Cricket: The end of Mohsin’s eventful innings

Head coach took charge of his last match, makes way for Dav Whatmore, cricket fraternity praises stint.

KARACHI:

Mohsin Khan appreciated the praise and encouragement he received during his tenure as head coach of the national team after his stint ended with Pakistan’s Twenty20 against England yesterday.

The former cricketer, who took over the role after Waqar Younis resigned citing health reasons, was appointed for the series against Sri Lanka before an extension to his tenure saw him taking charge against Bangladesh and England as well.

Tour sweeps in all three formats against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh was followed by the highlight of Mohsin’s reign: whitewashing England 3-0 in the Test series last month.

A 4-0 loss in the subsequent One-Day International (ODI) series against the same opponents did take some gloss away from an otherwise remarkable stint.

However, Mohsin was content with his performance, while appreciating the encouragement he received  from former players.

“I’m thankful to all those who supported me during my tenure,” said Mohsin. “The encouragement was a great help and lifted our team’s performance.

“We’ve tried our best in every game and although we’ve let a few games slip, I’m pleased that the boys gave their 100 per cent.”

Praise and appreciation also poured in from the cricket fraternity after his successful stint with the Pakistan team.

Mohsin, who expressed his desire to continue as coach, makes way for former Australian cricketer Dav Whatmore who arrives early next month to take charge of the team before the Asia Cup, as confirmed by Intikhab Alam, head of the coach-hunt committee.

Former PCB chief opposes decision

Former Test cricketers and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials praised the coach’s performance and opposed the decision of replacing Mohsin with Whatmore.

“The results speak for themselves,” former PCB chief Khalid Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “Mohsin worked under me in different coaching roles and fulfilled his role well. He has once again proved to be an asset for Pakistan cricket because he handled the team in a professional manner.

“There were no controversies during his tenure, which is unusual for Pakistan cricket, and is also evidence of his competency.

“I oppose the decision because nobody changes a winning combination. Mohsin’s also improved his performance in subsequent tours.”

Fears infighting under Whatmore      

The former PCB chief feared that with the board reportedly giving a dominant role to Whatmore, there were chances of infighting in the team.

“Mohsin made a good rapport with the captain [Misbahul Haq]. A captain has a key role and if the coach is given more power then there are chances of discord within the team.”

‘New spark in team witnessed’

Former Test cricketer Shoaib Mohammad said the team found a new rhythm under Mohsin.

“There was a change in the mindsets of players, especially the batsmen,” said Shoaib. “I noticed a spark in the team that was missing before.”

Shoaib criticised the PCB’s move, saying that it was an attempt to take credit away from Mohsin for Pakistan’s impressive show.

“A coach should get the due credit and the PCB has not done that with Mohsin.”

Khalid Mehmood

“There were no controversies during his tenure, which is unusual for Pakistan cricket, and is also evidence of his competency. I oppose the decision because nobody changes a winning combination.”

Shoaib Mohammad

“There was a change in the mindsets of players especially those of the batsmen. I noticed a spark in the team that was missing before. A coach should also be given due credit and the PCB has not done that with Mohsin.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2012.