Team manager and chief selector Moin Khan admitted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is preparing itself for the worst in case Saeed Ajmal is asked to modify his action, and has already summoned backup off-spinners in the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Moin was speaking to the media after his meeting with PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan, who is on an official visit to Karachi. They discussed the poor performance of Pakistan in Sri Lanka and brainstormed methods for the team to improve in the future series against Australia and New Zealand.
When asked about the PCB’s stance and contingency plans on Ajmal’s matter, he replied, “We’ve called up a few other spinners. Atif Maqbool has done well in the recent domestic season and has been called to the NCA along with other youngsters.”
Moin has also been under scrutiny for having two posts, but he waved off the criticism, stating that the dual responsibility has given him an edge while selecting players and so far, he had dealt with both duties efficiently.
‘Moin backs Misbah to bounce back’
The former captain backed skipper Misbahul Haq after a disappointing away series against the Islanders, where Pakistan lost 2-0 in the Test series and were pipped 2-1 in the ODIs.
“Misbah couldn’t do well against Sri Lanka and that affected the batting of the whole team because he is the leader,” he added. “However, he’ll bounce back in the next series because he has performed consistently in the past.
“If you look at Misbah’s track record, his captaincy has given Pakistan stability over the last few years and he has always done well as a batsman.”
Moin also defended the PCB’s decision to not retain wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed in the one-day series, stating that although Sarfaraz played really well, they did not want to disturb the settled combination in the ODIs.
Dire need to strengthen grassroots: Shaharyar
Shaharyar believes that there is a dire need to strengthen cricket at the grassroot level. He stated this while addressing officials of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) before inaugurating the renovation of their new office located at the National Stadium, Karachi.
KCCA President Professor Ejaz Faruqi, Secretary Shafiq Kazmi, Treasurer Musheer Rabbani and other officials were also present on the occasion. The PCB chairman said Karachi was the biggest nursery of cricket and there was a strong need to launch an effort to improve and raise its standard in the metropolis.
The chairman has held meetings with former cricketers Rashid Latif, Basit Ali, Salahuddin Sallu and Faisal Iqbal, and also intends to meet legendary batsman Hanif Mohammad and commentator Jamshed Markar.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2014.
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cricket and Pakistan is just a bad mix
Time to replace the present cricket coach with a maulana as it seems this is what the Pakistani players seems to be interested in......