Quality batsmen should be backed for long: Ijaz

By ND Prashant/Doha

Former Pakistan player Ijaz Ahmed has stressed the need to back quality batsmen and look after them well. Ahmed also lauded the Indian cricket board’s policy of persisting with all their top batsmen for so long.

“Like everyone, I’m also surprised how well Sachin Tendulkar has kept going for so long but more importantly, I’m happy to see the policy of the Indian cricket board. They know that it is difficult to find a batsman like Sachin and when you have someone like him, it is important to look after him. The Indian board has done just that,” said Ahmed, after interacting with Pakistan Cricket Academy players in Doha yesterday. Ahmed is on a three-day visit here to Qatar.

“Not just Sachin but Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly were also well-backed and retained for long by the BCCI. They also ensured that new players are nurtured under experienced stars. Other boards also should emulate this policy,” said Ahmed, who figured in 60 Tests and 250 ODI’s, accumulating a total of 9,879 runs for Pakistan.

Ahmed, who shares a record six-Test centuries against Australia with Javed Miandad, felt that Pakistan’s failure in the recent Test series against South Africa was mainly because they had gone there underprepared.

“This definitely is not a new thing. Pakistan always have problems when we play in South Africa or Australia. Secondly, the Pakistan team didn’t get sufficient time after the India Tour. Then the players played in the domestic Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and lost a few more days. After that, they went straight to South Africa,” said Ahmed.

“If the team would have trained in Pakistan for 15 to 20 days and then another 10 to 15 days in South Africa, they would have been better prepared and could have got used to the conditions.”

Lack of shot selection on the part of batsmen was also another reason for the team’s poor showing, according to Ahmed.

“In the first Test for example, 11 catches were taken by the keeper and then five more in the slips. Out of the 20 wickets, at least 16 fell behind the wickets. I personally believe the most important thing while playing there is to leave the balls that are outside the off stump and restrict your drives,” said Ahmed, whose highest score in ODI (139 not out) came against arch-rivals India in 1997 at Lahore.

Though the critics have come hard on Pakistan’s coach Dav Whatmore after the forgettable South Africa Test series, Ahmed has come out in support of the Australian.

“It’s always been the case; when the team wins it is always credited to the players and when they lose the coach has to take the blame.

“Whatmore has enormous experience and that’s why he was named Pakistan’s coach. The only problem he might be facing is to understand our mindset, our culture and our language. These things go a bit against him but otherwise he has all the abilities of a good coach,” said Ahmed, who appeared in four World Cups and was a part of Imran Khan’s World Cup winning squad in 1992.

With two years to go for the next World Cup, Ahmed also emphasised on the need for PCB to cast their nets wider in order to pick a proper team.

“It is not just about replacing the skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. I do agree he is at the fag-end of his career and may not be there for the next World Cup. But if you take a look at our team, up to 70 percent of the players are between the ages of 33 and 37. We cannot change the team at one go but one by one we have to change and find replacements in the coming year.

“Youngsters should be given opportunities, like Ahmed Shehzad was given now. You get the youngsters in within the coming six months and make them play for another one-and-a-half years; then we can go to the World Cup with a different approach,” suggested Ahmed, who also felt that Pakistan will have to play out of their skins and field well if they have to make amends in the ODI series against South Africa.

“Pakistan won a T20 match and that would have lifted their morale. They will be keen to improve and will be looking to salvage something from the tour with a good show in the ODIs. The pitches will not be that bouncy, but I feel fielding and fitness will be the key. Senior players will be tested and so I give the South African team the edge.”