Interview: Rameez Raja on the Pakistan tour to England

Agha Akbar04-May-2001In an exclusive interview with CricInfo, Pakistan’s ex-captain and Member PCB Advisory Council, Rameez Raja reveals his thoughts about the Pakistan players touring England. He reviews the prospects and makes a frank analysis of each player. Agha Akbar fires the questionsQ: What are your views on Pakistan’s prospects in England?A: I think that possibly this is the best team that we could have selected for the tour of England. A lot would depend on the fitness of Shoaib Akhtar, who, I hope, would be joining the team later. As far as bowling is concerned, I think it is a very balanced pace attack. We’ve got Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed to lend some variety. The chances are if they bat well in seaming conditions, I think they would do well.Q: But it is the Pakistan batting which has proved brittle whenever the conditions were not suited to them…?
SaeedAnwar – experienced player
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A: Well, I guess our batsmen would have to put a good first innings total on the board. Because that is how you win or lose Test matches. Once again the pressure would be on Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar, and also on Yousuf Youhana, who would be playing Test cricket after a break due to being unfit. Overall, it would be a good learning curve for the youngsters, especially the batsmen because it is really very difficult to judge the movement of the ball. More so because they play both their Tests in May, when there’s extra bit of movement. Knowing that the Pakistani batsmen are not very comfortable against extra movement, I’m sure England would prepare green tops.
But then again, a different plan, a different strategy has to be evolved and I’m sure Richard Pybus and Waqar Younis, with some senior players pitching in with suggestions, would be able to devise a winning formula. The conditions would be difficult, and performance would for a great part depend on the names that I’ve mentioned.Q: But don’t you think that the Pakistani attack, especially the pacers, would also relish the helpful conditions?
Farhat- highly thought of
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A: Well, in theory they should love the conditions in the month of May. But at times it becomes difficult, especially for the youngsters, to find the right line on that off-stump. The last time we were in Australia, we found that the pacers found it difficult to adjust to the extra bounce. They bowled within the stumps and got massacred while the Aussies bowled a couple of stumps outside the off-stump and reaped good dividends. So the line has got to be extremely good in England also. While I’m sure Waqar and Wasim Akram would enjoy the conditions, it would be a test for someone like Mohammad Sami, who is alien to the conditions. And that is the reason why the experience of Wasim Akram would come really handy, given the scenario that Shoaib Akhtar has not been able to go on tour. Not only do you need to pick up wickets, but also there are times when you need to bowl tight spells for an hour or maybe a session to create a sense of pressure. I believe the experience of Waqar and Wasim would come in handy in those situations. Mohammad Sami, if he finds that line – his length is really good, it is up to the bat, he doesn’t bowl short and is very quick to boot – outside the off-stump, that corridor of uncertainty, I feel that Pakistan would have an extremely potent attack.Q: So what would your advice be to the younger bowlers?A: Well, to bowl as naturally as they can, and try and find that off-stump line and stick to it. In case they have problems, go to Waqar and Wasim for advice. Above all, not to bowl short. Because there is so much of rain in England these days that the wickets would be soggy and the ball would not be coming on to the bat, especially at Lord’s, where there is a lot of seam movement rather than the ball carrying through at a good pace. I really wouldn’t want to advise them to bowl within themselves because that becomes a little negative. As a fast bowler you have to be aggressive, back your instincts and hope that things fall in place.Q: While the main thrust of responsibility would again be on Saeed, Inzamam and Youhana, do you think that inclusion of Mohammad Wasim would give a semblance of solidity to the upper order?A: Well, he is an experienced Test player now. Somebody was telling me that he has changed his stance drastically, and has become squarer on, which is not a good idea especially if you are playing on seaming tracks. But then if he can adjust to the conditions in England, his experience and also his ability to hang in there on the crease might be useful. He has all the motivation to do well because if he does so he would be able to cement his place in the team. He got a couple of good scores in the West Indies, and I feel that he would be able to deliver on this tour as well.Q: And what about Imran Farhat, the third opener?A: Well, Imran is hugely talented but in the last few games in New Zealand and in Sharjah his shot selection was poor. He however has the ability to play a solid innings; he is a straight bat with a good technique, and he was rated very highly by Geoff Boycott. I think some work needs to be done with the youngster – he needs tips on how to organise his innings.Q: There was this comment in the English press that since Pakistan seem to be unsettled at the moment, they have a new captain and reports of infighting, so they should win the series in England. What do you say to that?</BA: (Laughs). Well, I think that Pakistani cricketers do add a lot of spice and flavour to the game. They are quite unpredictable, as people say, which is great for the game. On their day there can be 11 geniuses on the field and when they are not in that mood they can capitulate to Bangladesh. The unpredictability factor is definitely there, but the way Waqar handled the team in Sharjah points to better things. He was exceptionally good to the youngsters, he communicated with them well and kept his temper in check on the field. In England, the only area of concern would be how he gets along with Wasim Akram. I'm sure that being a true professional, and the Pakistan captain, he would look at the broader picture instead of his personal feelings. Now that he has had a word with Wasim, I believe that things would have cooled off.Q: It was reported that the PCB Chairman had to intervene and request both Waqar and Wasim to bury the hatchet…A: Yes, that did play a role, but above all both of them are grown-ups. Waqar has come to realise that in England Akram would be one of his key players and he has to give him his full backing as captain. He has to make Wasim feel comfortable – this, to my mind, is very important because every top professional would want to feel comfortable to give of his best. I'm sure Waqar understands all this and would do accordingly.Q: What would you say on the persistent reports of indiscipline and player power in the Pakistan team? What has the PCB done to curb these tendencies? Was Moin'ssacking a part of the effort to make primadonnas pay heed?
Saqlain- English experience
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A: Well, one area where we have to devote all our energies is to put the systems in place. Over the years the changes have only been in the Board, and the only permanent fixture in the PCB were the players. And that loose control meant that the players realised that they can do anything and get away with it. Player power reigned supreme and that hurt Pakistan cricket very badly. The team was riddled with factions, there were accusations of match-fixing by one set of players against another.
Pakistan cricket had to pay dearly for this free for all because of a lack of system. We are trying to fix that. However, it would take some time. But the fact is that the players have to be made to realise that the only way they would be able to retain their place is through performance. Also the Board has to develop a relationship of trust with the players. Once that is there, the rest would fall in line. It would take some time… with the new players being inducted and the older generation wanting to stay on…Q: So to you the main area of concern on the England tour is the batting…?A: Yes, because I believe we have enough firepower in bowling to take care of England if we have a decent total on the board. As we saw in the 1999 World Cup as well, in the few games that we played in the month of May, our batsmen mostly struggled. All our leading batsmen, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam included, struggled because of the extravagant movement. If the opening stand could click and if Inzamam stayed there and got a partnership going with Yousuf Youhana, it would be much better. Down the order, Younis Khan is highly talented but at times is very loose in his strokeplay, which in England you simply cannot afford. A lot would depend on Saeed, Inzamam and Youhana. If they could get some partnerships going, Pakistan would do well.Q: Are you optimistic about Pakistan winning its fourth successive series in England?A: Well, I surely hope so. The Pakistani expatriates always back their team and their support lifts the morale. On an away tour the pressures are less, and if they could develop this fighting spirit, they are likely to do well. They would have to be mentally strong and well prepared to cope with early fall of wickets. If their rearguard action was good, there is always a chance that they can upstage England.Q: In this, the surfeit of all-rounders down the order should be a help…?A: Yes, it should. Azhar Mahmood is a quality all-rounder who has three Test hundreds to his credit. Abdur Razzaq is quite handy with both bat and ball. Rashid Latif is an experienced wicket-keeper and a good batsman too. On paper, it is a very balanced team, but then a whole lot would depend on how the youngsters shape up, the performance of the three main batsmen and how Waqar handles the team on and off the field.Q: And how do you see Pakistan performing in the one-day tournament that follows?A: That would be an interesting part of the tour, because by then the weather and the wickets would have settled down a little. The Pakistanis stand to benefit from this because if they have had a good Test series, their confidence going into the triangular would be very high. And if the Test series has not been all that great, they can always make amends in the one-day tournament, where the addition of a third team always adds a new dimension to the challenge.