Ex Pakistan Coach, Mohsin Khan, spoke about the issues regarding selection of Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe and the recent attempts by the three disgraced Pakistani cricketers to apologise to the public.

By Amir Husain (21st August, 2013)

History was made for Pakistani cricket in 1982 on August 13th when, a young batsman by the name of Mohsin Hasan Khan wrote his name in the record books as being the first Pakistani to score a double hundred at the home of cricket at Lords. Recognised by many as one of the finest batsmen to open for Pakistan, Mohsin later in his life distinguished himself as Head Coach for the Pakistan team and under his tutelage, Pakistan won three consecutive series against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the now famous 3-Nil “whitewash” against England in the UAE.

With Dav Whatmore replacing Mohsin Khan as coach of Pakistan, the veteran batsmen has redirected his energies at providing analytical comment about the game which he continues to follow with keen enthusiasm. Known for his frank and sometimes overly critical remarks about the state of affairs surrounding the Pakistan cricket team, Mohsin Khan to this day is one of the most sought after experts in his profession and in exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, he spoke about the issues regarding selection of Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe and the recent attempts by the three disgraced Pakistani cricketers to apologise to the public.


An important opportunity to blood young cricketers has been missed

"Pakistani selectors should have taken the bold step to drop or rest some of the senior players for this tour and taken on more youngsters. A futuristic and a brave approach was needed for team selection on the Zimbabwe tour."

"Specifically, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal should have been rested. It is a fact that the senior players can always come back into the fold as and when needed against stronger opposition."

"It is strange that when there was an actual need for experience in the team, the likes of Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan were not picked for the Champions Trophy. On the tour of Zimbabwe, there was actually a strong case to leave them out. However, they have been selected to play against a weaker opposition which is baffling to say the least."

"The question really is this - Are we trying to register victories against weaker oppositions or are we afraid of losing to Zimbabwe? When you decide to provide chances to new players, then you don’t worry about winning or losing. This is similar to what Australia is doing during the Ashes and what India have done during their recent tour of Zimbabwe."

"Another reason for resting senior players is that under the sensible guidance of Misbah-ul-Haq, this tour would have been very beneficial for young and/or inexperienced cricketers and in turn for Pakistan cricket as we don’t get these opportunities so often."

"Without getting into names, in my view, an inexperienced off or leg-spinner should have been tried for this tour. In addition, Mohammad Irfan should have been selected to play one Test match on this tour so as to keep him in practice for the Test series against South Africa. Even Ahmad Jamal from Abbotabad, who bowled one of the fastest deliveries in the Wasim Akram pace bowler’s camp, should have been given chance. He could have played with the safety net of Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz or Irfan to prove his mettle."


The positives in the selection for the squad bound for Zimbabwe

"I am very happy to see Khurram Manzoor and Faisal Iqbal so they can prove their worth. Sohaib Maqsood is a very good choice for the T20 squad although it has to be said that he should have also been included for the ODI team as well, along with Zulfiqar Babar. Another commendable choice is that of Anwar Ali and I hope he will be asked to play a few games and not taken as a passenger!"


The importance of a genuine wicket-keeper

"I am also heartened to see that Pakistan are travelling with a genuine wicket-keeper. This is a fact that I have been stressing upon all along. This regular keeper should have been there in the previous tour to West Indies as well. "

"Both Adnan Akmal for Test matches and Sarfraz Ahmed are there for the team to use with proper guidance although Adnan should also have been considered for ODIs as well. Now as we are well aware, Umar Akmal is not available for the tour and Sarfraz Ahmed will take his responsibilities and I believe this is a blessing in disguise for Pakistan and I wish both Adnan and Sarfraz all the success on this tour.


Umar Akmal’s future role as a wicket-keeper

“Although he has been declared unfit for the tour of Zimbabwe, it also has to be said that Umar Akmal has shown signs of improvement as wicket-keeper. However, this does not mean that you misuse him as he is more useful as a batsman in the lower middle-order and an outstanding fielder as well. So apart from his batting, he can also add tremendous value to the Pakistan team as a fielder which is a well known area of weakness for our team.”


Khurram Manzoor should be given ample chances to play in both Test Matches

“With the absence of Imran Farhat due to regrettable personal reasons, the management must allow Khurram Manzoor a chance in both Test matches to justify the reason for his recall to the international arena. Manzoor last played for Pakistan in 2009 and if we are giving him a chance on this tour, then we need to provide ample opportunities for him to make his mark.”


The recent spate of apologies by the ‘spot-fixing’ trio

“I have to confess that I am very sadly disappointed in the way this has happened and the question to be asked is, who is guiding these players to make these statements that after fighting and losing their case at the ICC and CAS levels in the most disgraceful manner, they are now apologising profusely as if they were always guilty! Whoever has guided them does not know the meaning of self-respect or does not respect the nation. “


Pakistan kick-off their tour of Zimbabwe on the 23rd of August with the 1st of 2 T20Is, followed by 3 ODIs and 2 Test matches.