Articles by "Interviews"
Showing posts with label Interviews. Show all posts

Anonymous at August 09, 2013 0
[caption id="attachment_2154" align="alignright" width="225"]Sohaib should have been tested much earlier. Now only time will tell if he is given a chance in Pakistan's upcoming tour of Zimbabwe (Photo: PakPassion.net) Sohaib should have been tested much earlier. Now only time will tell if he is given a chance in Pakistan's upcoming tour of Zimbabwe (Photo: PakPassion.net)[/caption]

It has been quite a long time that Pakistan are struggling with number three position in batting line in all three formats. The team needs a specialist one-down batsman because openers tend to fail to give a decent start. As Pakistan are now all set to tour Zimbabwe for a relatively low-profile series, young talent can be deployed and tested at the position. That is why instead of keep flogging a dead horse, the team has given a chance to 26-year-old Sohaib Maqsood this time around, selecting him in the T20 squad.

In a light chat on the sidelines of Ramazan cricket tournament in Karachi, Sohaib, who was born in Multan, said that representing the national team is like a dream come true and he is determined to justify his selection if given chance in the playing eleven. Sohaib has been very impressive during domestic season and he is hoping to continue the form in the international cricket as well.

Avoid making tall claims, Sohaib dreams of not only scoring a century against India in India in international cricket, but also becoming man of the series. He considers South Africa's Jacques Kallis his hero and Inzimam-ul-Haq his guru. However, he said being on the crease with Misbah-ul-Haq would be a bigger moment than watching Kallis play. For that, he has to wait a little longer even if he would be given a chance to play, because he has been selected only in the T20 squad, which lacks Misbah.

He said that he has played domestic cricket with Younis Khan and Umar Akmal, but also desires to rub shoulders with them in international cricket. Sohaib said he is passionate about playing aggressively against Indian bowlers. He said he would not dare face any bowler, however, he would prefer a cautious approach against Dale Steyn.

The aggressive young batsman said that like every cricketer it is his dream to represent Pakistan in Tests, but he would try to become a regular member of the team in all formats.

In the past, Sohaib injured his ankle and the PCB financed him for his surgery. However, he made an impressive comeback after staying away from the game for a year. According to Sohaib, that one year was the toughest in his life, but due to prayers of his parents, he is now fit again and making runs.

Sohaib belongs to an educated family, and he himself holds an impressive academic record. However, his father galvanised him into making a career in cricket apart from studies. He said it would be a dream come true for his father is he represented Pakistan.

Pakistan will play two Tests, three ODIs, and two T20s during their Zimbabwe's tour, officially starting from August 23 with a Twenty20. Now let's wait and watch if this aspiring youngster gets his spot or not.
Read more »

Anonymous at June 26, 2013 0
It’s obvious even to a casual observer that the team played most casually in the recently concluded Champions Trophy was Pakistan. Not a single victory. The team’s performance was so low that they did not reach even the 200-run score in any of the three matches they played. They scored a total of 502 runs (170, 167, 165) in three games, and the number reduces to 329 if Misbah-ul-Haq’s 173 runs (96, 55, 22) are excluded.
Rameez Raja on Pakistan Cricket

While one can fiddle around with figures to further tarnish the team’s already ruined image, it may be better to listen to what experts have to say about the slump.

In a recent interview with PakPassion.net, Pakistan former captain and renowned commentator Rameez Raja gave his views about the team’s implosion in the tournament, their preparations and planning for the 2015 World Cup and suggested a few things that may help the national side come out of the crisis it faces.

Commenting on Pakistan’s early and disgraceful exit from the Champions Trophy, Raja put blame on the batting which, according to him, has been the team’s Achilles heel. He said the situation is not going to change unless Pakistan introduces drastic changes in the batting structure.

He said Pakistan is facing dearth of the talent required to win matches at the international level, particularly in the big tournaments.

Asked if he was satisfied with the team’s preparations before the Champions Trophy and the induction of Trent Woodhill as the batting coach, Raja said there was nothing wrong with the preparations, team simply lacked skills, which is why “we’ve been backing or flogging dead horses”. But he declined to give names. He opined that the team’s batting line-up should be revamped as it has been failing to perform in the world events where it is supposed to perform to the full.

"The tournaments like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy are the ultimate test of your skills,” Raja said, adding that if a player could not perform at this level after being provided with a good number of chances, then he should not be in team.

As for the 2015 World Cup, he said the planning for the event should start as soon as possible, and in all the departments. He gave the example of India that they improved their fielding so much that they have become the benchmark for rest of the teams. He said Pakistan should seek for dramatic changes in their batting line-up, but he said it was a case of hoping against hope. To him, players like Umar Akmal and Azhar Ali can be a glimmer of hope for Pakistan in these times of bewilderment and haplessness.

As far as bowling is concerned, he said, “We will always find good bowlers and I think this bowling attack is not bad.”

Asked if Pakistan should go for a new captain to replace an ageing Misbah in the coming World Cup, he said it’s a Hobson’s choice. In India, he said, “The Tendulkars, the Sehwags and the Gambhirs have given way to youth and the replacements have been outstanding,” but Pakistan do not have Misbah’s replacement at the moment and it’s depressing.

About the prospect of including Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan in the upcoming tour to West Indies, Raja said this is simply because the team is lacking talent. “It’s as simple as that, which is also the reason why we fall back on these players over and over again, year after year, season after season and series after series.”

Raja’s career spanned between 1984 and 1997 during which he represented Pakistan in 57 Tests and 198 ODIs, scoring 11 centuries and 53 half-centuries. He continued to render his services for the national cricket after his career and remained chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board between 2003 and 2004. He also found fame and fortune as a commentator and is undoubtedly one of the best commentators of the world.
Read more »

Anonymous at May 01, 2013 0
Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Younus Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir, Hammad Azam and Umar Gul are the names who have failed to make a place in the national team squad for the coming Champions Trophy because of different reasons, but a 24-year-old youngster has made it.

[caption id="attachment_714" align="alignright" width="270"]Asad Ali has been brilliant in domestic cricket. He took four wickets in President’s Cup final (Photo: Faras Ghani) Asad Ali has been brilliant in domestic cricket. He took four wickets in President’s Cup final (Photo: Faras Ghani)[/caption]

The announcement of initial 30-man squad had made many players overoptimistic, but as 15-man final squad has been announced now, many players have given up hopes. But certainly there are some lucky ones and one of them is Faisalabad’s youngster Asad Ali. Being a member of the victorious squads of the recently held Faisal Bank Super Eight and President Cup under the captaincy of Pakistan national team’s skipper Mibah-ul-Haq, Ali showed his talent and proved that he worth his salt to be included among the five pacers of the national team.

Will Ali be able to represent Pakistan in a tournament where world’s eight best teams are going to contest? Or will Ali only go there to do sightseeing of England as he did in India and South Africa?  Ali answered this and other questions in an exclusive chat with Cricnama. He said that despite having returned empty-handed from India and South Africa, he has not given up hope and achieved the target of getting most wickets in the President’s Cup One-day Tournament. Ali took four wickets off 37 runs in the final of President’s Cup and played a pivotal role in the victory of SNGPL.

Ali said he was delighted that he was included in the final 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy and added that it’s a good chance for young players to prove their worth in the absence of Umar Gul. Ali said he has been playing league cricket and is familiar with the conditions there, thus he will make the most of this edge.

Talking about the training under the supervision of Pakistan legendary bowler Wasim Akram in a national bowling camp in Karachi, Ali said being coached by Wasim Akram was not less than a dream. He said from the grip of the ball to making the use of the crease, he learned many techniques of pace bowling. He said he was a swing bowler naturally and hoped that Akram’s would help him improve further. Ali said he learned of many of his mistakes during the 10-day camp and is working to rid of them. He said his target in the Champions Trophy is a performance that will earn him a permanent place in the national team.

Although the target set by the young pacer seems difficult to achieve, but if unfortunately he get a few chances and he demonstrates his talent, then he is likely to be a new addition in Pakistan’s bowling line-up.

However, only time will tell if Ali succeeds in fulfilling the nation’s expectations, but his bowling performance can be gauged by the records he achieved. His 355 wickets in 78 first-class matches at 22.87 portray his talent. Let’s see how he will put in his efforts if he gets a chance to represent Pakistan in the year’s most important event.
Read more »

Anonymous at April 04, 2013 0
Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief selector Iqbal Qasim has been on his post for more than a year now. He has been both criticised and praised by experts and former players. On the one hand, Qasim’s admirers believe he has played his part well in stabilising Pakistani team and gave chances to deserving players. On the other hand, his critics opine that Qasim has given more chances to senior players despite their mostly poor performances and has not tried youngsters instead.

[caption id="attachment_288" align="alignright" width="220"]The middle-order batting problem should be solved as soon as possible: Iqbal Qasim The middle-order batting problem should be solved as soon as possible: Iqbal Qasim[/caption]

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, a copy of which was received by Cricnama, Qasim discussed the team’s performance in the recently concluded series against South Africa and also talked about future events, especially Champions Trophy.

Qasim said that South Africa, who whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the Test series, are a much tougher side on their home grounds. Being No.1 Test team of the world, he said, South Africa have strong batting and bowling line-ups and their unity as a team has made them almost impregnable. He said it has always been difficult to play against the Proteas in their country and Pakistan were not fully prepared for such a series.

Putting blame on the last-minute tour to India, he said both team and management had not time enough for preparations against South Africa. Qasim said he did not want to make excuses, but Pakistan were beaten by a much better side as it was evident from the start of the series.

However, he said Pakistan lost many chances to overcome the opponents in the Test series, sometimes by fielding and sometimes by batting and bowling. “You can’t afford such mistakes at international level, giving chances to a side as strong as South Africa.”

As for the future tours of South Africa, the chief selector said players should be provided with sufficient time before the series – both before departure and on the South African grounds.

“Players would perform better when they have time to prepare themselves both mentally and physically,” he said and added that just one warm-up match before a Test series was not enough in his opinion.

He seconded Pakistan’s ODI and Test captain Misbahul Haq’s recommendation that young players should be sent to Australia and South Africa with ‘A’ team so that they get experience. However, he said the biggest problem is that young cricketers could not face foreign players because teams have not been touring Pakistan for ages. He said the board was mulling over to send ‘A’ and Under-19 teams for foreign tours, but it was quite difficult because of financial constraints.

Commenting on the team’s performance in the limited-overs cricket, Qasim said Pakistan were a much different side in one-day and Twenty20 matches. He said the team did their best in the ODI series and defeated by a close margin of 3-2. In the final match of the ODI series, Pakistani batsmen failed to set a fighting target which resulted in the loss, he said. “There’s a much room for improvement in our team and there are certain key areas on which the ODI team need to work on.”

He said middle-order batting has been a bane of the team for long and the PCB is finding ways to cope with it. “A camp will be held before the Champions Trophy in this regard and I hope the players and the management will address the problem.”

Of Younis Khan’s sacking from the ODI side, Qasim said it would be wrong to speculate that the veteran’s limited-overs career is over. However, he said the board’s selection committee would keep a watch on Younis and he needed to perform in domestic cricket in the ODI and format.

“Whoever performs is considered for selection and Younis Khan is no exception,” he said.

Pakistan’s seasoned allrounder Abdur Razzaq has not been included in the initial 30-man squad announced for the coming Champions Trophy. Qasim said should work and sort out issues with him. “We can’t consider a player who prefers to stay at home rather than take part in domestic matches. It’s a fact that Razzaq is a capable player, but he has to practise cricket again.”
Read more »

Anonymous at January 20, 2013 0
Pakistan have departed for South Africa for quite a tough tour as they would play a three-match Test series against the world number one team on their home ground. What could be worse than that? Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests they played here and chances of success are very slim in the current series as well. However, they have a balance team and must have gained confidence after the recent historic victories against India.

[caption id="attachment_486" align="alignright" width="249"]Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests played against South Africa (Photo: Getty Images) Pakistan have lost six of the previous nine Tests played against South Africa (Photo: Getty Images)[/caption]

That’s why Pakistan former captain and batting great Zaheer Abbas opines that although the hosts seem favourite in the series, Pakistan can still surprise them if they successfully deal with Dale Steyn and other South African pacers.

Talking to PakPassion.net, Abbas said that the Test series would be a tough one for Pakistan and they have to acclimatise to the conditions in South Africa as soon as possible as the wickets there were very bouncy. He said the role of the team’s top-order batsmen would be pivotal and they should score enough runs Pakistan’s bowlers can fight.

He criticised the idea of playing just a single four-day warm-up match before a Test series against the world No.1 side. “Playing conditions in South Africa are quite alien for our players and they should have been given a chance to play at least three to four war-up matches before the series.”

The former batsman Pakistan have not played a single Test match in recent months, so a single warm-up match would not do and it is going to be a challenging series for Pakistan.

Talking about the technical challenges Pakistani batsmen likely to face against South African pacers, Abbas said, “Our batsmen should be able to decide in the fraction of a second whether to play a ball or leave it, or which delivery is suitable to play a hook shot. Pakistan bowlers are going to face a lot of bouncers, so they should formulate a plan and then stick to it.”

He advised Pakistani batsmen to stick to one approach. “Out batsmen need to be focused, because if they get double-minded, they would be doomed.”

The former cricketer said scoring runs would not be an easy task for Pakistani batsmen against Steyn, Morkel and Philander. He said the most crucial thing for the batsmen would be to stay at the crease and make the most of every opportunity. Though he advised Pakistani batsmen to prolong their innings as much as they can, he also warned them not to be too cautious and maintain a positive approach.

“Our players would face trouble if they fail to take opportunities.”

Abbas, famous as Asian Bradman, said Pakistani batting line-up would mostly hinge on the trio of captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Hafeez and Younis Khan.

He said although it was heartening to see Pakistan’s top six batsmen play in the series, the three batsmen have to lead from the front and play big innings.

“It’s not the series where innings of 30 or 40 will suffice. Only that team will win whose batsmen score big centuries.”

He said that having won an ODI series against India, Pakistan must be confident when they face South Africa. He said though Test cricket is quite different from ODI, the fact that Pakistan current squad includes most players from the winning combination would work in Pakistan’s favour.

“The 2-1 victory against India must have imbued our players with self-confidence and positive thinking and I’m hopeful our team will utilise that edge against South Africa.”

Abbas said Pakistan can surprise South Africans if their try to perform to the best of their ability. “Our batsmen have to play big innings. Pakistan are one of the best Test teams in the world and I hope all our players put in great performance in South Africa.”
Read more »

Anonymous at December 09, 2012 0

Read this in Urdu


Hearts of millions of fans will be leaping when the two archrivals of the cricket world face each other at the end of this month. The special thing this time around is that besides thousands of spectators at stadiums, the matches between Pakistan and India will also be watched by a selected group of former historic Pakistani cricketers.

[caption id="attachment_493" align="alignright" width="300"]Eight Pakistani legends will leave for India on this occasion, including Mushtaq Mohammad and Sadiq Mohammad (Photo: EMPICS) Eight Pakistani legends will leave for India on this occasion, including Mushtaq Mohammad and Sadiq Mohammad (Photo: EMPICS)[/caption]

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to send a 10-member delegation of legendary former Pakistani cricketers to witness the resumption of cricketing relations between the two countries.

For that, Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Burki and Intikhab Alam have been invited by the PCB’s Executive Coordination Committee (ECC).

Imran Khan has declined to join the delegation because of his political commitments. Majid Khan will also be unavailable for reasons best known to the PCB. However, the remaining eight will witness the historic moments on the Indian soil.

The youngest of the famous Mohammad brothers, Sadiq Mohammad, is one of the selected few and is proud to be part of the delegation.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Sadiq expressed his happiness to be named in the list of legends and said he felt honoured to be given a role as a representative of the national team at a time when Pakistan and India are renewing their cricket terms after five years.

He thanked PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf for giving the chance to former players. “This shows that the board hasn’t forgotten us. The move has opened up a window for us to meet our Indian friends who, like us, rendered their services to their national team.”

It used to be an exhilarating experience for spectators to watch Sadiq Mohammad open Pakistan’s innings with Majid Khan, who would face world’s fastest bowlers without helmets. Sadiq played 41 Tests during his career and maintained an average of 35.81.

During the interview, he reminisced about the innings he played against India, especially his 46-run knock in Madras Test. He also paid tribute to his contemporary Indian cricketers, saying he held Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Bishan Singh Bedi in high esteem.

He said he hoped that the upcoming series would prove to be a breakthrough in strengthening cricketing ties between Pakistan and India and helping both countries to continue playing against each other in future. Sadiq said both countries should set aside their political differences and suggested that both teams could play at a neutral venue, especially England.

“England would make the best neutral venue if Pakistan and India have to play at a neutral venue because there are many Pakistani and Indian expatriates in the country and series would be a success there.”

As for the UAE, Sadiq said he did not think people there would take interest in Test series. However, ODI could still gather load of fans in stadiums, he said.

Pakistan and India will start their limited-overs series on December 25 from a Twenty20 in Bangalore. Both teams will further play a T20 and three one-dayers till January 6.
Read more »

Anonymous at December 09, 2012 0

Read this in Urdu


Former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Ehsan Mani said Pakistan should tour India on its terms, because the way the PCB agreed to tour the neighbouring country would not be fruitful for cricket in Pakistan.

[caption id="attachment_489" align="alignright" width="300"]It is incomprehensible that Pakistan agreed to tour India without assurance of a reciprocal series: Ehsan Mani (Photo: AFP) It is incomprehensible that Pakistan agreed to tour India without assurance of a reciprocal series: Ehsan Mani (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

In an interview with PakPassion.net, Mani said the Pakistan Cricket Board had made a mistake by agreeing to a one-day series against India.

“Even if the PCB took the decision on political grounds, it should have asked the politicians to make sure that India will also play a series against Pakistan, even at a neutral venue. But nothing such happened.”

Referring to the past, Mani said India had cancelled two series against Pakistan, incurring heavy financial losses to the PCB. He said keeping in mind the efforts India had made to isolate Pakistan in international cricket after Mumbai attacks, Pakistan should not tour India.

He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) knew it quite well that refusing to play a series against Pakistan, even at a neutral venue, would cost the PCB as much as $70 million to $80 million, and yet they refused.

But the short series Pakistan are going to play in India would help the BCCI earn $100 million, or probably $150 million, but the PCB is sending the team without even assurance of a reciprocal tour, he said.

To a question about the restoration of international cricket in Pakistan, Mani said it seemed the PCB was desperate to invite foreign teams to Pakistan and doing whatever it can do for that matter. He said that actual problem lies somewhere else and the board can do nothing in this regard.

“The real problem is Pakistan’s deteriorating law-and-order situation. That’s why instead of begging Bangladesh and other teams for tour, we should try to talk to government and strive to create an atmosphere where other countries find it comfortable to make a tour.”

He said the visiting players don’t like to be treated as prisoners and to remain confined at stadiums. “If foreign players can’t go to hotels, can’t socialise, and remain escorted by armed commandos all the time, they would not feel comfortable. And this is not the way to bring international cricket back.”

The ex-ICC chairman said only when we convince ourselves that foreign teams would be safe in our country, can we satisfy others. He said inviting teams without improving security is madness because if another incident like attack on Sri Lankan team happened, it would be a nail in the coffin of cricket in Pakistan.

Mani, who became ICC chairman in 2003, said Pakistan must win the confidence of other countries to bring back the sport to the country. For instance, if Pakistan are to play a three-match ODI series against Australia, then after playing one match in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi, the PCB could invite them to play the third match in Lahore or Karachi, he elaborated. He said it would take time but the board could remove the concerns of foreign teams by doing so.

He said he didn’t think Bangladesh would tour Pakistan any time soon. “We have seen that Bangladesh refused to send their team in the end. Later they agreed when we forced them but then moved to court and get a stay order against sending Bangladesh to Pakistan.”

Pakistan team will leave for India on December 22 where they are scheduled to play two Twenty20s and three ODIs, starting from December 25.
Read more »

Anonymous at March 14, 2012 0

Read this in Urdu


Pakistan, for long, have been in a search for an efficient batsman for its middle order particularly for No. 4 position. If the performance of last two years is examined, one would not find any batsman performing consistently at this position. On the contrary there are many batsmen in domestic cricket scoring prolifically, most prominent among them is Faisal Iqbal who has been playing long innings for his team Pakistan International Airline (PIA) as a middle order batsman for the last two seasons but has not come under selectors’ radar.

[caption id="attachment_250" align="alignright" width="205"]Faisal Iqbal represented Pakistan last time in early 2010 (Photo: AFP) Faisal Iqbal represented Pakistan last time in early 2010 (Photo: AFP)[/caption]

Iqbal last represented Pakistan in the devastating tour of Australia. He has been ignored for a long time but has not lost his morale and believes that his consistent performance in domestic circuit would pave way for his return to national side.

Faisal Iqbal started his international career in 2000 and has played 26 Tests and 18 one-day matches. However, he could not establish his place in the side due to the presence of Inzamamul Haq, Younis Khan and Muhammad Yousuf. He has cricket running in his blood, being the nephew of one of the greatest batsmen in Pakistan’s history, Javed Minadad. He also has traces of Miandad’s style of batting but due to this very connection, it is said in many circles, he has been constantly ignored and, for some, his inclusion in national side was nepotism. However, Iqbal has proved, with his performance in domestic cricket, that he has his own identity.

In an interview with Cricnama yesterday, Faisal talked about his performance and representing Pakistan. He said that not only he had been scoring runs in last two domestic seasons but had also performed internationally. He has scored 700 runs in seven matches of the recently held Bangladesh Premier League with a century and three fifties, and also did prominently well in a league organised in the United States. In the current season he played two consecutive match-winning innings, scoring half centuries for his side and he hopes to get back in national side on this performance.

Talking about his experience in playing international leagues, he said he had benefited from working with international coaches improving his batting skills. On the other side he has displayed his batting prowess in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Pentangular Cup along with the National One Day Cup and has shown consistency in form.

He said that he was lucky for being monitored by selectors and all of his recent big innings were witnessed by selectors in the ground. He believes that as given to several senior players he would also get a chance again to show his skills.

Having played 26 Test and 18 ODIs, Iqbal believes there is no dearth of talented players in Pakistan. Several players have been scoring more than 1000 runs in every season consistently and there are many bowlers picking more than 50 wickets. In his opinion, hence it would be wrong to suggest that we do not have players, we just need to groom the available talent. He suggested that all domestic matches should be broadcasted live; it would be a step for better future of national cricket bringing out players to fans and experts.

Iqbal expressed his well wishes for Pakistan team and said that the responsibility would lie with batsmen, if they score big then Pakistan with their strong bowling can win the Asia Cup. Regarding the return of international cricket to Pakistan, he praised the positive steps taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf and expressed his hope to see the grounds of Pakistan booming soon.
Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)