Mohsin Khan:"Whatmore has hurt the team's progress"

[alberto]

KARACHI:
Former Pakistan coach Mohsin Khan has criticised current coach Dav Whatmore, holding him responsible for ‘hurting the team’s progress and balance’ before adding that the team would have shown better results if he was allowed to continue.
Mohsin had an impressive short stint as coach which included Test-series wins over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and a whitewash of England in the UAE. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided against appointing him on a full-time basis and, instead, chose Dav Whatmore as the head coach. Mohsin, however, said that the decision to replace him is not going in the team’s favour.
“The team’s progress has suffered immensely,” Mohsin told The Express Tribune. “It pains me to see the players, who had the killer instinct, fighting spirit and motivation, performing in such a way. Whatmore has disturbed the balance and the team combination with flawed selection and decisions.
“I can say with confidence that if I had continued, results would have been better because I know the players. They are not being utilised properly.”
Mohsin also launched an attack on those who appointed the foreign coach.
“There are some people who jolted Pakistan’s ascent by making the unnecessary change. Such people do not serve the country but only their vested interest. Foreign coaches have never served Pakistan well. Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer are examples. We won the 1992 World Cup and 2009 World Twenty20 with a local at the helm. The PCB said that Whatmore’s a professional coach. A teacher doesn’t need time to teach students and should get his job done straight away, just like I did.”
‘PCB chief was misinformed about me’
The PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf said that the board repeatedly attempted to contact Mohsin but the former coach never responded. Mohsin, however, said that Ashraf was misinformed and misguided by PCB officials. “Nobody contacted me. There’s no issue of communication nowadays. The chairman must take action against these officials.”

[Pk-zindabaad]

let the blame game begin! sigh, impatient pakistanis!!

[fareedymohammad]

SERIOUSLY!!! Atention SeeeeEEEEEEeeeEEEKER

[Pakistaniboy]

he lost 4-0 in odis against a england team that cant play spin at all

[LegCutter]

Such extreme unprofessionalism from Mohsin. Thank God we dont have him, jeez; this guy makes Julien Fountain look like a diplomat.

[w8in_4_0402]

lol we lot 4-0. where was the teacher then?

[Down2Earth]

sour grapes. you're not a coach mohsin, and you never will be. you've got a future career in hugging though, or drinking tea.

[Usman]

Originally Posted by Pakistaniboy he lost 4-0 in odis against a england team that cant play spin at all

Originally Posted by w8in_4_0402 lol we lot 4-0. where was the teacher then?

Remember, he said that wasn't his fault, but was due to match-fixing! What an utter buffoon!

[Saj]

What's the link to this story guys

[w8in_4_0402]

Originally Posted by Saj What's the link to this story guys

http://tribune.com.pk/story/396475/c...s-says-mohsin/

[KingKhanWC]

Clearly wants the job back.

Pakistan should have won the series, throwing away the final two games, nothing to do with the coach. It was the same old story of poor batting, followed by

[Savak]

Shows the unprofessional nature of ex Pakistani cricketers. Nothing new or surprising.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9360 using Tapatalk

[Namak_Halaal]

I'm beginning to think Whatmore is regretting his decision to join Pakistan cricket as coach. He's probably thinking what the hell he has gotten himself into.

[farazaidi]

I'm glad he has spoken up so that people can see true face of this guy, he just another miffed ex cricketer who wants his slice of the pie. Nothing great about him !

I hope people asking for his comeback can see the man he really is !

[Cryin Out Loud]

Amazing, and disappointing from Mohsin - at least wait a few months before pronouncing a definitive verdict on Whatmore.

Whatever the merits of his case, this quick on the trigger response just smacks of vindictiveness from Mohsin. Not to say plain, childish stupidity.

[PTI tsunami]

Pak beat eng 3 nil and he thinks he is a legend coach we lost the one day series 4 nil where was he whatmore at least has made us Asian champions

[Bewal Express]

Mohsin, the none coaching coach. As Mohammed Akram said Mohsins fielding drills were akin to Schools cricket.

[Obeid]

How did we beat England under his leadership =/

[iZeeshan]

It was only a matter of time

[Square Drive]

Originally Posted by Pakistaniboy he lost 4-0 in odis against a england team that cant play spin at all

LOL yeah, so true.

[Myrmidon]

watmore is an awful coach

the team will be going one way with him in charge!
downhill

his coaching skills were only at their strongest earlier in his career before the onset of the modern game. he is too old fashioned.

and other than from 1996- 2002, he hasnt really done much else to any team.

bangladesh beating good teams now and then are nothing to do with watmore, every team has their occasional good games.

its evident with this current team that nothing is being learned, from the team of just a few months ago to this? srilanka should be a walkover for pakistan but instead they are losing. this srilankan team isnt at all much different from the team that toured UAE and same applies for the pak team. you guys will call it a learning curve but im already calling it a sign of things to come. (negative)

[saadibaba]

What a pathetic loser showing his true colors. Stick to making drama's.

[jeetu]

One minor setback and knives are out.

[MMHS]

Originally Posted by Myrmidon watmore is an awful coach the team will be going one way with him in charge! downhill his coaching skills were only at their strongest earlier in his career before the onset of the modern game. he is too old fashioned. and other than from 1996- 2002, he hasnt really done much else to any team. bangladesh beating good teams now and then are nothing to do with watmore, every team has their occasional good games. its evident with this current team that nothing is being learned, from the team of just a few months ago to this? srilanka should be a walkover for pakistan but instead they are losing. this srilankan team isnt at all much different from the team that toured UAE and same applies for the pak team. you guys will call it a learning curve but im already calling it a sign of things to come. (negative)

You have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about, sir.

Despite extreme office pressure, I could watch the last 3 ODI. Had I been in charge, I would have literally kicked the ass of some of those PAK players. If Dav is allowed the full authority, I doubt how many of those would have have been there.

In 3 defeats, PAK fielders allowed at least 150 runs in total by horrible ground fielding, throwing & catching, & yet, couldn't chase 246 from 160/2, while Lanka chased the same target from 111/5 or 170/7 or so. Don't tell me that, due to Dav's appointment, players like Afridi & YK forgot the basic of chasing after 15 years of international cricket.

PCB made the biggest mistake of appointing Dav & Jullien; these are known coons. Reputed pro, not new incumbent like Pybus or Lawson. If the PAK players or officials play their usual antics with these Coach or trainers, I doubt, in future PCB 'll ever get a better coaches than Cheerleaders.

Had it been ACB/ECB/UCBSA (Or even BCCI/BCB, yes even these boards are miles ahead than PCB), I can guarantee that, there would have been an inquiry board to investigate, why 5/6 wickets felt for 0 runs or why players with 10/12 years of experience, dropping dollies, taken at streets cricket.

[Myrmidon]

i stand by what i said

other than world cup 96 which is impressive and various trophies in england in 1998

nothing. well obviously something is being done incorrectly

he was present the game shakeel ansar made the 100 and was selected so obviously he had an input and lets be honest, i dont think any other wicket keeper has such horrible stats that he has in domestic cricket. shoaib malik was brought back and as far as i remember he wanted kamran akmal back too

any coach with common sense would recommend specialist players and on form players for certain formats. one guy out performs everybody with bat in BPL followed by Faysal Bank t20 . guides his team to two tournament wins leading as an opener and doesnt get selected. i think that in itself says alot. many more examples
iv watched teams under watmore and they look clueless, ranging from Bangladesh, to KKR and now this pak team

[Lachrymose]

Kinda feel bad for Mohsin, but it's too early to come to the conclusion that we have been losing due to Whatmore!

[Asif321]

sorry u were also the same in limited overs format

[iHammad]

I believe this is the first series we have lost under David Whatmore, 3-1. And look at the reaction of some posters and Mohsin Khan. Truly pathetic. Talk about having some patience.

[saeedhk]

Lol

[Executioner]

Callin Whatmore an ordinary coach is quite stupid. Whatmore is a brilliant coach but what do you expect from whatmore? Field as a substitute instead of the players who field like 12 year old kids?

There are some serious clowns i presume

[Zamee]

Cheerleader showing her true colours.

[speed]

does whatmore have full authority??????

[truthseer]

Why is Mohsin such a cry baby?

[DHONI183]

Success will only start if the (Pakistan) former cricketers will start giving agenda-less comments, and also if people learn to blame the players who play out there in the middle.

[waqar goraya]

chickens coming home to roost..
the fire that was burning in his heart is finally coming out as smoke

[LegCutter]

Vultures, thats what these men are. Silent during victories, pounce when we're down.

[The Muppets XI]

Interesting to see that Moshin is still conducting his affairs with dignity

Loved the way the article ignores the 4-0 whitewash by England and the Asia Cup win.

[PakPrince]

Mohsin Khan is a crybaby!

he just got lucky and came in the right time and got all the fruits of Waqar's hard work.

[Zaz]

Poor stuff from mohsin, he should be backing the new coach - not circling like a vulture

[Markhor]

Poor statement. Mohsin was nothing more than a glorified cheerleader, sipping tea on the sidelines when he was coach - and the 4-0 ODI defeat to England came under his tenure as coach, which he conveniently ignored in his outburst to the media.

I think there is some selective memory on his part.

I wish these ex-cricketers and ex-PCB staff could just retire gracefully, move on and give statements to the media supporting the current staff but some Pakistani ex-cricketers/coaches just cannot let go, and need to make media statements to inflate their ego and sense of self-worth.

[alberto]

Whatmore understands that this may be his last international assignment and will be trying his utmost to win a trophy in his reign. His next assignment is getting us up the test rankings with a 2-0 victory against the Lankans which will be no easy feat. He needs to make sure he has new tactics for the t20 world cup if we are to do well

[Looney]

Originally Posted by Down2Earth sour grapes. you're not a coach mohsin, and you never will be. you've got a future career in hugging though, or drinking tea.

lol this !

[chacha kashmiri]

I agree with mohsin on this, whatmore should know these sri lankan pitches pretty well as well but he's taken pak backwards

[withlovefrom vizag]

You guys are blaming Whatmore just for a ODI series loss.Then we managed quite well with Mr.Duncan FLETCHER........

[Singham]

Whatmore is the best thing dat could have happened to Pak. He needs support from all quarters. Mohsin khan is a sore loser.

[Pak_Pace]

Did he just say Woolmer did not serve Pakistan well?

I'm sorry, but a man who can say something like that can't be taken seriously [Razzaq is included in that list too]

[PIE_CHUCKER]

Whatmore is a proven failiure of a coach, he has been begging for a international assignment for years, and only Pakistanis went for him.

I would take Mohsin over Whatmore anyday!!!

[adi_6294]

mohsin hasan pehle khud apni performance dekhe.....jab pakistan england se ODI series haraa tu isay pata hi nai chala kay ham q haaray hai...
such a pathetic man....shame !!!!

[Savak]

Too early to judge Whatmore right now. He needs a year on the job atleast.

[kamran_uk]

Mohsin Khan is pathetic and should be shameful

[Afridirocks]

tell mohsin khan we won asia cup under whatmore which we didn't win since 2000

[Osama_B]

i agree with mohsin

whatmore has been pathetic to say the least

clueless

[kamranwasti]

Those who lived through the 80s would remember that Mohsin was dropped for the last time in 1986. This had come at the back of a series against the West Indies in which he scored 48 runs in 6 innings, with 40 coming in a single knock. Imran still gave him a chance and took him to Sharjah and played him against Sri Lanka and I clearly remember him coming to open in a white hat, hitting a four and then getting bowled the next ball. That was it. Imran chose Shoaib and Rameez for the next game against India and they delivered.

He was dropped for the Perth Challenge Cup - it was being called the America Cup in Pakistan because I guess it was coinciding with the America Cup yachting championships in Australia and then not chosen for the Indian tour. And you know what did he say? "I was dropped unfairly despite good performance against the West Indies." Within weeks he was acting in Bollywood films.

A few years later, he was a guest in Tariq Aziz's Neelam Ghar and said that while it would be easy for him to get back, he is not doing so because it would be at the cost of a young cricketer's career.

Even with this Pakistani team, the unsung hero is Waqar Younis - he was at the receiving end all the way: The aftermath of the Australian tour, test win against Australia with a team that did not have a SINGLE player averaging in the 40s and then a win against England - the spot-fixing disgrace, that pathetic attempt by the attention-seeking Zulqarnain to get UK citizenship, the wins in New Zealand and then the good show in the World Cup. Mohsin merely inherited a team on the roll that overcame a shoddy Sri Lankan team and then preyed on England's expected weakness - even in that series Pakistanis had batted poorly; they got bowled out for 99 in one game and were bailed out in the second by the spinners. The fourth specialist bowler was as bad as Junaid Khan was today.

The point is that this is basically a very weak Pakistani team that has been bailed out repeatedly by its spinners. They have not crossed 400 even once against strong teams for a while now if, I think, you discount that Younis Khan's 313 test. They don't have a decent test match class fast bowler and Mohsin could not find one either.

Mohsin is preying on Whatmore in the same way as Javed Miandad did when Woolmer was appointed coach. Pakistan were caught on a wet wicket against Sri Lanka and were bowled out for 100 odd in the Asia Cup and then beat India by 59 runs but missed out on the bonus point by a run and did not qualify for the finals - Miandad's response: "Woolmer has destroyed Pakistani team" - when Pakistanis were blanked in Australia (as per tradition), Miandad attacked once more, "Woolmer has ruined Pakistan cricket." Of course, from there on, there was a turnaround - Pakistanis did admirably well in the triangular and then shocked India in India when their supposedly weakest team ever tied the test series and won the ODI series and then followed it up with three major series wins.

As for Whatmore, the task is clear:

1. Be patient with Taufeeq - regardless of his limitations, he is the only proper opener in the lineup and will be important on faster wickets which suit him more.

2. Find a proper partner for Taufeeq - Hafeez is not a test opener. Never was, never will be.

3. Find replacements for Younis and Misbah.

4. Let Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq develop - they have shown that they can battle through pressure situations and their places should be secure. They will have hiccups like they had today but they should be in the starting XI in every game.

5. Find a better wicketkeeper but till then persist with Adnan Akmal. Nothing like it if he develops well.

6. Spinners are fine but on the wrong side of 30.

7. Fast-bowlers - we need 4 decent ones and this will be no easy task since we have seen how ordinary the newer bowlers are regardless of the rave reviews they get over here on the basis of their first class records.

Mohsin was not doing it . He would not have done it. Full stop.

[WalkingWiggett]

Well written, kamranwasti, but I would have to disagree on the bit about the current Pakistan Test team being "very weak" (spin excepted of course). If it's so weak, why have oppositions bar England and WI on a couple of occasions found it so hard to bowl Pakistan out twice in Tests since October 2010?

[khurramjamil]

A typical Pakistani approach!! leg pulling and impatient .. I had a lot of respect for this guy, but now its clear that he is not so different than the others.. instead of helping the coach by giving some advice or valid information he is trying make the professional coach look stupid with his work! These childish acts wont work this time .. I guess Mr. Zaka knows what he is doing .. if he was that good, he would have been retained as the coach!

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by WalkingWiggett Well written, kamranwasti, but I would have to disagree on the bit about the current Pakistan Test team being "very weak" (spin excepted of course). If it's so weak, why have oppositions bar England and WI on a couple of occasions found it so hard to bowl Pakistan out twice in Tests since October 2010?

That's because apart from South Africa on the UAE featherbeds designed to blunt their attack, Pakistanis have only played a very poor Sri Lanka on overseas tracks, post-Shane Bond New Zealand, Bangladesh (the less said the better) and Zimbabwe only. On testing wickets, they struggled against Darren Sammy and England are a different breed altogether. You'd note that this time round they did not complain and managed to learn their lessons by the end of the Sri Lankan tour. Expect them to do really well in India. From Pakistan's point of view, they were just at the start of their Asian adventure and made Pakistan struggle all the way.

This is not to run the team down - they are a good fighting lot but these are bitter facts. And of course, they are without Misbah and instead have a captain would not warrant a place in the test team if specialists were available. He is only opening because he is the vice-captain at a time when their captain is banned and because they don't have a second opener right now.

[waqar goraya]

^
kamran bro looking at your knowledge can you tell me why he is so against umar akmal...was second highest scorer against windies behind misbah...asad failed in that series ...and azhar did not got as many runs as umar...how is it possible to drop a player completely from squad who has scored more than anyone else???is slow batting the only criteria to get in the team...
why he was dropped to include malik..
after younis only umar is a quality player against spin

[kamranwasti]

Potential doesn't always imply application.

For the record, Umar Akmal has not played since that series and you have had Waqar and Mohsin coaching your team as well.

You'd do well to remember that Younis Khan returned to replace him and played the innings of the season for you in the last test against England. It was his counterattack that took the game away from England and not Azhar's 157 - this was the reason why Rahul Dravid was the player of the match against England in 2002 for his 148 while Tendulkar scored 190 odd in the same game.

Coming back to Umar Akmal, he has hardly shown responsibility in the chances that he is getting the limited over games. Compare this with the limited but gusty Azhar Ali - when given the chance he showed how important it is to be able to bat through the innings.

[waqar goraya]

^
the fact is that the end product is still greater than shafiq and faisal..
his competitors are shafiq and faisal.....the only difference is shafiq bats slowly....but gets same 30's and 40's....nothing to talk about iqbal though..
and coming to one dayers we forget he often bats at 35 to 40th over ...you can see whenever he comes in that overs he gets confused..and when you get nervous you get shaky....bats very well when comes at 15 to 20 over...have you seen a bad shot when he does not bat in powerplay or slog overs???
umar's shot selection has improved a lot if you saw him recently...
when a player thinks he can not be successful or it does not suits his game then how can team say it is better for team???when player thinks he can not be successful this way then how it is better for team???when he is ready to take responsibility then why not give him??

i think he needs coaching rather than dropping...it looks very childish to drop him from 16 players....at best sitting on the bench is good enough....

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by waqar goraya ^ the fact is that the end product is still greater than shafiq and faisal.. his competitors are shafiq and faisal.....the only difference is shafiq bats slowly....but gets same 30's and 40's....nothing to talk about iqbal though.. and coming to one dayers we forget he often bats at 35 to 40th over ...you can see whenever he comes in that overs he gets confused..and when you get nervous you get shaky....bats very well when comes at 15 to 20 over...have you seen a bad shot when he does not bat in powerplay or slog overs??? umar's shot selection has improved a lot if you saw him recently... when a player thinks he can not be successful or it does not suits his game then how can team say it is better for team???when player thinks he can not be successful this way then how it is better for team???when he is ready to take responsibility then why not give him??

In his current state, Umar Akmal won't win you a test like Asad Shafiq did at Dubai earlier this year or indeed in Dubai when he scored half of Pakistan's eventual score of 99 in the first innings.

[waqar goraya]

Originally Posted by kamranwasti In his current state, Umar Akmal won't win you a test like Asad Shafiq did at Dubai earlier this year or indeed in Dubai when he scored half of Pakistan's eventual score of 99 in the first innings.

so our standards are so low........that a 40 or 50 makes a batsman so superior...can we say tino best is better than darren bravo because he got 97???
perhaps you did not notice...umar has only played one innings in asian conditions..
.and only time they played together in windies ..shafiq got 50 in 4 innings and umar 167 in 4 inns..how can you degrade akmal when not given a game for so long
i think its childish behavior of mohsin khan to teach others lessons..

dont you think he deserves a spot atleast in 16 players???

[whyamir]

Yeah, let's blame Whatmore and not the pathetic, incompetent, idiotic, brainless, inept, stupid, i-hate-their-guts, selectors for putting together such an AWESOME squad for this series.

[zaid65]

Mohsin is right, it is Dave's fault for nowt transforming Sami to Marshall, Afridi to Imran Khan, Sarfraz to Gilly, Gul to Waqar...

Go check my statements about Mohsin even when team won against England. Word loser and selfish comes to mind.

[WalkingWiggett]

Originally Posted by kamranwasti That's because apart from South Africa on the UAE featherbeds designed to blunt their attack, Pakistanis have only played a very poor Sri Lanka on overseas tracks,

That "very poor" Sri Lanka actually stole a Test from the Saffers in SA.

post-Shane Bond New Zealand,

Shane Bond was a terrific bowler, probably NZ's best since the great Hadlee, but he was injured half the time. The current lot have beaten the Aussies in Australia - no doddle. NZ isn't a terrific Test team but they're not that bad, especially at home.

This is not to run the team down - they are a good fighting lot but these are bitter facts. And of course, they are without Misbah and instead have a captain would not warrant a place in the test team if specialists were available. He is only opening because he is the vice-captain at a time when their captain is banned and because they don't have a second opener right now.

Being without Misbah is a big blow, definitely. Hope the rain saves this one. The whole series could end up a drab 0-0 washout TBH: it happened before when we toured SL, and we had them following on in (I think) the first Test of the series!

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by waqar goraya so our standards are so low........that a 40 or 50 makes a batsman so superior...can we say tino best is better than darren bravo because he got 97??? perhaps you did not notice...umar has only played one innings in asian conditions.. .and only time they played together in windies ..shafiq got 50 in 4 innings and umar 167 in 4 inns..how can you degrade akmal when not given a game for so long i think its childish behavior of mohsin khan to teach others lessons.. dont you think he deserves a spot atleast in 16 players???

I would say that you go back to the 1980s and you'll realise that Australians did not drop Geoff Marsh until Mark Taylor was had played for almost 3 years successfully even though Geoff Marsh averaged 30. S

More critically, West Indies always had Gul Logie in the post Larry Gomes period even though he averaged just 30 once again. Why? Because they knew that he had the temperament to fight back from impossible situations.

Personally, I feel that despite Umar Akmal's ability, his mindset makes it impossible for him to be a great. Better have an ordinary player deliver for you consistently than an outrageous talent score the same amount of runs in half the time and then throw it away like Umar does. I expected him to fail in England where he did save for his slogged 70 odd in the last innings. Against South Africa too he failed - when Asad Shafiq was given a chance he delivered (in the same series).

If you look at his performances, Asad has:
1. Started off with crucial runs against South Africa
2. Won you a test in New Zealand by scoring crucial runs against New Zealand
3. Was instrumental in getting you a significant lead in the test win over Sri Lanka in the UAE last year
4. Played 3 seriously good innings against England

When he scores, Pakistan tend to win. Can you say the same about Umar Akmal?

Imran Khan understood this - that is why Shoaib Muhammad was always in his test team. In 1990 against the West Indies, Pakistan were fighting to save the test Shoaib delivered on a very uneven wicket even though he had failed completely in the previous three innings. Saleem Yousuf was another example - he was a really ordinary wicketkeeper. If you get a chance to look at his videos, he did not know how to dive properly. But Imran knew that he was more likely to hold on to the more crucial catches than say Zulqarnain or Ashraf Ali and with the bat, despite his limitations, his courage inspired the team.

So no matter how low Mohsin has gone in Whatmore's case, I agree with his handling of Umar Akmal.

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by WalkingWiggett That "very poor" Sri Lanka actually stole a Test from the Saffers in SA.

I agree - stole is the right agree. Or may be South Africa gifted it to them in a platter. To put things into perspective, when South Africa played as they should have, they blew them away by an innings.

Originally Posted by WalkingWiggett Shane Bond was a terrific bowler, probably NZ's best since the great Hadlee, but he was injured half the time. The current lot have beaten the Aussies in Australia - no doddle. NZ isn't a terrific Test team but they're not that bad, especially at home.

Note that in the first match New Zealand of the same series, Australians had hammered New Zealand. Australians were caught batting last on a really tricky wicket with a batting line-up that had failed them repeatedly for a while. Again, the same New Zealand team was never in the hunt in home conditions against a team that had lost a test to Sri Lanka at home. The point is that on standard test wickets with the teams playing at their best, New Zealand will always be second best against good teams. Especially when they put their eggs in the wrong basket. Glenn Turner did it circa-1995 when he got Lee Germon and made Adam Parore sit outside and banked his reputation on a silly bowler like Robert Kennedy (who disappeared within a jiffy) and then John Bracewell did it by taking away the uncanny imaginative approach of Stephen Fleming and focusing only on one-dayers. By early 2004, the team had tested Australia in Australia, India in India and given South Africa a run for their money and then got blanked very easily by England. So New Zealand won't improve: Apparently, for them, 20-20 is more important than tests.

Originally Posted by WalkingWiggett Being without Misbah is a big blow, definitely. Hope the rain saves this one. The whole series could end up a drab 0-0 washout TBH: it happened before when we toured SL, and we had them following on in (I think) the first Test of the series!

It won't. Pakistanis are still 400 behind with 3 days to go. They don't deserve it. And it has nothing to do with Whatmore - Mohsin's team would have suffered more. He would have been quaking in his knees after losing the toss assuming he had the maturity to realise that the pitch will become alive very quickly.

[Itachi]

Some pak fans are too much obsessed with u akmal. He is this, he is that.... Oh come on! I have yet to see a spectecular innings from him. All these hypes are only based on few performances which he gave when he debut.

@his fans: not gloating from the past history of years ago, can you give some other recent performances which should make him deserve for a test call?

[sully3]

Like Mohsin Khan or load him but he has a point, the teams performance does seem to have taken a nose dive after the Asia cup. I wouldn't put all the blame on Dav but i think PCB shot themselves in the foot by sacking MHK even though under him we played the best cricket in recent memory.

If we look into the future and their is a scenario of the team performing badly and Dav is relieved of his duties bringing back MHK will be a huge ego boost for him, something which he certainly does not need and is also bound to hamper the development of the younger players.

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by sully3 Like Mohsin Khan or load him but he has a point, the teams performance does seem to have taken a nose dive after the Asia cup. I wouldn't put all the blame on Dav but i think PCB shot themselves in the foot by sacking MHK even though under him we played the best cricket in recent memory. If we look into the future and their is a scenario of the team performing badly and Dav is relieved of his duties bringing back MHK will be a huge ego boost for him, something which he certainly does not need and is also bound to hamper the development of the younger players.

Mohsin feasted on Waqar's homework.

Since the tests against England, you have only played limited-over cricket where the team was struggling even during Mohsin's tenure. Pakistanis were blanked by England who were being led by a player who, not so long ago, was not even considered a one-day player.

Earlier, 3 of the wins over Sri Lanka were close ones (2 by 20 runs and 1 by 3 wickets) and in the fourth Pakistanis lost half their team chasing 125-130. We were being bailed out by our bowlers.

This was how you won against England as well.

After the England tests, as I wrote earlier, you merely played limited-over cricket where your team is already poor and hence struggled. Now you are being made to play test cricket on a wicket which has not been designed by you and where the team is far better at playing spin than England and is being led by a good captain in home conditions. Saeed Ajmal and co. who had been camouflaging your 4th bowler failed to do so and all of this was exposed in this game. Pakistanis cannot win tests with 2 and a half bowlers, one opener, one established batsmen and a few hard-working rookies in conditions that do not suit them.

[Havoc]

Originally Posted by kamranwasti Those who lived through the 80s would remember that Mohsin was dropped for the last time in 1986. This had come at the back of a series against the West Indies in which he scored 48 runs in 6 innings, with 40 coming in a single knock. Imran still gave him a chance and took him to Sharjah and played him against Sri Lanka and I clearly remember him coming to open in a white hat, hitting a four and then getting bowled the next ball. That was it. Imran chose Shoaib and Rameez for the next game against India and they delivered. He was dropped for the Perth Challenge Cup - it was being called the America Cup in Pakistan because I guess it was coinciding with the America Cup yachting championships in Australia and then not chosen for the Indian tour. And you know what did he say? "I was dropped unfairly despite good performance against the West Indies." Within weeks he was acting in Bollywood films. A few years later, he was a guest in Tariq Aziz's Neelam Ghar and said that while it would be easy for him to get back, he is not doing so because it would be at the cost of a young cricketer's career. Even with this Pakistani team, the unsung hero is Waqar Younis - he was at the receiving end all the way: The aftermath of the Australian tour, test win against Australia with a team that did not have a SINGLE player averaging in the 40s and then a win against England - the spot-fixing disgrace, that pathetic attempt by the attention-seeking Zulqarnain to get UK citizenship, the wins in New Zealand and then the good show in the World Cup. Mohsin merely inherited a team on the roll that overcame a shoddy Sri Lankan team and then preyed on England's expected weakness - even in that series Pakistanis had batted poorly; they got bowled out for 99 in one game and were bailed out in the second by the spinners. The fourth specialist bowler was as bad as Junaid Khan was today. The point is that this is basically a very weak Pakistani team that has been bailed out repeatedly by its spinners. They have not crossed 400 even once against strong teams for a while now if, I think, you discount that Younis Khan's 313 test. They don't have a decent test match class fast bowler and Mohsin could not find one either. Mohsin is preying on Whatmore in the same way as Javed Miandad did when Woolmer was appointed coach. Pakistan were caught on a wet wicket against Sri Lanka and were bowled out for 100 odd in the Asia Cup and then beat India by 59 runs but missed out on the bonus point by a run and did not qualify for the finals - Miandad's response: "Woolmer has destroyed Pakistani team" - when Pakistanis were blanked in Australia (as per tradition), Miandad attacked once more, "Woolmer has ruined Pakistan cricket." Of course, from there on, there was a turnaround - Pakistanis did admirably well in the triangular and then shocked India in India when their supposedly weakest team ever tied the test series and won the ODI series and then followed it up with three major series wins. As for Whatmore, the task is clear: 1. Be patient with Taufeeq - regardless of his limitations, he is the only proper opener in the lineup and will be important on faster wickets which suit him more. 2. Find a proper partner for Taufeeq - Hafeez is not a test opener. Never was, never will be. 3. Find replacements for Younis and Misbah. 4. Let Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq develop - they have shown that they can battle through pressure situations and their places should be secure. They will have hiccups like they had today but they should be in the starting XI in every game. 5. Find a better wicketkeeper but till then persist with Adnan Akmal. Nothing like it if he develops well. 6. Spinners are fine but on the wrong side of 30. 7. Fast-bowlers - we need 4 decent ones and this will be no easy task since we have seen how ordinary the newer bowlers are regardless of the rave reviews they get over here on the basis of their first class records. Mohsin was not doing it . He would not have done it. Full stop.

Originally Posted by kamranwasti I would say that you go back to the 1980s and you'll realise that Australians did not drop Geoff Marsh until Mark Taylor was had played for almost 3 years successfully even though Geoff Marsh averaged 30. S More critically, West Indies always had Gul Logie in the post Larry Gomes period even though he averaged just 30 once again. Why? Because they knew that he had the temperament to fight back from impossible situations. Personally, I feel that despite Umar Akmal's ability, his mindset makes it impossible for him to be a great. Better have an ordinary player deliver for you consistently than an outrageous talent score the same amount of runs in half the time and then throw it away like Umar does. I expected him to fail in England where he did save for his slogged 70 odd in the last innings. Against South Africa too he failed - when Asad Shafiq was given a chance he delivered (in the same series). If you look at his performances, Asad has: 1. Started off with crucial runs against South Africa 2. Won you a test in New Zealand by scoring crucial runs against New Zealand 3. Was instrumental in getting you a significant lead in the test win over Sri Lanka in the UAE last year 4. Played 3 seriously good innings against England When he scores, Pakistan tend to win. Can you say the same about Umar Akmal? Imran Khan understood this - that is why Shoaib Muhammad was always in his test team. In 1990 against the West Indies, Pakistan were fighting to save the test Shoaib delivered on a very uneven wicket even though he had failed completely in the previous three innings. Saleem Yousuf was another example - he was a really ordinary wicketkeeper. If you get a chance to look at his videos, he did not know how to dive properly. But Imran knew that he was more likely to hold on to the more crucial catches than say Zulqarnain or Ashraf Ali and with the bat, despite his limitations, his courage inspired the team. So no matter how low Mohsin has gone in Whatmore's case, I agree with his handling of Umar Akmal.

Top class posts.

[waqar goraya]

Originally Posted by kamranwasti I would say that you go back to the 1980s and you'll realise that Australians did not drop Geoff Marsh until Mark Taylor was had played for almost 3 years successfully even though Geoff Marsh averaged 30. S More critically, West Indies always had Gul Logie in the post Larry Gomes period even though he averaged just 30 once again. Why? Because they knew that he had the temperament to fight back from impossible situations. Personally, I feel that despite Umar Akmal's ability, his mindset makes it impossible for him to be a great. Better have an ordinary player deliver for you consistently than an outrageous talent score the same amount of runs in half the time and then throw it away like Umar does. I expected him to fail in England where he did save for his slogged 70 odd in the last innings. Against South Africa too he failed - when Asad Shafiq was given a chance he delivered (in the same series). If you look at his performances, Asad has: 1. Started off with crucial runs against South Africa 2. Won you a test in New Zealand by scoring crucial runs against New Zealand 3. Was instrumental in getting you a significant lead in the test win over Sri Lanka in the UAE last year 4. Played 3 seriously good innings against England When he scores, Pakistan tend to win. Can you say the same about Umar Akmal? Imran Khan understood this - that is why Shoaib Muhammad was always in his test team. In 1990 against the West Indies, Pakistan were fighting to save the test Shoaib delivered on a very uneven wicket even though he had failed completely in the previous three innings. Saleem Yousuf was another example - he was a really ordinary wicketkeeper. If you get a chance to look at his videos, he did not know how to dive properly. But Imran knew that he was more likely to hold on to the more crucial catches than say Zulqarnain or Ashraf Ali and with the bat, despite his limitations, his courage inspired the team. So no matter how low Mohsin has gone in Whatmore's case, I agree with his handling of Umar Akmal.

i agree with mind set problem..but fans,media and perhaps our senior cricketers are equally responsible for him..who made him feel that he is the best...not replaceable..best talent in the world...etc
people made him realise that he was everything for pakistan batting..and expected miracles from him straight away...

then what to do with mindset???leave him to astray??you don't get good so often...we should not be content with mediocrity... just can not leave some one of his age..should be coached and improved rather than throwing him out altogether..it is cricket team right now to get best of him

very great batsmen like ponting have failed in their biginning tours to india...none of our batsman succeeded anywhere in so seaming and swinging conditions...
remember how younis,yousuf and butt gave a hat trick to irfan pathan...and anderson,broad and finn are of different class...no one from our current batsmen could have played well..
that england tour was in the toughest batting conditions..only in one innings azhar ali scored 90 odd runs..in that inning umar was batting well on 36 when ran himself out...and in second innings too only he was left with aamir ...so he played a part in winning that match by our low standards..
if shafiq did well in newzealand for just one innings umar did good in his debut series as well...was the highest run getter for pakistan...even in his recent match in windies umar did played his part by scoring 56 when top order failed against sammy and co.
.if shafiq scored some runs against srilanka then he also played a key role in drawing the match from the winning position by making 24 off 100 balls when pakistan was looking to declare..
the difference is when umar scored runs it was in difficult conditions in newzealand and australia.....where we always struggle to win...
remember in sydney test he scored 49 and 49 in the both innings where every one else failed...he was left with no one but gul..
where as shafiq had ajmal and rehman and clueless england batting in uae to turn his 40's into winning ones...

the difference was that calculated and calm misbah was not the captain then......
the difference was that it were not turning tracks of uae which suited pakistan..
the difference was the inability of england batsmen to bat against our spinners which made his 40's look like 400..
we have invested in him...it is the duty of pcb and captain to get best of him...

he has enough of the punishment....we should do everything to regain his exceptional talent rather than be content with mediocrity....fans and media first should not create so much of hype and later on ignore altogether....
moderate,sensible approach is needed rather than idealism...

shafiq should also be there he has a future...no doubt he is good..but umar atleast should be in the squad..

[kamranwasti]

Originally Posted by waqar goraya i agree with mind set problem..but fans,media and perhaps our senior cricketers are equally responsible for him..who made him feel that he is the best...not replaceable..best talent in the world...etc people made him realise that he was everything for pakistan batting..and expected miracles from him straight away... then what to do with mindset???leave him to astray??you don't get good so often...we should not be content with mediocrity... just can not leave some one of his age..should be coached and improved rather than throwing him out altogether..it is cricket team right now to get best of him very great batsmen like ponting have failed in their biginning tours to india...none of our batsman succeeded anywhere in so seaming and swinging conditions... remember how younis,yousuf and butt gave a hat trick to irfan pathan...and anderson,broad and finn are of different class...no one from our current batsmen could have played well.. that england tour was in the toughest batting conditions..only in one innings azhar ali scored 90 odd runs..in that inning umar was batting well on 36 when ran himself out...and in second innings too only he was left with aamir ...so he played a part in winning that match by our low standards.. if shafiq did well in newzealand for just one innings umar did good in his debut series as well...was the highest run getter for pakistan...even in his recent match in windies umar did played his part by scoring 56 when top order failed against sammy and co. .if shafiq scored some runs against srilanka then he also played a key role in drawing the match from the winning position by making 24 off 100 balls when pakistan was looking to declare.. the difference is when umar scored runs it was in difficult conditions in newzealand and australia.....where we always struggle to win... remember in sydney test he scored 49 and 49 in the both innings where every one else failed...he was left with no one but gul.. where as shafiq had ajmal and rehman and clueless england batting in uae to turn his 40's into winning ones... the difference was that calculated and calm misbah was not the captain then...... the difference was that it were not turning tracks of uae which suited pakistan.. the difference was the inability of england batsmen to bat against our spinners which made his 40's look like 400.. we have invested in him...it is the duty of pcb and captain to get best of him... he has enough of the punishment....we should do everything to regain his exceptional talent rather than be content with mediocrity....fans and media first should not create so much of hype and later on ignore altogether.... moderate,sensible approach is needed rather than idealism... shafiq should also be there he has a future...no doubt he is good..but umar atleast should be in the squad..

Pakistan had scores of come-from-behind wins in the 1980s. Try getting hold of the Bangalore test of 1987 where nobody crossed 50 for Pakistan and the only 50 partnership of the game was the 9th wicket stand between Saleem Yousuf and Tauseef Ahmad.

The point I am trying to stress is that Asad created an opportunity for the spinners - not the other way round. I had watched Courtney Walsh lead a depleted West Indies side (no Haynes, Richardson or Ambrose) to a drawn series in India. Indians had everything going in their favour and yet Walsh led the charge and completed a memorable win in the last test. As a 16-year old I had wondered whom would I have to bowl for my life? Wasim, Waqar, Ambrose, McDermott ... or Walsh? My mind could not go beyond the latter - why? Because he gives all that he has.

With Pakistan losing 4 or 5 wickets before the first innings lead was wiped out, who delivered? It was not the brilliantly talented Umar Akmal, but the limited Asad Shafique and a very dour Azhar Ali. In the next game it was the same Azhar Ali and the not-so-stylish Younis Khan.

The problem with our experts won't go away. I had written to Osman Samiuddin at the time when Cricinfo's All-time XI was being chosen for Pakistan: I knew they'd go for Zaheer Abbas over Younis who apart from style does not even have a better record in the first place. I have done an analysis of it somewhere as well. But put yourself in a back-against-the-wall situation in the fourth innings where you are trying to save a match - who can do it for you? Zaheer Abbas or Younis Khan? If you answer that correctly, and I believe you can, then you'd know why Umar Akmal is not in the picture. Even Mishbah, the calm and calculated Misbah as you call him, agrees.

[LegCutter]

Why are you writing in letter form 0_o

[kamranwasti]

Happens with age. I changed it

[waqar goraya]

@kamran
well you have not answered all...i am asking you that should we forget umar altogether for rest of his life???
we can not say that akmal could have not got 40's....he has been alone survival in many games....when both have played in all together different conditions against different nations it is not suitable to deduct our conclusion..the example is weatindies tour only time they played together ..when every time he contributed same as shafiq contributed here and shafiq failed...but circumstances were different..
is it right to drop a batsmen who was second highest scorer..???
by this way dravid is greater than tendulkar...but tendulkar has no replacement..
you can not have six dravids..
same is the case with umar has no replacement ...all they do is replace him with jokers like malik and iqbal..
both are necessary as shafiq and akmal both are necessary ...younis and misbah will be no longer there...so umar is needed ..should be worked upon...and should be atleast in the squad....

[waqar goraya]

also scoring is also important....planning for only draw is not good...yes shafiq will be better in drawing...but there is not great difference ...there are many aspects of a game...

[truthseer]

Akmal in for Hafeez, surely?

[waqar goraya]

Originally Posted by truthseer Akmal in for Hafeez, surely?

should be but nothing is sure not even iqbal qasim after this series..
should have not been dropped after being our second best bat against windies ..had scored more runs than any one else and got dropped

[forzapakistan]

Wow this statement by Mohsin makes me even happier about having Dav as a coach and not him anymore. It's just plain wrong in so many ways that I don't know where to begin.

[PakPrince]

Mohsin is missing the unlimited supply of chai he had as Pakistan coach!