wasim akram expresses worries

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assalamoalikum :jhanda:

Wasim expresses worries reports india times:

Wasim cannot see a silver lining for Pakistani cricket
Wasim Akram has admitted he fears for the future of the game in Pakistan following his country’s disastrous World Cup.

The 36-year-old all-rounder said: “I am worried about the future of Pakistani cricket - we have been losing non-stop since August 2002.”

The losing streak was capped this month with Pakistan’s worst performance in eight World Cups.

Writing in The Times of India, Wasim said: "For the first time in my 18-year career, I see a paucity of talent in the country.

“There were times when (captain) Waqar (Younis) would sit to pick the team in consultation with some of us seniors, and we would be hard put to find 11 players since everyone was going through a lean patch.”

Pakistan began their World Cup campaign with a big loss to Australia, and followed that with defeats to England and arch-rivals India.

Hostility

A wash-out against Zimbabwe ended the team’s slim hopes of making the Super Six stage.

Pakistan’s players flew home on Friday amid fears of fan hostility.

Many of them were whisked away in cars at the airport to avoid angry supporters, some of whom demonstrated outside players’ homes.

In Karachi and Lahore, angry mobs burned effigies of Wasim and Waqar.

Wasim said: “Home should be the last place one should fear going, but our past experience has led to a situation where everyone is dreading the backlash at home.”

A three-member panel headed by former test cricketer Colonel Naushad Ali will investigate the Pakistan team’s poor performance.

Local media have reported infighting among senior players.

Inzamam-ul-Haq was seen publicly scuffling with Younis Khan and there were rumours that Wasim, the former skipper, and Younis would not talk to each other.

Wasim directly criticized team-mates Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq for their poor form.

“The selectors must take a long hard look at the likes of Shahid Afridi … Afridi’s approach would hardly inspire any captain to persist with him,” he wrote.

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Wasim shudnt retire if hez THAT WORRIED!

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He should have expressed his worries when Pakistan lost to Australia in Sharjah.....scoring a total of hundred runs in a test match on a dead wicket like Sharjah....is the most humiliating thing.....Waqar is begherat....he still hasnt resigned.......in the WC the problem was with our management....no the players(except inzi n shoaib).....our captain coach n tour selection committee sucked.....the batting order was changed every match....how do u expect a batsman to perform like that.....we has three coaches....all goras....how are inzi n all supposed to understand wht they say?!?!
we need someone like hanif muhammad....hes a great batsman n a great planner....!!!
If Pakistan fail on the Sharjah wicket again(thats where theyve always succeeded...!!) i dont see a future for Pakistani cricket!!....

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The failiure in the WC wasn't because of lack of talent but bad captaincy and bad form of players.
Saeed Anwar came into the team after such a long time, you can't blame him for getting out on 20s, and showed his class in the last match against India. Our openers were good but they were handedled badly the captain, every match we would have a new opening batsman.
vs Australia we had Taufeeq Umar and Afridi
vs Namoibia we had Saeed Anwar and Elahi
vs England we had Saeed Anwar and Afridi
vs Netherland and India we had Taufeeq Umar and Saeed Anwar.
vs ZImbabwe we had Saeed Anwar and Saleem Elahi
So that is 4 different openers we had in 6 match that we played, what kind of captaincy is that, when your player is out of form, you shouldn't put them in a new position every match but give them confidence by playing them in their regular spot.
The bigges example was Salem Elahi, I thought he was in good form but he kept on getting dropped and brought back for no reason.

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I don't know what all of ypu mean by future of Pakistani cricket. It is in the nature of the game that cyclically a team goes up and down. I am not saying you shouldn't criticise players but driving them to desperation with relentless and personal criticism is unfair. I did not see any criticism anywhere near this level until after the thrashing by India. But you should realize that that match was all Sachin and nothing to do with your team. 273 is a great score. On that Sachin would have slaughtered McGrath and Bret Lee and Gillespie and Muralitharan as he did Wasim and Shoaib. It is that simple.

A genious bowler such as Wasim comes once in a blue moon. If you cannot keep him happy, stop blaming everyone else and take a hard look at what the heck the fans of Pakistan have done! For some reason fans in India and Pakistan believe that they should never fail ...do you know how much it hurts the player and family when stupid morons take out processions and burn effigies and throw paint? Yet same morons will start advising players about "spirit of the game" if they have an arguement in the field!

Come on guys!

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I just wanted to add that just like religious extremism this kind of attack on players is extremism also

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by aravamudhan: *
I don't know what all of ypu mean by future of Pakistani cricket. It is in the nature of the game that cyclically a team goes up and down. I am not saying you shouldn't criticise players but driving them to desperation with relentless and personal criticism is unfair. I did not see any criticism anywhere near this level until after the thrashing by India. But you should realize that that match was all Sachin and nothing to do with your team. 273 is a great score. On that Sachin would have slaughtered McGrath and Bret Lee and Gillespie and Muralitharan as he did Wasim and Shoaib. It is that simple.

A genious bowler such as Wasim comes once in a blue moon. If you cannot keep him happy, stop blaming everyone else and take a hard look at what the heck the fans of Pakistan have done! For some reason fans in India and Pakistan believe that they should never fail ...do you know how much it hurts the player and family when stupid morons take out processions and burn effigies and throw paint? Yet same morons will start advising players about "spirit of the game" if they have an arguement in the field!

Come on guys!
[/QUOTE]

Very nice!
But we are not blaming the form of players, something that can not be changed but what about the way our team was managed, that was a human error something which could have been fixed. The way Waqar handeled the team was just horrible, and he should be heavily criticized for that. I would never criticize Inzi for his lack of good form because I know he is a great player and will get his form back.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by BrokenSky: *
Wasim shudnt retire if hez THAT WORRIED!
[/QUOTE]

He is not quiting. I think he should captain the side.

Akram says he will not quit in national interest
Press Trust of India
Islamabad, March 8

In a sudden volte-face, veteran left-arm seamer Wasim Akram has said he will not quit international cricket in the "best national interest" as the team needs senior players who can "lift its morale".

After vouching to hang his boots and formally announce his retirement once he reached home after his team's ignominious exit from the World Cup, Akram said he had no intention of retiring now.

"Cricket is not finished in me and I have no intention of quitting the international scene, particularly when the team is in a bad shape after being dumped out from the World Cup," he told reporters on his arrival at the Lahore airport late on Friday.

Accompanying Akram on the same flight were Inzamam ul-Haq, Abdur Razzaq, Saleem Elahi and team manager Shahryar Khan.

"I believe that the team needs senior players who could lift its morale. That's why I have decided to change my mind in the best national interest," he said.

Akram said the continuous change in the batting order blocked the formation of a team combination and added "if our batting had clicked, the results could have been different."

He declined to answer when asked whether the results would have been different had he been the skipper.

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I think Wasim Akram should not be naming players because of their poor form in the World Cup. The whole team didn't play good. If he is to name players then why did he just mention Razzaq or Afridi? Why not Inzamam or Younis Khan. Yes we all know Inzamam is a great player but what did he do in the 6 matches he played? 19 runs in 6 matches by this Legendry player and he's going out there and blaming Razzaq and Afridi. These guys are young, they aren't used to pressure situations, but Inzamam is. Yeah he is going through a rough patch, that doesnt mean he shouldn't be blamed for not playing well. And what did Younis Khan do? I don't understand his inclusion in the team after repeated failures. This guy has played 75 ODI matches and hasn't scored a single one day hundred!! And what about the game against the Indians? Where Shoiab and Waqar got hammered all over the ground. The same Razzaq and Afridi which Wasim mentioned bowled much better than both them. As I have said before, Pakistan's exit is not one or two people's fault, it was the whole team effort which completly lacked in the side, from captincy, to batting, and to coaching.

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Wasim has a good point, where is the talent?

None of the young guys, esp batsmen are special-just a load of flat track bullies, and the bowling too is thin compared to the glut of class we enjoyed in the late 80's thru the 1990's. Shoaib aside, possibly Sami-although he must now prove himself, we are light of match winning bowlers, and this is a disaster.

We have fast guys coming thru, pace, but no batting, no back up bowlers worthy of mention and no fielding, add to that terrible captaincy anmd poor management-the immediate future of Pakistani cricket looks sad.

Akram will retire, and he shud, his greatness is secure-its up to todays guys yo rise and fill his boots. Waqar to be stripped of the captaincy and (sadly) dropped, Afridi and co axed for life (I have always maintained he was crap), and try new blood.

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I think Wasim will be the next captain of the team.

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Yaasir man your way of the mark!

Afridi has been around since 1996, he's a veteran of over 100 games, 2 WC's and like 30~ tests, he's been under pressure situation and just cant perform. I have truied to school you guys on this issue for months, the WC proved me right again and Wasim is just saying what we all think.

Razzak too has been around since the late 90's, and has played enough to prove his worth. His test record (esp bowling) is bad and he's falling off-however he has shown he has immense talent, uunlike no good Afridi.

I am glad Wes has decided not to call it a day, although I still feel he shud-we need the great man around to help us keep at the highest level. When he goes, we are done as a side. Alkhtar cant win it al on his own, god knows he tries and he's a fantastic player, with all the class in the world-a match winner.

Where is the batting talent?

Fresh bowlers?

Play the young seamers, we have no option.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by mo_best: *
Yaasir man your way of the mark!

Afridi has been around since 1996, he's a veteran of over 100 games, 2 WC's and like 30~ tests, he's been under pressure situation and just cant perform. I have truied to school you guys on this issue for months, the WC proved me right again and Wasim is just saying what we all think.

Razzak too has been around since the late 90's, and has played enough to prove his worth. His test record (esp bowling) is bad and he's falling off-however he has shown he has immense talent, uunlike no good Afridi.

I am glad Wes has decided not to call it a day, although I still feel he shud-we need the great man around to help us keep at the highest level. When he goes, we are done as a side. Alkhtar cant win it al on his own, god knows he tries and he's a fantastic player, with all the class in the world-a match winner.

Where is the batting talent?

Fresh bowlers?

Play the young seamers, we have no option.
[/QUOTE]

I agree Moe, Afridi has played lots of matches, but he has been in and out of the squad on numerous occaisions. he has the talent, its a different story on how he plays and his poor shot selection. When Javed Miandad was the coach, he was playing well.

Players like Razzaq and Afridi need to be in a set position. Razzaq failed in the WC because first he was sent down the order then he was sent in at no.3 He is no way near a no.3 batsmen. Youhana should be in at no.3

As for Afridi, he should be sent down the order, and be tried there, as I have said before, how WI use Ricardo Powell, and it is paying of for them. I believe same can be done for Afridi, he is not a batsmen, but just a hitter.

As for bowling, He can be a good bowler, and going by Pakistan's current performences, they need a good sixth bowler bowler. He shuold be played with the likes of Saqlain, so when he is not avalible or retires, Afridi can be a good 5th bowler. When Pakistan defeated Australia in Austrlia, Pakistan went with only 5 bowlers, who was the 5th bowler? it was Afridi and he did the job in every game.

The talent is all there in the current players, Pakistani coaching staff needs to get it out of them, motivate them, make them get fit, work hard. The talent just needs to be extracted, that's all. Young players always need the support of the captain, coach. And that's what Pakistan has to do right now, instead of totally going in with a brand new team with all youngsters. They did that last time against Austrlia, and we all saw what happened.

All I am saying is that terrible performence in the WC is not just Afridi, or Razzq fault. The captiancy, the coach, the unsettled top order, too many team changes, and Inzamam's, Younis Khan's poor run all combined to make this poor WC performence. Naming Afridi or Razzaq won't help Pakistan get back to their winning ways. Wasim should be helping these players out and motivating them. Winning and losing a part of the game. Pakistan need to sit down, think of a strategy, get a new coach and captain, stop fighitng with each other and get their team chemistry back. And by the way, welcome back Moe, good to see you back at GS. And sorry about all the rude comments to you before the WC.

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I agree with Yaasir. Yaasir good post.

Why is dumb nut Wasim Akram going out and talking to the Indian Press of all presses? And why is the monkey naming players in particular? Is it to save demonstrations in front of his house? That's weak. When you are team leader you don't do that especially to the younger players. I think Wasim Akram should continue to play because we do need his presence because of his experience.

Anyone know the candidates to coach this team? Please bring a star batsmen who can teach these guys to play under pressure.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Zoab_Khan: *
I agree with Yaasir. Yaasir good post.

Why is dumb nut Wasim Akram going out and talking to the Indian Press of all presses? And why is the monkey naming players in particular? Is it to save demonstrations in front of his house? That's weak. When you are team leader you don't do that especially to the younger players. I think Wasim Akram should continue to play because we do need his presence because of his experience.

Anyone know the candidates to coach this team? Please bring a star batsmen who can teach these guys to play under pressure.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks Zoab. I think someone like Javed Miandad should be brought back. But only god knows what the PCB will do now. But one thing is for sure, we don't need a foreign coach!

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Though I am great fan of Akram I think the reason behind not retiring now is, that there is glimpse of hope for him that he might be named the captain. I think he has played enough cricket and though there may still be a little cricket left in him he should go when he is not a burden on the team. It will be dissapointing to see a champion like Wasim Akram being kicked out of the side a couple of years down the road.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by LahoriMunda: *
Though I am great fan of Akram I think the reason behind not retiring now is, that there is glimpse of hope for him that he might be named the captain. I think he has played enough cricket and though there may still be a little cricket left in him he should go when he is not a burden on the team. It will be dissapointing to see a champion like Wasim Akram being kicked out of the side a couple of years down the road.
[/QUOTE]

totally agree with you. I'd rather have him leave. He doesn't have anything to offer long term.

We'll do well if we throw in some Rauf or Sami or Umer Gul kid in there and let them taste the international game

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By readin’ this article from Wasim, I doubt he’ll say Good Bye to Cricket. He has admitted his fault of not giving a breakthrough in the last game against India, which accordin’ to him, consider a big disappointments of his career.

Personally, I think Pakistan were a good side when Wasim was a Captain. Decisions made by Waqar in this WC were pathetic, allowing Aussies to bat first after winning the toss, sendin’ Afridi as a opener and not even playing Afridi against Namibia, Netherlands, when we needed him most.

I bet, Waqar will be sacked. No offence, he’s a great bowler, but not good at captaincy.

Good, we’ll see more of Wasim’s great moments for next coming four years. I have a feelin’ he will become the Captain.

*(http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=23472) Wasim Akram, Gameplan

We are on our way home after a very disappointing World Cup campaign. I’m writing this from a transit lounge in an airport. The players are in huddles all over the lounge, and there is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety about the reception that awaits us in Pakistan. Home should be the last place one would fear going to, but our past experience has led to a situation where everyone is dreading the backlash at home. It would be hard to convince our supporters, but we are even more disheartened about the way things turned out than they are.

**Personally, I am worried about the future of Pakistan cricket. We have been losing non-stop since August 2002, which suggests that it’s not a question of form but of ability. Critics back home may criticize the form of some players, but the worrying part is that this squad did comprise the best of Pakistani cricket. When your best isn’t good enough, it means there is a shortage of talent. **

For the first time in my 18-year career, I see a paucity of talent in the country. Plenty of young batsmen have been tried out since August, but not one stands out as a special talent. Sometimes it’s lack of ability, but most of the time it is lack of application. No one of the caliber of Inzamam, Saeed Anwar or Yusuf Youhana is on the horizon, and that is a poor comment on our domestic cricket.

The other problem was that while the squad is more or less the same as the one that played in 1999, some of the youngsters who showed promise then have failed to deliver in the last 12 months. That’s just too long a period to be out of form, and the selectors must take a long hard look at the likes of Shahid Afridi. When we spoke to Afridi about his seemingly endless run of poor form, he argued that he was in and out of the team too often. But that’s the whole point — Afridi’s approach would hardly inspire any captain to persist with him for any length of time. Abdul Razzaq, who did just about everything right in the 1999 World Cup, is the other major concern. He made his debut under me, and I thought he had it in him to become one of the best all-rounders in his generation. He is just not able to pick up his level of performance, and this has really hit the team hard. Perhaps a break from the game will do him some good.

**There were times at which Waqar would sit to pick the team, in consultation with some of us seniors, and we would be hard put to find eleven players since everyone was going through a lean patch. **

Personally, my aim was to ensure Pakistan did well in my last World Cup, and I failed in that. The only consolation was that apart from the India match, I was able to make a breakthrough with the new ball in every game. That game against India will remain with me as one of the greatest disappointments of my career.

**Many people have already jumped the gun and announced my retirement. I have to think about Pakistan cricket, consult my family and friends and only then will I come out with a statement about my future plans. Right now my judgment has been clouded by our disgraceful performance in South Africa. **

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by sambrialian: *

totally agree with you. I'd rather have him leave. He doesn't have anything to offer long term.

We'll do well if we throw in some Rauf or Sami or Umer Gul kid in there and let them taste the international game
[/QUOTE]

I agree.I think he can stay for 1 more year and contribute to team as well as groom new players secially seamers.The person should go is Waqar.He is way passed his prime.He has nothing to contribute.

Wasim can still play for 1 year and retire with respect.

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let me tell you what is crap...pakistani fans..they suck.

This is the same team they were all gung ho about a few weeks back, so the team did not do well, maybe the team was not teh greatest, maybe the mgmt was not the best..etc etc etc...but this is the same group of guys who would have been idolized had they won...

..they lost..and now they are afraid to what the "fans" may do to them..

lanat hai aisay fans parr...bandwagon supporters.. they can all collectively go to hell.