"When I'm with the Pakistan team I don't have time to work on technical aspects" : Younis Khan

[MenInG]

Younis Khan speaking to the press:

"It's a fact that players only become good when they play at home where they can perform in familiar surroundings, and then can go on to well when they play overseas"

"We have a great chance to play well against SA in the T20I series, and wouldn't it be nice that just like the Test series we also win the T20I series as well"

"This is a great opportunity for our young players to express themselves in this series"

"We are all fans of T20 cricket, and we all want that our players perform well in this format and that we go up in rankings"

"Its a worrying sign for all of us that just like in England and New Zealand that our openers struggled a lot an our issues with the opening slots remained the same even when we changed the openers"

"Its good to see that Mohammad Yousuf is working for us in the NHPC as for us its difficult to work on techniques when we are travelling with the side"

"Its good that we now have time now for Mohammad Yousuf to work with the Test batsmen in Lahore; I have requested to the PCB that I be provided a proper setup in Karachi Academy, so that I can coach batsmen there and mentor our international batsmen"

"I can always work on tactical issues with the players when I am with the Pakistan team but I don't have time then to work on technical aspects; So this is a good time for that before we go to South Africa and Zimbabwe for a series"

"We can work with Abid Ali and Imran Butt who as we saw took some excellent catches, which in the context of this series were very important for us, which was something which was missing in our tour of New Zealand"

"The good thing we saw in the lower middle order was the presence of players like Fawad Alam who performed well; Apart from that, we saw some good performances by Faheem Ashraf in a role of player that was missing in our side which was that of a fast-bowling all-rounder"

"I would like Faheem Ashraf to become like Jacques Kallis or Abdul Razzaq and serve his side in that role"

"Mohammad Rizwan is really improving as we have seen in the past few series but the most interesting thing is that when I joined the side, I was told by my bosses that they would be very happy if the lower order batsmen could put in a fight as well; This was important for the side and a very demanding task given to me to help the lower order improve and perform well. So we have now seen in the past few series that the lower order has started to perform well"

"We motivate our players all the time but for a player like Imran Butt who has come through our system or Abid Ali, its important that our media should see how they can support players like these and also ones such as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq who may not be performing at the moment"

"During our playing days, there was no social media which meant we played with less pressure; Of course when you represent your country you have pressure on you but nothing like what the players face today"

"When these players don't perform then the media should back them up because if we don't do that, we will never be able to develop proper backups"

"I will say that a player like Imran Butt should at least get 2-3 series to prove himself to see what he is capable of; If you look at a player like Saeed Anwar, who made a pair in his first Test but became a great batsman after that; There are many other examples and someone like me, who couldn't perform for almost 3 years but people put their trust in me and I did well"

"If players like Haider Ali and Danish Aziz perform well, then that will be great for us"

"Mohammad Hafeez has performed really well in the recent past, so we have a mature player in him. Even though he is not playing the South African series, which is unlucky for us.We have a dashing player in the shape of Haider Ali. Mohammad Rizwan is emerging into a leader, while Babar Azam is very young. So we have these players who can play an integral part for us,”

“Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Danish Aziz and Mohammad Nawaz are also players who can serve Pakistan for a long time if given confidence. These are the core group of players who can serve us in next T20 World Cup"

[Saj]

"We can work with Abid Ali and Imran Butt who as we saw took some excellent catches, which in the context of this series were very important for us, which was something which was missing in our tour of New Zealand"

Imran Butt is a batsman. He is not there just to take catches.

He needs work doing to his batting, which as batting coach Younis needs to do.

"I would like Faheem Ashraf to become like Jacques Kallis or Abdul Razzaq and serve his side in that role"

I never thought I would hear Kallis and Faheem mentioned in the same sentence, but there you go.

"We motivate our players all the time but for a player like Imran Butt who has come through our system or Abid Ali, its important that our media should see how they can support players like these and also ones such as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq who may not be performing at the moment"

Support as in how? If a player is underperforming then that needs to pointing out. If a player has issues, they need to be pointed out.

There are many other examples and someone like me, who couldn't perform for almost 3 years but people put their trust in me and I did well"

No, you made a century on Test debut.

[ElRaja]

no coach can teach an opener how to open, unless your 11 and 12 and u spend thousands of balls learning where ur offstump is, and a coach is watching your trigger movement, alignment, etc. you could give pakistan the best coaches and u wont turn technically deficient players into openers, it just doesnt happen.

which is why id rather have more aggressive hit and miss players, rather than technically deficient block and miss players. pak should treat getting runs from openers like lottery.

[Rellu_Katta]

Younas is a drama queen... if he was tht much concerned, he shld have taken to role of U-19

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has some amazing coaches these days.

Bowling coach:

Our bowlers cannot perform overseas but they do well at home because they know the conditions.

Batting coach:

Their is no time to work with the batsmen during a series. The academy coach should work with them during off-season.

[Thunderbolt14]

Imran Butt is a batsman. He is not there just to take catches.

He needs work doing to his batting, which as batting coach Younis needs to do.



I never thought I would hear Kallis and Faheem mentioned in the same sentence, but there you go.



Support as in how? If a player is underperforming then that needs to pointing out. If a player has issues, they need to be pointed out.



No, you made a century on Test debut.

He is talking about the blatant negativity and backing culture that is present in our media. He’s right. No matter what you and I might think about Imran Butt, now that he’s selected he deserves a 2-3 series run.

Especially if we don’t have Sehwags and Haydens knocking the door down.

[Saj]

He is talking about the blatant negativity and backing culture that is present in our media. He’s right. No matter what you and I might think about Imran Butt, now that he’s selected he deserves a 2-3 series run.

Especially if we don’t have Sehwags and Haydens knocking the door down.

He said "our media should see how they can support players like these and also ones such as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq who may not be performing at the moment"

I don't get how people are expected to support players who are struggling.

By making up stats?
By saying the players are better than what they actually are?
By saying these guys are going to be great?

[Hasan]

Just ask yourself one question, those who are doubting YK what experience do they have of the international game. These kids are pitching their insights against the experience of a man with 10k test runs.

This should put into perspective the negativity expressed by some.

[shah_1]

Pakistan has some amazing coaches these days.

Bowling coach:

Our bowlers cannot perform overseas but they do well at home because they know the conditions.

Batting coach:

Their is no time to work with the batsmen during a series. The academy coach should work with them during off-season.

He clearly said that he is going to with players for a month(players that are not playing PSL) . Do you expect YK to fix players technique during tour? . It is well known that off seasons is the best time to enhance skills or work on the weakness

[Markhor]

It is a problem as a few of the guys are soon off to PSL and that's see-ball hit-ball cricket. What technical coaching can be done there ?

In any event, intense technical coaching really must happen at domestic and U19 level.

That's why it's disappointing these ex-pros aren't utilised in those roles. At international level you should only be looking to make minor tweaks.

[mazkhan]

Didn't have to wait long for younis to come out in the public with his bongiyaan.

[Ami]

....nice pay cheque then for a flashing smile!

[Mamoon]

He clearly said that he is going to with players for a month(players that are not playing PSL) . Do you expect YK to fix players technique during tour? . It is well known that off seasons is the best time to enhance skills or work on the weakness

Everyone knows Younis is a drama Queen. The whole purpose behind his statement is to excuse himself from the below average batting performances.

The openers have flopped badly and Babar failed. Azhar also didn’t get any big runs. People are naturally going to question Younis’ performance as batting coach and he is washing his hands by stating that there is no time to work with them during the series.

He is in this job for himself. All that scribblings in the notebook is for the cameras only.

If he was really worried or interested in Pakistan’s batting he would have accepted the U19 job.

Right now, he is having his dream job. Free tours, big money, and no accountability because the excuse is that he cannot work with the players during a series.

[Bewal Express]

He is talking about the blatant negativity and backing culture that is present in our media. He’s right. No matter what you and I might think about Imran Butt, now that he’s selected he deserves a 2-3 series run.

Especially if we don’t have Sehwags and Haydens knocking the door down.

Why 2 or 3 series. We play roughly around 2 a year and you will wait 2 years to find if the guy cuts it. I called out Zafar Gohar after few minutes for being rubbish, surely YK has seen enough to make a judgement. After all,that is his job.

[Mamoon]

This whole backing of players is a load of nonsense. When you are not good enough you are not good enough. If you have the ability you will show it even through failures.

Pakistan backed the rubbish Masood since 2013 and what happened? Nothing.

A rubbish player will not become a world beater with backing.

[ElRaja]

hes right tho, there's very little margin for error if you change someones technique during a tour.

his job is to create the batting strategy and help out players if they really feel something is wrong and need immediate correction.

years of bad habits cant be modified in weeks.

[Giannis]

I don't think Younis has the temperament to be a coach, need someone who can operate with a cool head

[Hasan]

Steve Waugh averaged 20 with a highest score of 75 after his first 15 test innings. He was deemed incapable of playing the short pitched bowling. But with the support and backing of his captain and team management he eventually became accustomed to the international game, found a method of dealing with the short ball and went on to become one of the greats.

Not everyone starts their test career with a bang. I wonder how many potential greats we have lost owing to lack of long sighted approach to player management.

[UzmanBeast]

Pakistan has some amazing coaches these days.

Bowling coach:

Our bowlers cannot perform overseas but they do well at home because they know the conditions.

Batting coach:

Their is no time to work with the batsmen during a series. The academy coach should work with them during off-season.

We're a circus of a team when it comes to providing facilities and creating rigorous programs to bring batsmen and bowlers back into form.

I've mentioned on a few occasions that our data analysis team is probably either watching old Fifa videos or they're just sleeping, because the fact that they can't pick out simple faults in opposition batting lineups baffles me. I will cite the Chris Woakes example for one, a guy who plays the short ball with his eyes closed is being bowled full deliveries and length balls.

Similarly, we don't really have access to proper training tools. Probably the only time I agree with Ramiz Raja is that we should have some way of getting pitches from SENA, or pitches of those quality being made in Pakistan before a series to get additional practice. Playing in Australia is about 40% negotiating the bounce, 10% negotiating the sledging, and 50% a test of your temperament. We need to create players who can adapt and overcome challenges in all conditions, and I emphasize the importance of Pakistan A tours in this regard. They are not for playing 39 year old nawab ki aulad, they are for playing youngsters so that they can get used to the conditions. And these aren't just any youngsters from the street, these are players who you have identified to take a role on the team in the near future, or they are your bench players.

Our bowling coach is not even serious about his own job, I have yet to see such a dead response from someone who's job hangs by a thread. An unemployed person would give a better answer than that. Younis Khan might be on the right track in terms of the fact that these players run off to play the PSL and don't get time to be coached. Similarly, you need a few weeks to solve all the technical and tactical faults with players. However, I have faith in the abilities of Mohammad Yousuf, the guy transformed Faheem Ashraf from a tailender to a pretty solid batsman. Needs to work on playing spin better, especially away-spin which I see as a problem for him.

Lazy management won't get our team anywhere. Our team management, along with the temperament of our players is sometimes just shocking to see.

[Mamoon]

hes right tho, there's very little margin for error if you change someones technique during a tour.

his job is to create the batting strategy and help out players if they really feel something is wrong and need immediate correction.

years of bad habits cant be modified in weeks.

Technique cannot even be changed after a certain point whether you are on tour or not. You can change temporarily during net sessions or coaching clinics, but when you are in match situation and under pressure, you will instinctively return to the technique that you have used for years, because it becomes muscle memory at that point.

There is no such thing as a coach in international cricket. It is all about man-management.

Coaching is for junior levels only, when players are going through their learning curve. Players in their late 20s and 30s are too late to be coached.

If Younis really cares he would be working at the junior level like Dravid. He is just in for his paycheck and free holidays.

[Hasan]

Viv Richards averaged just above 30 with one century and one half after his first 20 test innings. Had he been a Pakistani he would have been discarded as a proven failure!

[Mamoon]

We're a circus of a team when it comes to providing facilities and creating rigorous programs to bring batsmen and bowlers back into form.

I've mentioned on a few occasions that our data analysis team is probably either watching old Fifa videos or they're just sleeping, because the fact that they can't pick out simple faults in opposition batting lineups baffles me. I will cite the Chris Woakes example for one, a guy who plays the short ball with his eyes closed is being bowled full deliveries and length balls.

Similarly, we don't really have access to proper training tools. Probably the only time I agree with Ramiz Raja is that we should have some way of getting pitches from SENA, or pitches of those quality being made in Pakistan before a series to get additional practice. Playing in Australia is about 40% negotiating the bounce, 10% negotiating the sledging, and 50% a test of your temperament. We need to create players who can adapt and overcome challenges in all conditions, and I emphasize the importance of Pakistan A tours in this regard. They are not for playing 39 year old nawab ki aulad, they are for playing youngsters so that they can get used to the conditions. And these aren't just any youngsters from the street, these are players who you have identified to take a role on the team in the near future, or they are your bench players.

Our bowling coach is not even serious about his own job, I have yet to see such a dead response from someone who's job hangs by a thread. An unemployed person would give a better answer than that. Younis Khan might be on the right track in terms of the fact that these players run off to play the PSL and don't get time to be coached. Similarly, you need a few weeks to solve all the technical and tactical faults with players. However, I have faith in the abilities of Mohammad Yousuf, the guy transformed Faheem Ashraf from a tailender to a pretty solid batsman. Needs to work on playing spin better, especially away-spin which I see as a problem for him.

Lazy management won't get our team anywhere. Our team management, along with the temperament of our players is sometimes just shocking to see.

Great post again.

The comments of Waqar were shocking. This guy knows PCB is his ATM and he will keep getting sacked and sacked and employed until he is alive.

He doesn’t care and he is not interested.

Younis himself is someone who is never far away from a controversy and will throw the players under the bus at the first sign of trouble.

With regards to Yousuf and Faheem, I am more interested in Yousuf working with the likes of Haider and other junior players who are very raw at this point.

Faheem has scored runs over the last 5-6 innings but it could also be down to good form. Techniques are almost impossible to change at this stage of careers when you are 27-28 with 40+ FC matches under your belt, because the old habits kick in at some point.

The way he threw his wicket away before the close of play on day 4 in the second Test was shocking, and it was the same illustration of the complete lack of match-awareness and and intelligence that got him out of the team in the first place.

The umpire was minutes away from calling the day, and Linde tempted him with a bit of flight and he sliced it to backward point when there was no need for him to play an expansive shot at that stage of the day.

A player with cricket intelligence would have blocked the last few deliveries and start again tomorrow.

Pakistan was reduced to 129/6 and that dumb dismissal could have easily triggered a collapse and cost Pakistan the game but Rizwan came to the rescue.

Pakistan is already an average side in terms of skill and on top of that, our players commit the most basic errors that are unforgivable at this level.

[zarak]

He said "our media should see how they can support players like these and also ones such as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq who may not be performing at the moment"

I don't get how people are expected to support players who are struggling.

By making up stats?
By saying the players are better than what they actually are?
By saying these guys are going to be great?

Your a smart guy it is not too hard to figure out. He just means a player has to be given a long rope. It was only after the 2005 India series that Younis took off. It is natural to be critical but also keep in mind that one has to invest in a player; this means backing them during a slump.

[zarak]

Great post again.

The comments of Waqar were shocking. This guy knows PCB is his ATM and he will keep getting sacked and sacked and employed until he is alive.

He doesn’t care and he is not interested.

Younis himself is someone who is never far away from a controversy and will throw the players under the bus at the first sign of trouble.

With regards to Yousuf and Faheem, I am more interested in Yousuf working with the likes of Haider and other junior players who are very raw at this point.

Faheem has scored runs over the last 5-6 innings but it could also be down to good form. Techniques are almost impossible to change at this stage of careers when you are 27-28 with 40+ FC matches under your belt, because the old habits kick in at some point.

The way he threw his wicket away before the close of play on day 4 in the second Test was shocking, and it was the same illustration of the complete lack of match-awareness and and intelligence that got him out of the team in the first place.

The umpire was minutes away from calling the day, and Linde tempted him with a bit of flight and he sliced it to backward point when there was no need for him to play an expansive shot at that stage of the day.

A player with cricket intelligence would have blocked the last few deliveries and start again tomorrow.

Pakistan was reduced to 129/6 and that dumb dismissal could have easily triggered a collapse and cost Pakistan the game but Rizwan came to the rescue.

Pakistan is already an average side in terms of skill and on top of that, our players commit the most basic errors that are unforgivable at this level.

It depends different things work for different players. Some batters get out when they get defensive so they try to stick to their game regardless of the situation. I do not get the whole close of play thing. The same ball would have gotten him out tomorrow.

[Hyder]

Imran Butt is a batsman. He is not there just to take catches.

He needs work doing to his batting, which as batting coach Younis needs to do.



I never thought I would hear Kallis and Faheem mentioned in the same sentence, but there you go.



Support as in how? If a player is underperforming then that needs to pointing out. If a player has issues, they need to be pointed out.



No, you made a century on Test debut.

He didn't call him Kallis he just said i would like him to play such role. Its like saying i would like u to bat the way virat does. He is by no means comparing which is usual nowadays.
We tend to hype players over the moon after one match but i dont see negativity in this sentence.

[zarak]

This whole backing of players is a load of nonsense. When you are not good enough you are not good enough. If you have the ability you will show it even through failures.

Pakistan backed the rubbish Masood since 2013 and what happened? Nothing.

A rubbish player will not become a world beater with backing.

The whole point of backing is to back the right players. For instance, Sami Aslam who was an exceptional u19 talent should have been backed but he was not

[Mamoon]

It depends different things work for different players. Some batters get out when they get defensive so they try to stick to their game regardless of the situation. I do not get the whole close of play thing. The same ball would have gotten him out tomorrow.

That ball may or may not have been bowled tomorrow. The point is why we play a risky shot right at the close of play when the team is in a tricky situation, and a tail-ender would be exposed to a fresh bowling attack?

It waa just an example of the lack of match-awareness our players show on regular basis.

[zarak]

Technique cannot even be changed after a certain point whether you are on tour or not. You can change temporarily during net sessions or coaching clinics, but when you are in match situation and under pressure, you will instinctively return to the technique that you have used for years, because it becomes muscle memory at that point.

There is no such thing as a coach in international cricket. It is all about man-management.

Coaching is for junior levels only, when players are going through their learning curve. Players in their late 20s and 30s are too late to be coached.

If Younis really cares he would be working at the junior level like Dravid. He is just in for his paycheck and free holidays.

grips can be tweaked with, guards can be changed, stances can be widened or narrowed, a player can crouch more, bat out of his crease or within. Many adjustments can be made. Everyone is in it for a paycheck or do you work for free

[Saj]

Your a smart guy it is not too hard to figure out. He just means a player has to be given a long rope. It was only after the 2005 India series that Younis took off. It is natural to be critical but also keep in mind that one has to invest in a player; this means backing them during a slump.

Long rope ok. But that does not mean that players should not be criticised, as long as that criticism is accurate, not personal and constructive.

The funny thing is that some of Younis Khan's best friends are the ones who usually take player criticism to a personal and regional level.

[zarak]

That ball may or may not have been bowled tomorrow. The point is why we play a risky shot right at the close of play when the team is in a tricky situation, and a tail-ender would be exposed to a fresh bowling attack?

It waa just an example of the lack of match-awareness our players show on regular basis.

I guess he was going for the whole positive intent thing. I mean it was not even a good ball, I think it was a wide half volley

[UzmanBeast]

Great post again.

The comments of Waqar were shocking. This guy knows PCB is his ATM and he will keep getting sacked and sacked and employed until he is alive.

He doesn’t care and he is not interested.

Younis himself is someone who is never far away from a controversy and will throw the players under the bus at the first sign of trouble.

With regards to Yousuf and Faheem, I am more interested in Yousuf working with the likes of Haider and other junior players who are very raw at this point.

Faheem has scored runs over the last 5-6 innings but it could also be down to good form. Techniques are almost impossible to change at this stage of careers when you are 27-28 with 40+ FC matches under your belt, because the old habits kick in at some point.

The way he threw his wicket away before the close of play on day 4 in the second Test was shocking, and it was the same illustration of the complete lack of match-awareness and and intelligence that got him out of the team in the first place.

The umpire was minutes away from calling the day, and Linde tempted him with a bit of flight and he sliced it to backward point when there was no need for him to play an expansive shot at that stage of the day.

A player with cricket intelligence would have blocked the last few deliveries and start again tomorrow.

Pakistan was reduced to 129/6 and that dumb dismissal could have easily triggered a collapse and cost Pakistan the game but Rizwan came to the rescue.

Pakistan is already an average side in terms of skill and on top of that, our players commit the most basic errors that are unforgivable at this level.

On the topic of Waqar Younis and his history with Pakistan as a coach, the less said the better. Any conversation including him is far from constructive, and it's even more valuable when there's silence on both sides. That way, you don't get to hear some idiotic feedback that the cold weather meant that our players were exposed to new surroundings, which is something I won't be surprised by in the near future if such comments arise.

What you mentioned with Faheem is more prominent in Babar's case. If we take a look at how Babar was dismissed by Maharaj twice in the first test, he went to work with Younis and used his feet more on Test Match #2, the first innings, where he dominated Maharaj quite well. However, his tendency to get out without adding to his overnight score was shown yet again, in similar fashion too, chasing a wide one outside off. Against spin, he made the same mistake of going with pad first then bat, meaning that the straight one would get him 9 times out of 10. Imagine if Rangana Herath bowled to Babar, wouldn't that just be destructive.

I agree that Faheem is in good form at the moment, and it is true that he did throw away his wicket. I personally cite spin as his major weakness, something about his batting just doesn't convince me that he can play RA off spin that well, and it was a shame that SA didn't test him on this angle by employing Markram, even for an over at max. Shows how lethargic and uninterested their captain was in that series. What it comes down to is that Faheem, from being pretty poor with the bat was able to make a few technical adjustments and score runs. But I think the biggest adjustment he made was in his temperament, and a change in the temperament can help you score runs big time. Look at Root, his conversion was poor before the SL series, and he was being scrutinized heavily. He found his mojo again, and scored heaps of runs, enough to shut his haters up and still have enough runs if they asked for seconds.

The basic errors will follow this team everywhere because of a lack of temperament. Our batting culture is weak, batsmen surrender against good bowling, sometimes even mediocre bowling. When your openers score less runs than your tailenders (Yasir + Nauman scored more runs than Butt + Ali this series), it's a sign that something is very wrong. Similarly, you can't expect Azhar to bail you out on every innings and in ever game, but I was far more disappointed with Babar Azam this series, I expected better from him. Yes the situation was difficult but the ball wasn't swinging at all, he made too many basic errors which we're not used to seeing.

Had Faheem not gotten out, and had Babar Azam scored runs, I'd have thought of this series win against South Africa to be convincing, but it was a matter of how consistently South Africa choked the series. There were some bright spots, like Hasan's 10fer and Shaheen picking up some wickets after a dry spell, but if we are not able to look at what went wrong as a team, then we are not a national team, just a club team that gets on their haunches when they beat another club team and drink juice from ticky packs to celebrate a meaningless victory.

[Thunderbolt14]

Why 2 or 3 series. We play roughly around 2 a year and you will wait 2 years to find if the guy cuts it. I called out Zafar Gohar after few minutes for being rubbish, surely YK has seen enough to make a judgement. After all,that is his job.

Then YK must see something in him. Look, we don’t have that many other options. Imam can be one. But even he hasn’t played first class cricket in two years.

Opening is also a tough job, if you can’t find someone and you have to pick between two ducks then you might as well pick the duck that can field well and is on the younger side too.

[Bewal Express]

Then YK must see something in him. Look, we don’t have that many other options. Imam can be one. But even he hasn’t played first class cricket in two years.

Opening is also a tough job, if you can’t find someone and you have to pick between two ducks then you might as well pick the duck that can field well and is on the younger side too.

I will trust the coaches and i hope he is right, but he was late on the ball and that is not a good sign.

[Mamoon]

grips can be tweaked with, guards can be changed, stances can be widened or narrowed, a player can crouch more, bat out of his crease or within. Many adjustments can be made. Everyone is in it for a paycheck or do you work for free

When you are in match situation and under pressure, you will instinctually go back to your muscle memory.

Shan Masood wasted thousands of pounds on the most revered batting coach in the UK. When he returned to the Test team, he reverted to his same old rubbish technique.

[Kaddy]

Somebody should have asked him about Babar Azam's struggle against left arm spinners and his tendency for getting out soon after break.

What I have noticed is that most of our journalists ask childish questions during press conferences.

[DeadlyVenom]

Love how he says he wants Faheem to be like Jaques Kallis or Abdul Razzaq. One is arguably the finest test all rounder ever produced and the other had a slightly above average career.

[Kroll]

Who needs to work on technical aspects when you have team man to motivate you!

[sshakir411]

Just ask yourself one question, those who are doubting YK what experience do they have of the international game. These kids are pitching their insights against the experience of a man with 10k test runs.

This should put into perspective the negativity expressed by some.

It’s just Pakistani tradition to trash everyone despite their achievements. The disrespect Younis gets only shows why he’s right to never care about the PCB or our cricket.

[Shoaibbtt]

It’s just Pakistani tradition to trash everyone despite their achievements. The disrespect Younis gets only shows why he’s right to never care about the PCB or our cricket.

YK is a humble and relaxing character to have, our players could really learn a lot from him and I can honestly see a difference in our batting in this series, they definitely played more aggressively for one (well the middle to lower order did anyways).

One of my suggestions would be for him to teach the guys the sweep/reverse sweep shot which i think will enhance the players technique against spin and this will help in strike rotation.

[Sir-fraz]

Great post again.

The comments of Waqar were shocking. This guy knows PCB is his ATM and he will keep getting sacked and sacked and employed until he is alive.

He doesn’t care and he is not interested.

Younis himself is someone who is never far away from a controversy and will throw the players under the bus at the first sign of trouble.

With regards to Yousuf and Faheem, I am more interested in Yousuf working with the likes of Haider and other junior players who are very raw at this point.

Faheem has scored runs over the last 5-6 innings but it could also be down to good form. Techniques are almost impossible to change at this stage of careers when you are 27-28 with 40+ FC matches under your belt, because the old habits kick in at some point.

The way he threw his wicket away before the close of play on day 4 in the second Test was shocking, and it was the same illustration of the complete lack of match-awareness and and intelligence that got him out of the team in the first place.

The umpire was minutes away from calling the day, and Linde tempted him with a bit of flight and he sliced it to backward point when there was no need for him to play an expansive shot at that stage of the day.

A player with cricket intelligence would have blocked the last few deliveries and start again tomorrow.

Pakistan was reduced to 129/6 and that dumb dismissal could have easily triggered a collapse and cost Pakistan the game but Rizwan came to the rescue.

Pakistan is already an average side in terms of skill and on top of that, our players commit the most basic errors that are unforgivable at this level.

You are asking too much of our players to have match awarness and cricket iq with having great skill.

Its either they are skilled and have zero iq and awarness or they have iq and awarness but zero skill.

It really comes down to education and critical thinking which is lacking in pakiatani sports.

On top of that the seniority culture really hinders pakiatani coaches who are not players. Because we have retirees who literally offer nothing back getting hired because of their name during their playing days.

And to your yousuf point, keep him away from the media and let him work with young players, he clearly has some cricket wisdom and knowledge and knows how to pass it on to next generation.

[Yk313]

Pretty much another vacuous and waffle-ridden press day with the media. Watched the video conference PCB uploaded on their channel and very few good questions and almost no good answers. Should run for the office.

No specific mention of the reason Azhar failed to score big or why Azhar’s post-knew problem returned in the 2nd Test with that lumbering left leg.

No one seemed to ask about Babar’s frailties against spin. Journalists focussed purely on the openers and Azhar in terms of batting flops, it seemed.

Surprising that most people seemed interested in the upcoming T20 series instead of the Test series.

The entirety of the world knows technical changes are best implemented in the off-season but what’s the point of trying to work with many people in this short period of 1 month, which YK stated his intention to be, instead of working with 4-5 core people? That merely means spreading himself too thin and preparing for the inevitable.

Most likely another one on the long list of stalwart players who are hurtling down/have joined the list of failed super ‘coaches’.

[Gharib Aadmi]

Just ask yourself one question, those who are doubting YK what experience do they have of the international game. These kids are pitching their insights against the experience of a man with 10k test runs.

This should put into perspective the negativity expressed by some.

A great player does not equal great coach.

[wrongun]

He is talking about the blatant negativity and backing culture that is present in our media. He’s right. No matter what you and I might think about Imran Butt, now that he’s selected he deserves a 2-3 series run.

Especially if we don’t have Sehwags and Haydens knocking the door down.

I tend to agree. It's not true in every case but I've seen some players just given a couple of tests, dropped after not having instant success, rinse & repeat & then regarded as a "tried & tested failure" without every really having a solid run in the team.

If they were picked for a reason, two tests is too small of a sample size.

[sshakir411]

A great player does not equal great coach.

Yeah and you’ve experienced Younis’ coaching, haven’t you?

[Gharib Aadmi]

Yeah and you’ve experienced Younis’ coaching, haven’t you?

Have you? How do you know hes good? See two can play that game.

[Ucdkee]

So what exactly is his job on tours if its not working on technical aspects?

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

All Pakistani coaches are coming out of the woodworks with words of wisdom in the afterglow of the series win against South Africa - Misbah, Waqar, Younis Khan.

Where were they when Pakistan lost the series 2-0 and they shamelessly sent Naseem Shah and Zafar Gohar to face the press?

Come out, if you must, at the end of a tough day.

And keep that notebook away please.

[zarak]

When you are in match situation and under pressure, you will instinctually go back to your muscle memory.

Shan Masood wasted thousands of pounds on the most revered batting coach in the UK. When he returned to the Test team, he reverted to his same old rubbish technique.

Hahaha you just like making generalizations.

Shans technique has evolved. He became tight on the off stump but started getting LBW. He then tweaked his stance and started getting caught again. He is just not good enough either way

Players always work on small adjustments. Azhar Ali opened his stance before his England 100. Younis stopped crouching before his oval double hundred. Babar came down the track to counter the spin. Faheem no longer shuffles backwards.

But hey why not make one big sweeping statement..it takes less work

[Bilal_103]

I highly doubt abid ali can improve now. he's proablly 35 and he simply is not good enough. With butt we should give him a couple series to settle himself but not Abid he is TTF.

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

YK is a humble and relaxing character to have, our players could really learn a lot from him and I can honestly see a difference in our batting in this series, they definitely played more aggressively for one (well the middle to lower order did anyways).

One of my suggestions would be for him to teach the guys the sweep/reverse sweep shot which i think will enhance the players technique against spin and this will help in strike rotation.

It's not their job to do the batting. That should've been done by the openers and the top order who go out to get a breath of fresh air and then come back to the pavilion.

[FastBowlingAllrounder]

Hahaha you just like making generalizations.

Shans technique has evolved. He became tight on the off stump but started getting LBW. He then tweaked his stance and started getting caught again. He is just not good enough either way

Players always work on small adjustments. Azhar Ali opened his stance before his England 100. Younis stopped crouching before his oval double hundred. Babar came down the track to counter the spin. Faheem no longer shuffles backwards.

But hey why not make one big sweeping statement..it takes less work

With Younis, he was jumping around like there were ants in his pants on that whole tour. He just stopped doing that prior to the double and it helped.

Ultimately, the coaching is about making those adjustments in such a manner where they become ingrained in the muscle memory. Younis has a point that players these days have packed schedules to the point where if you coach them for 2-3 weeks, then they go off to T20 leagues and everything reverts to normal.

[PakPremi]

He said "our media should see how they can support players like these and also ones such as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq who may not be performing at the moment"

I don't get how people are expected to support players who are struggling.

By making up stats?
By saying the players are better than what they actually are?
By saying these guys are going to be great?

By not being over critical without giving someone proper opportunity to perform like 2-3 series, especially some like Imran Butt who is young and relatively inexperienced. It is another story he should not have been selected without getting a season or two more in first class.

[Mamoon]

Hahaha you just like making generalizations.

Shans technique has evolved. He became tight on the off stump but started getting LBW. He then tweaked his stance and started getting caught again. He is just not good enough either way

Players always work on small adjustments. Azhar Ali opened his stance before his England 100. Younis stopped crouching before his oval double hundred. Babar came down the track to counter the spin. Faheem no longer shuffles backwards.

But hey why not make one big sweeping statement..it takes less work

These tweaks do not work long-term. That is the point. You can make temporarily adjustments but over the long run, you will revert back to your old-self because you cannot overwrite your muscle memory.

Younis stopped crouching before his Oval double-hundred. However, when he toured New Zealand after a months and the ball was swinging and seaming, he started crouching again and averaged 4.

Yes, that is not a typo. He averaged 4 runs per innings in New Zealand in 2017 because he reverted back to his usual technique that was not working against swing and seam.

Take Azhar Ali to England today and he will again start to have the same issues he had last summer before the Southampton hundred.

You cannot change your technique after a certain point and these minor adjustments that you make are temporarily because the old habits kick in inadvertently.

You don’t coach 30 year olds with years of FC experience. You manage them.

Coaching is for junior levels.

[MenInG]

How exactly is he going to fix Haider Ali's issues?

Out in almost identical fashion in both T20s - to same bowler.

The delight on their faces says they knew about Haider's issues.

[MenInG]

Pakistan’s legendary former batsman and current batting coach Younis Khan, in a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Podcast on Friday, highlighted various areas of improvement for Pakistan after their recent two-one One-Day International (ODI) series victory against the Proteas.

The 43-year-old believed good sides around the world kept improving in order to compete with the best.

“I think a lot of things have improved but as I always say there are a lot of things we need to keep improving on. We need to start converting our innings to match-winning innings. We need to lower the economy rate of our spells. We need to start grabbing sharp opportunities in the field. These are the things that can lead to further improvement and that is what good teams do,” Younis said.

“I think winning in South Africa is always a dream and we are hopeful we will continue the momentum in the T20I series,” he added.

Pakistan’s batting coach praised the top-order batsmen along with the energy being displayed by the cricketers on the field.

“If I talk about Fakhar Zaman, he couldn’t go for the series against New Zealand because of illness, but the way he came back and made back-to-back hundreds despite not going well in the first match would be a dream come true for any batsman. Especially when you score a hundred away from home and in a country like South Africa, Australia or England, it is a great feeling to have. If we talk about other batsmen, we can look at captain Babar Azam. He is improving day-by-day and so is his captaincy,” he said.

“If we talk about our fast-bowlers, we have seen energy in our pacers after a really long while. We saw energy in the fielding department as well,” he concluded.

https://cricketpakistan.com.pk/en/ne...gainst-proteas

[salahuddin10]

Younis was a very mediocre white ball playerr.I dont really think he is justifying his place.Yousuf does all the work