‘We don’t have anything but the spirit to win’

Blind cricket team captain attributes success to strong domestic structure.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan blind cricket team has attributed its success to hard work and a strong domestic structure after they thrashed Australia in both the Twenty20 and one-day series last month. Pakistan whitewashed Australia 3-0 in both the series and also set a world record of winning 23 consecutive one-day matches.

Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistan blind team captain, came down harsh on the national squad, currently participating in the World Cup, and said his men were not easily discouraged on the field. Pakistan national team lost to New Zealand on Tuesday and Razzaq was not impressed with the performance of the players.

“We feel the responsibility when we play another country,” Razzaq told The Express Tribune. “After the defeat against New Zealand in the World Cup, I feel the national team needs to learn from us because when we make mistakes in the field we try to make up for it as quickly as possible.

“We do not have anything but the spirit to win. We try to find the inspiration from them but it should be the other way around.”

Razzaq added that his men have remained the World Champions since winning the title in 2002 due to a strong domestic structure. He said all the players from all over the country earn an equal chance to represent the team and are also required to play in the domestic circuit every year to stay in shape.

The fast-bowler also credited the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) for managing its players in a better way compared to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“I think the management plays a big role in a team’s success. Our manager and coach Naveed Ahmed has been with us for nine years now and all the players have a good relationship with him. He understands the players’ strengths and weaknesses.

“When we hear stories about the scandals of our cricket stars we feel that the PCB doesn’t handle them well.”

Pakistan blind team’s next challenge is the World Cup that will be held in June and according to Razzaq, batsmen Muhammad Jameel, Amir Ashfaq and Anees Javeed are the players to watch out for in the nine-nation tournament.

Published in The Express Tribune,  March 11^th, 2011.