PakPassion.net recently caught up with former Pakistan wicketkeeper and captain Rashid Latif. Latif recently resigned as coach of Afghanistan and is currently in England playing for Lashings alongside former Pakistani legends like Saqlain Mushtaq and Inzamam ul Haq. As ever Rashid certainly did not hold back with his thoughts and opinions on the recent rule changes enforced by the ICC.

By Saj Sadiq (1st July, 2011)

 

PakPassion.net recently caught up with former Pakistan wicketkeeper and captain Rashid Latif.

Latif recently resigned as coach of Afghanistan and is currently in England playing for Lashings alongside former Pakistani legends like Saqlain Mushtaq and Inzamam ul Haq.

As ever Rashid certainly did not hold back with his thoughts and opinions on the recent rule changes enforced by the ICC.


DRS

“I agree with the thinking behind have a system like the DRS, but I feel that all decisions should not be taken away from the umpire and referred to the review system. I think that only bat/pad decisions should be referred. I don't think that leg before decisions should be referred unless a batsman feels that he has hit the ball.

Also there should be some punishment system for batsmen who deliberately ask for referrals and are subsequently given out. The punishment for the batsman should be that he should not be eligible to ask for a referral next time he bats.

I think the DRS should be implemented for all formats of the game but my concern is the accuracy of the technology that is being used. Exactly how accurate is, can it predict the bounce on certain wickets, can it be trusted? It needs to be 100% accurate before it's used for leg before decisions and that’s why I prefer that leg before decisions should remain in the hands of the umpire at the moment.

Too many LBW decisions are being given out, which I feel are not actually out, especially when it comes to predicting the line of a delivery.

I believe that more research and investigation was needed before the DRS was implemented. It's very easy to sit in the commentary box and predict the line of a delivery, but the line of that delivery could well be very different to what the current technology is displaying. The ICC should have invested in more research into the technology before introducing it. Look at the example of Tennis, thorough research was carried out before the technology was implemented and it took a long time before it was fully introduced. However for cricket it seems to have been rushed through.”


Runners no Longer Allowed

“There has to be an alternative or sub rule to this rule change when it is a serious injury. There is going to come a time in a high profile test match when 10 runs are needed and only 2 wickets are standing and one of the batsmen picks up a serious injury and the match is lost due to no runner being allowed. It's going to cause a lot of ill feeling and therefore I would suggest that this ruling is broadened to look at serious injuries.

Cricket is being overcomplicated. There are too many changes for the sake of change. Cricket is a beautiful game that is being overcomplicated by too many changes to the rules. Whether a runner is allowed or not should be on field umpire's discretion as they can determine whether an injury is serious or not and whether a runner should be allowed.

I feel that runners should be allowed in a test match as it's a five day game and teams will not go into a five day match taking a risk with an injured player.”


Direction Change by a Batsman When Running

“I totally agree with this rule change. I've seen it so many times when a batsman deliberately changes direction to get in between the fielder and the stumps and ensures that the ball hits the batsman rather than heading towards the stumps.”


Associate Teams and the 2015 World Cup

“I feel that too much importance is being given by Associate teams to the World Cup. I would remove Associate teams entirely from events such as the World Cup. The World Cup is the premier event in cricket and it should only be the top few teams that compete in this event. The problem is that television audiences are not interested in watching an Associate team competing against one of the leading teams as more often than not, it is a one sided match.

There should be a better version of the one day ranking system and based on those rankings, only the top eight teams should compete in the World Cup. It doesn't matter which two teams are outside the top eight, they will have to miss out.

There should be an alternative World Cup for Associate teams, based on rankings 9 to 16. Associate teams like Afghanistan are not really benefitting from playing in the World Cup as it is not improving the cricketing infrastructure back home. No grounds are being built. Look at the example of Kenya, they have played in the World Cup so many times, yet there has been no improvement to their cricketing infrastructure, stadia or standard of domestic cricket.”


World Cup Format

“The best format is to have one group of eight teams - where all the teams play each other once. Once all group fixtures have been played, the top four teams should progress to the semi finals and then the two winners onto the final.

This will result in a high quality and exciting tournament. This whole concept of Super Six doesn't really appeal to the cricketing public. It just creates confusion and doesn't add to the quality of the cricket being played.”


Development of Associate Teams

“Rather than handing Associate teams money for competing in tournaments like the World Cup, the ICC should take greater control of how the money is invested. Having coached Afghanistan recently I can confirm that money is being given to Afghanistan cricket but it's not being utilised in areas where it is most needed like the building of new grounds. What is the point of the Associate teams playing in World Cups when back home they don't even have grounds to play cricket upon.”


Test Status for Associate Nations

“Test cricket needs to be more universal. Countries like Afghanistan, Scotland, Ireland and Kenya should make test status their priority above playing in tournaments like the World Cup. When they are given test status they don't need to immediately play against the top teams, instead they can compete against themselves and against the lower ranked established test nations in test cricket. By giving these nations test status, their cricket will become more competitive and will develop a lot better and quicker. I guarantee that teams like Ireland and Afghanistan would beat the likes of Zimbabwe in test cricket within one year of them being granted test status and them being given the appropriate levels of support.

Without test cricket, the Associate teams will not improve. Look at the example of Kenya, if they had been given test status in 2003, they would be a competitive unit. Their cricketing infrastructure will have been much stronger. Instead they (Kenya) have gone backwards in all aspects. However look at the other example of Bangladesh. They are not too far away from becoming a competitive side in test cricket. Their infrastructure is strong due to the funding they are receiving as a test playing nation. Now compare the monies they are receiving with those of an Associate nation. The amount is vastly different. With the incoming funds as a test playing nation, the opportunity is there to invest those funds in key areas of the game in the respective countries.”


His Own Future

“I'm enjoying playing for Lashings and relaxing.

I haven't made any long term plans, but I am always willing to help Pakistan cricket in any way, whether that's at the National Cricket Academy, or in other areas of development.

I've learnt a lot from my spell as the coach of Afghanistan and I think that the coach of Afghanistan is the hardest job in cricket.

Also my academies are expanding and we are now working in various areas in Punjab and looking to expand across other areas of Pakistan and work with cricketers from those regions. The network is spreading to places such as Sukkur, Burewala, Hyderabad and you never know we might unearth a new Waqar Younis one day!”