality cricketers emerging from the system and we will no longer have to do with whatever we can get as was the case in the past. This will result in improvement in performances in One-Day and Test cricket formats as well.


Core of current side is capable of serving Pakistan for the next 10 years

I am glad to say that the core of the Pakistan side at the moment is quite capable of serving our team for as good as next ten years. The technical work done with these players will be beneficial for Pakistan in the coming years as they will keep on improving steadily. What we should not expect is overnight improvement as that would be unrealistic and put too much pressure on these young shoulders. The likes of Hasan Ali, Usman Khan Shinwari and Shaheen Shah Afridi were raw material whom I groomed into decent bowlers and I do hope that whoever takes on the role of bowling coach for Pakistan is able to continue to guide these youngsters to even greater heights. In this regard, the report I submitted to the PCB MD Wasim Khan and the Cricket Committee after the World Cup on our bowlers would be a good starting point to ensure that the hard work done by our coaching team does not go to waste.


Test players need financial security

We need to understand that Mohammad Amir has been through a lot, both physically and mentally, and his body is unable to cope with the pressures associated with all three formats of the game. And this is something he had been considering for the past one year or so around the time we played the one-off Test against Ireland in 2018. So, Amir is trying to extend his career by only playing the shorter forms of the game which is a smart thing to do as in my experience, I have seen people retire completely at the age of 27 due to fitness issues. I have been a witness to his struggles and to his fitness issues which many of his critics cannot understand or refuse to acknowledge. A further complication in Amir’s case is that he didn’t play cricket for 5 years and that did affect his overall fitness. If Pakistan are sensible about it, they can still make good use of his talent as he has now limited himself to white-ball cricket. This is not as strange as it sounds, as Pakistan has other bowlers who would be interested in bowling in Tests. Many other sides do that and have specialist bowlers for each format.

Whilst Amir’s case is slightly different, there are rumours that Wahab Riaz may also decide to the same so there does seem to be a trend of retiring from Tests matches. However, if we wish to ensure that this trend is reversed than some concrete actions will need to be taken. From what I am hearing about the new structure from the PCB, there may be an increase in Test match fees which makes much more sense. In the past, all players regardless of the types of formats they were playing had the same sort of contract. What should happen is that Test players must get a separate category of central contracts simply because there needs to be a differentiation in financial rewards between players who play for up to 5 days in a Test as opposed to those who just bowl 4 overs in a T20I game. Test match players need to be rewarded adequately so that those choosing to play this format alone will also be financially secure. We have good examples of James Anderson and Stuart Broad who only play Tests but are looked after so well by the ECB that they are financially secure despite playing only one format of the game.

[MenInG]

If what Azhar says is correct about the report etc, then he should have been heard by the committee - wonder why not?

[Savak]

Mohd Amir has only himself to blame, it was no open secret that the PCB was trying to lobby against his ban and fast track him into the team. He should have continued to work on his fitness and bowling during that time period. No excuses

[Hawkeye]

Dignity and pride, sure.

Performances were absolutely NIL though, and bowlers only regressed.

[MenInG]

Dignity and pride, sure.

Performances were absolutely NIL though, and bowlers only regressed.

So you didnt read the text of what he wrote?

[SensiblePakFan]

Did a decent job, good point on husnain, heard waqar mention it on comms as well

[Savak]

No body in the history of Pakistan Cricket has ever admitted I did not perform, deliver as per expectation. I deserved to be let go

[daud iqbal]

i think nothing wrong with his service, he has done a great job

[Hasan123]

All he does talk about how great his coaching is and nothing is his fault. Clearly desperate to ensure his chances of getting another job are not hurt.

[MenInG]

All he does talk about how great his coaching is and nothing is his fault. Clearly desperate to ensure his chances of getting another job are not hurt.

What faults have you found - maybe you can share that here.

[Savak]

What faults have you found - maybe you can share that here.

The performances of our bowlers in general during his tenure. Our pathetic new ball bowling skills. Our pathetic bowling performances in Australia, New Zealand and across all formats especially outside the UAE.

AM tenure has been poor at best.

[MenInG]

The performances of our bowlers in general during his tenure. Our pathetic new ball bowling skills. Our pathetic bowling performances in Australia, New Zealand and across all formats especially outside the UAE.

AM tenure has been poor at best.

You need to read what he is saying about the fact that he had a new set of bowlers to work with etc

[Savak]

You need to read what he is saying about the fact that he had a new set of bowlers to work with etc

He has to do his job regardless of the bowlers. Besides Amir, Wahab, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Shinwari, Faheem Ashraf played a lot of cricket under his watch. These are lame excuses

[MenInG]

He has to do his job regardless of the bowlers. Besides Amir, Wahab, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Shinwari, Faheem Ashraf played a lot of cricket under his watch. These are lame excuses

His job is not to bowl for the bowlers.

[Titan24]

For the sake of Azhar I hope the way he sees his performances are considered the same and good enough by the cricketing world as well so that he can get an offer to be the bowling coach for some other international team or county team for that matter.

For Pak unfortunately it never fully clicked with performances being too hot and cold manifesting not much consistency. Have witnessed same with some other bowling coaches as well but this is arguably the best set and variety of pacers we have in the last 9 years.

[Titan24]

Azhar talking about he having new set of bowlers was no different task than Mohammad Akram or Waqar Younus when he was head coach and bowling coach as well.

I guess it has been the same case for all the bowling coaches post 2010 saga. Mohammad Akram had to work with the likes of Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Gul was only experienced bowler but was in downard trajectory (due to his injuries), Aizaz Cheema, Bilawal Bhatti, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Talha etc just to name a few. All of then except Gul were inexperienced.

For main part of the years in those 9 Waqar himself was the bowling coach as well along with being the head coach and he had to work with the likes of some of the above mentioned along with some others in Imran Khan jnr, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz etc.

So it wasnt like other bowling coaches were getting a prepared lot. Azhar on the other hand had atleast 3 experienced pacers in Amir, Junaid and Wahab. Irrespective of the quality I dont think he can get the best out of Amir and Junaid especially if we consider how experienced bowlers if other teams have been their man weapons while other than CT17 Amir and Junaid never clicked together and were not even given many opportunities together.

[Hasan123]

What faults have you found - maybe you can share that here.

How bowlers hardly improved under him. How there was no plan at times on how to get batters out. Our lack of new ball ability other than Amir and Abbas in tests has been poor.

[MMHS]

He is 100% spot on for one topic though - the stamina and speed of PAK pacers. If I point out the reasons, thisÂ’ll be my order -

1. 65 overs/day FC games where pacers bowl 10-12, maximum 15 overs in a day with may be 2, max 4 spells. Then the match duration is 275-300 overs asking pacers a total work load of around 23-25 overs in 4 days, may be in 6-7 spells. These same bowlers are asked to bowl almost that amount (23-25 overs) in a single day of Test cricket!!!!!!

2. Not factoring the age of PAK players at the time of birth. Imran used to factor that, hence his pacers debuted as teen agers - 19-18.. even 16 years old; played 10-12 years at highest level and retired (or dropped) by the age of 32-32, even 29. These days, sometimes PAK pacers are debuting at 29!!!!!

3. Those absolute shocker wickets (and balls used) where FC games are played. It doesnÂ’t demand pace in air, bounce from wicket, movement or bowling intelligence- what it needs is 125km length-line staff on stop for wickets (& batsmenÂ’s technique) to do the job for them.

4. Poor timing of FC season - FC cricket played in winter when day temperature is 6-12C, humidity also low. With that sort of average work load in such playing conditions, pacers hardly get tempered enough to survive in 35-38C temperature and 85% humidity.

5. Weak leadership - since YK, PAKÂ’s Test Captains were/are too defensive to operate with express bowlers. They are often timid, safety first operators who would plan to control run rate through tight bowling, rather than taking wickets.

6. Lack of bowling skills from PAK batsmen. In a 4 bowlers strategy, roughly one needs around 10-12 overs in a 90 overs day from part timers, when you are playing with 3+1 bowling combination. Australia & India was highly successful Test teams with 6-1-4 combination, because their captains could extract 10-12 quality overs from Steve/Mark Waugh, Martin, Lehman, Clarke, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag. After Amir Shoail, Hafeez was last proper batsman (at least selected as specialist batsman) in PCT that could serve the purpose of 5th bowler, that too in Asia. In that regard, not debuting Haris around 2010 was even more controversial.

[Wristy_Shuffler]

I like his comments on giving players greater financial incentives for playing Test matches. Pakistan's recent troubles means that it has to prioritise LOI cricket over Tests due to the financial gains it brings so they play very little Tests compared with other teams but hopefully as cricket returns to Pakistan and as the board becomes more finacially stable, this may change and they need to maintain a level of Test competitiveness until that happens.

Also hard to argue with him regarding the improvements he made with the bowlers. It was 100% the bowling that won Pakistan the CT. Abbas, Shah, Shadab, Amir, Wahab - they all came across as thinking bowlers during this phase so clearly some planning and method was in place.

Would've liked to hear him elaborate more on why Hassan's bowling form dipped so dramatically.

[MenInG]

What a bowling coach he is.learnt a lot from him https://t.co/BQYH7IJdyw

— Hassan Ali ���� (@RealHa55an) August 11, 2019

[PakPremi]

A true professional and passionate pakistani individual. Served with dignity and pride both as a player and bowling coach. Did his best with average set of bowlers available to him.
Pak bowling has won us many matches and those that were lost were due to our batting mainly.

[BunnyRabbit]

He served with dignity and gave his all. His interviews were pretty motivational and he never bad mouthed a player publicly. Our bowlers often did a good job or bounced back when he came out for pressers.
He is a grade 3 or grade 4 level certified coach nonetheless.
The big problem for Pakistan was failure to enhance the new ball skills of our bowlers and lack of yorkers at death in LOI's. Otherwise bowlers did pretty well.
One of the biggest problems with our bowlers is lack of their stamina to last a full test series or even a full test match. Our bowlers' pace goes down drastically on 4th or 5th days. Glad that PCB has now finally introduced a post for strength and conditioning coach something I believe was previously not given any importance or the responsibility was given to the bowling coach.

More than that, I think Grant Ludan, Grant Bradburn and Grant Flowers were the big failures rather than Azhar and Mickey.

[Hawkeye]

So you didnt read the text of what he wrote?

I'm afraid none of that justifies why the bowlers and bowling regressed so much.

At some point, there has to be accountability, which is at the end of the contract, you judge based on how the bowlers did, no?

[PakPremi]

I'm afraid none of that justifies why the bowlers and bowling regressed so much.

At some point, there has to be accountability, which is at the end of the contract, you judge based on how the bowlers did, no?

Do you think coaches bowl or bat in the match. The bowlers, or batters for that matter. were never that good in first place. The only world class fast bowler we had in Azhar time was Mohd Amir, who was never the same bowler after his 5 year absence. Can you explain how Afridi has improved under the same bowling coach, or how Hasan Ali was very good year and half ago. I'm not saying Azhar is very good bowling coach but coaches can only tweak here and there. The quality has to be your own.

[Saj]

He was never going to be accepted by some even if he performed miracles, simply due to the fact that he lives outside Pakistan.

[Savak]

He was never going to be accepted by some even if he performed miracles, simply due to the fact that he lives outside Pakistan.

I don't agree with that. Ultimately it's about results and direction and Mickey had nothing more to give. Even Wasim Khan was party to the decision to let him go

[Pakhs]

He did a steady job but nothing great. The biggest problem was the team selection which made him look worst. Hasan Ali should have been dropped a lot earlier in the WC as he was just bowling crap including in the series against England prior to WC.

Haasan Ali kept on bowling short and wide which made Azhar look poor as if he gave no bowling plans to the bowlers.

[Major]

Azhar wants to take credit for bowling performance, but not blame for bad performance by the same bowlers.

He even wants to take credit for improving amirs bowling, when we all know he only bowled during the world cup what about before?

And no he has nothing to do with Abbas. The only reason why Abbas was selected was because he troubled the SNGPL team in domestic cricket, and the Misbah had to select him for that performance. Same way how he had earlier sent in Usman Shinwaris name and Rahat Alis name in the past.


As a bowling coach, the least he could had done was forced for the selection of right bowlers.
Its a good thing the comitittee didnt invite him to see his reports.

If he cared for his reports that much than he should had showed those reports to PCB before the world cup and forced the selection of Usman Shinwari and Junaid.

Before the world cup started we were trialing bowlers. This showed how bad we were in the bowling department that we had to give trials in international game for world cup selection and this was just 2 months before the world cup.

The world cup squad selection was there and we didnt even have a single bowler that had been made ready.

Waqar might have his problems but as a bowling coach Waqar had made a bowling line up in just 6 damn months.

Even after amir and asif got banned.

He had wahab and gul ready. Akhtar was kept injury free and they had made sure razzaq would be able to play a crucial role.

[Saj]

I don't agree with that. Ultimately it's about results and direction and Mickey had nothing more to give. Even Wasim Khan was party to the decision to let him go

A lot of people in Pakistan particularly the media didn't see him as Pakistani and were never really going to give him any credit.

[Savak]

A lot of people in Pakistan particularly the media didn't see him as Pakistani and were never really going to give him any credit.

Why should they give any credit. The performances of our pace attack especially our new ball bowling and second spell onwards bowling is in front of everyone.

[Mueez]

Azhar wants to take credit for bowling performance, but not blame for bad performance by the same bowlers.

He even wants to take credit for improving amirs bowling, when we all know he only bowled during the world cup what about before?

And no he has nothing to do with Abbas. The only reason why Abbas was selected was because he troubled the SNGPL team in domestic cricket, and the Misbah had to select him for that performance. Same way how he had earlier sent in Usman Shinwaris name and Rahat Alis name in the past.


As a bowling coach, the least he could had done was forced for the selection of right bowlers.
Its a good thing the comitittee didnt invite him to see his reports.

If he cared for his reports that much than he should had showed those reports to PCB before the world cup and forced the selection of Usman Shinwari and Junaid.

Before the world cup started we were trialing bowlers. This showed how bad we were in the bowling department that we had to give trials in international game for world cup selection and this was just 2 months before the world cup.

The world cup squad selection was there and we didnt even have a single bowler that had been made ready.

Waqar might have his problems but as a bowling coach Waqar had made a bowling line up in just 6 damn months.

Even after amir and asif got banned.

He had wahab and gul ready. Akhtar was kept injury free and they had made sure razzaq would be able to play a crucial role.

This sums it up.

Hit the nail on the head.

[Boi]

Not a single bowler improved their new ball skills. Azhar could’ve done a lot better.

[QalandarFan]

He was never going to be accepted by some even if he performed miracles, simply due to the fact that he lives outside Pakistan.

I didn’t even know he lived outside of Pakistan till right now. Fact remains the last 2 years have been our worst as a bowling unit and I did not see a single bowler improve. Nobody is judging him on where he lives the only thing he is judged and should be judged on is the performance of his bowlers during his tenure which was atrocious.

[QalandarFan]

Azhar wants to take credit for bowling performance, but not blame for bad performance by the same bowlers.

He even wants to take credit for improving amirs bowling, when we all know he only bowled during the world cup what about before?

And no he has nothing to do with Abbas. The only reason why Abbas was selected was because he troubled the SNGPL team in domestic cricket, and the Misbah had to select him for that performance. Same way how he had earlier sent in Usman Shinwaris name and Rahat Alis name in the past.


As a bowling coach, the least he could had done was forced for the selection of right bowlers.
Its a good thing the comitittee didnt invite him to see his reports.

If he cared for his reports that much than he should had showed those reports to PCB before the world cup and forced the selection of Usman Shinwari and Junaid.

Before the world cup started we were trialing bowlers. This showed how bad we were in the bowling department that we had to give trials in international game for world cup selection and this was just 2 months before the world cup.

The world cup squad selection was there and we didnt even have a single bowler that had been made ready.

Waqar might have his problems but as a bowling coach Waqar had made a bowling line up in just 6 damn months.

Even after amir and asif got banned.

He had wahab and gul ready. Akhtar was kept injury free and they had made sure razzaq would be able to play a crucial role.

I fully agree especially the Waqar part. Azhar wants to sit here and complain about the bowlers he had to take to England. Well if we look at the line-up it goes: Amir, Hasan, Shaheen, Wahab, Hasnain, and Shadab. Compare that to what Waqar had on flatter pitches in Australia in 2015: Wahab, Irfan, Rahat, Sohail, Yasir, Afridi. Man on paper Azhar’s bowling line-up kills our 2015 bowling line-up. Yet in 2015 we probably still had the top 3 bowing line-up on flat pitches. Waqar could always get the best out of the fast bowers and that’s just the fact. Azhar for all the talent he’s had has been able to do nothing. Some people still want to sit here and defend him smh.

[Hasan123]

He was never going to be accepted by some even if he performed miracles, simply due to the fact that he lives outside Pakistan.

It was nothing to do with that. Bowlers were hardly improving under him. Inzi lives in Pakistan and look how much stick he got.

[Abdullah719]

In-demand Mahmood excited by future after Pakistan exit

Azhar Mahmood is disappointed he was not invited to meet the committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before his tenure as bowling coach was ended, but says he is in demand as he eyes a new challenge.

The PCB last week announced a revamp of the coaching staff, with head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden leaving at the end of their contracts.

Arthur and captain Sarfraz Ahmed met the committee before the decision was made over whether the coaching staff would be offered new deals, yet former Pakistan all-rounder Mahmood was not given the opportunity to state his case to stay on.

The former Pakistan all-rounder felt he should have been allowed to represent himself, but left the role with his head held high two years after playing a big part in the ICC Champions Trophy triumph in England.

Mahmood told Omnisport: "We had some wonderful times. There were a lot of ups and downs in that two-and-a-half-year period, but I worked really hard with this young group of bowlers.

"I would have liked to have been able to represent myself in front of the committee before the decision over contracts was made, but I can move on with dignity and pride over what I achieved.

"I believe I've done a really good job with these guys and they have the potential to become world-class bowlers, so I wish them all the luck.

"Initially I got a two-year contract, which they asked me to extend until after the World Cup. Now it's time to move on and grow further as a coach.

"My aim was to be there and give my best to the country and to the players, I certainly feel I did that.

"Let's see where I end up next. Now people know I'm available, I have a lot of interest coming my way so I need to work out which is the best for my future.

"Even when I was doing the job with Pakistan I got a job offer from Surrey and now people know I am available, there has been more interest."

https://www.sportsmax.tv/index.php/c...-pakistan-exit

[Saj]

It was nothing to do with that. Bowlers were hardly improving under him. Inzi lives in Pakistan and look how much stick he got.

Whether the bowlers improved or not, for some he was never going to be accepted.

[Hasan123]

Whether the bowlers improved or not, for some he was never going to be accepted.

He would have been accepted if bowlers were improving lol.

Look how much praise Mickey and Azhar got when we won the CT.

Winning games can change the perception of most fans.

[Saj]

He would have been accepted if bowlers were improving lol.

Look how much praise Mickey and Azhar got when we won the CT.

Winning games can change the perception of most fans.

No, the same people gave credit to the players and none to Azhar.

[Ahsanax]

I remember a series where our bowlers didn’t bowl any no-ball and that is all because of Mehmood. The problem is that our people want big names when it comes to coaching but its not a necessity, there are examples where someone didnt even play international cricket but they turned out to be fine Coach.
I like the honesty of great Wasim Akram who always say that he can be a bowling coach but not a head coach!
I believe that Azhar did a fine job in his tenure

[Abdullah719]

Azhar Mahmood says PCB should have listened to his clarification

Pakistan former bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has said that Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) should have given him a chance to clarify and answer about their respective departments.

“The reason that I was given was that the board wants to introduce new faces in the cricketing structure,” said Mahmood in an interview to a private channel. The statement comes weeks after PCB’s announcement that it would not extend the contracts of former head coach Mickey Arthur and other coaching staff after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and finished only at the fifth spot.

Mahmood said that despite being the bowling coach he didn’t have much say in the selection matters, an issue that he raised with the board as well. Mahmood further revealed that former head coach Mickey Arthur was dominating force when it comes to team selection.

“After Pakistan won the Champions Trophy, Arthur became more powerful and he took all the major decisions along chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and captain Sarfaraz but Mickey was dominating,” he added.

Speaking about skipper Sarfaraz, Mahmood said he is a good captain in limited overs cricket and would learn with the passage of time. “Sarfraz is wonderful when it comes to captaining T20. He did well in ODIs too, where he won us the Champions Trophy. He is still young and can improve in all three formats,” he said.

https://www.brecorder.com/2019/08/20...clarification/

[MenInG]

Thank you @surreycricket for having me over today! Congrats on the win Absolutely delighted to be here tonight and reunite with all the Surrey boys ! What a knock by @AaronFinch5 well done buddy. @ImranTahirSA super with the ball again. @babarazam258 & @YasArafat12 gr8 2see u 2! pic.twitter.com/WWlkmo1A1n

— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) August 27, 2019

[Saj]

Let's see how Waqar does.

Not the easiest of jobs in my opinion.

[MenInG]

#OnThisDay 1997. Ali Naqvi & Azhar Mahmood versus S Africa in Pindi became the first pair of debutants to score 100s in the same innings. Azhar also added 151 for the last wicket with Mushtaq Ahmed equalling the Test record set by Brian Hastings & Richard Collinge for NZ #Cricket

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) October 8, 2019