Would love to play under Arthur forever: Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan opener says head coach extracts 100 per cent out of every player

Pakistan’s swashbuckling opener Fakhar Zaman believes if he is given the opportunity, then he would like to play under head coach Mickey Arthur till the end of his career.

Under Arthur, appointed the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team in May 2016, the Men in Green bagged their first-ever Champions Trophy last year and Fakhar believes it is all because of his work ethic.

“I have been playing cricket at various levels for about 10 years and I have yet to work under the guidance of a head coach like Mickey Arthur who looks after his players so well,” Fakhar told PakPassion. “What Mickey does not compromise upon is commitment by players for the national team. He has zero tolerance for that as he believes that if one wishes to play for the Pakistan team, they need to be a hundred per cent committed to all aspects of the game — be it fielding, batting or bowling. For Mickey, there is no effort below hundred per cent which a player should be giving for the team.”

He continued by crediting Arthur for the performances that he was able to extract from the youngsters in the last two years. “I feel that the credit for the excellent performances of youngsters in our current team belongs solely to Mickey.  It is due to Mickey’s guidance that we are always focused on giving our best for Pakistan. If it was up to me, I would like to play my whole career with Mickey Arthur as my coach,” said the left-handed batsman.

‘We’ll work out strategy to face Anderson, Broad’

Pakistan are currently touring the UK for a one-off Test against Ireland followed by two-match series against England, where they will be facing the threat of veteran English pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, and Fakhar believes they will work out a plan against them.

“There is still some time to go before the series begins and we are working hard to get ourselves in the right mind set for the conditions we will encounter in England,” said the southpaw. “As far as Anderson and Broad are concerned, they will probably be a handful on their own pitches. As the time to face them draws nearer, we will study their videos in more details to understand their strengths and weaknesses and work out a strategy to play them. I am convinced that we have the batting strength to not only play both of these bowlers with ease but also to put up big scores against them.”

‘Pray instead of criticising’

Fakhar’s selection in the squad for the tour of England came under criticism because of his fast-paced batting style, and the 28-year-old has said that the players need prayers now more than scrutiny.

“To all those who have been critical of my selection for Tests, I will simply ask them to spend their time in praying for my success in Test cricket rather than criticising. If I succeed in this format for Pakistan, it will not only be great for Pakistan but even they will feel good about it,” he said.