Aamer Sohail blames Inzamam-Ul-Haq for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s batting problems
He’s only the second batsman from Pakistan to score over 8000 runs in test cricket after Javed Miandad and one of the few batsmen to score successfully all across the globe. Inzamam ul Haq was the most successful of captains Pakistan has ever had, yet former team mate and captain Aamer Sohail believes that the sultan of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Multan-c819 is the one to blame for the dearth of batting talent in the Pakistan national team.
Aamer Sohail singles out the gentle giant responsible for the dearth of quality batsmen in the national team. He was speaking to a local TV channel after Pakistan lost the second test match to England by 9 wickets. Aamer Sohail said that by the time ‘Inzi’ retired from the game in 2007, he had disturbed the national team and done irreparable damage that took Pakistan cricket back by many years.
Pakistan has hardly been a force in test cricket since Inzamam-ul-Haq’s retirement, and Aamer Sohail feels he didn’t let players settle down during his tenure. “Captains before Inzamam - players like Imran Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 - left behind a pack of quality cricketers when they retired, unlike Inzamam. When he retired, he left behind nothing," Sohail said.
He further added that during Inzamam's tenure as captain, no batsman was groomed for the future. "Good players like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kamal-c70069, Faisal Iqbal or Taufiq Umar weren’t given a consistent run in tests to establish themselves, despite doing well whenever they got the chance" he claimed.
Aamer doesn’t mince words, saying that Inzamam played for himself, despite representing Pakistan in 120 Tests and nearly 400 one day matches. "It is the result of Inzamam’s policies that we don't have http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Ready-c41291 line of batsmen to replace seniors. He is to be blamed for the current crisis," Sohail added.
Pakistan has won just won one of their last 10 tests and none of the established batsmen have managed to look threatening on their ongoing tour of England. Players like Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Umar Amin have failed to convert their 20’s and 30’s into centuries while seniors like Shoaib Malik have failed miserably.
Like everyone who understands cricket, Aamer Sohail also criticised the PCB Chairman and his aides for policies that make no sense at all. “The truth is they (the management and selectors) misled the PCB Chairman into believing that he could manage the national team without Yousuf and Younis and that is why we are facing problems in England," Sohail opined.
But is it true that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Inzamam-ul-Haq-c64383 is to be blamed for the batting vows Pakistan cricket is facing? The answer may not lie in simple accusations since it was under his superb captaincy that both Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan became world class players. They both held the middle-order fort and scored most of their 24 and 15 centuries respectively under his tutelage.
Players like Yasir Hameed, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Faisal Iqbal, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar, Salman Butt and even Shoaib Malik scored centuries in test cricket only because their captain trusted them and gave them confidence. They also knew that if they didn’t grab the opportunity, it would go to someone else. Best of all, Inzamam was mostly in form as a skipper, a fact that helped Pakistan win and save matches rather surrender like the current team.
Inzamam may have been lazy as a player and strict as a captain, but he commanded respect of each and every player in the squad. Some termed him a fanatic, but even non-Muslims like late coach Bob Woolmer and leg spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314 admitted that his influence over the team had a more positive than negative effect.
As for Aamer Sohail and his accusations, he might be correct but in patches. It has become a norm for former players, especially test captains, to criticise the board, its policies and the management so that the people will notice them and their thinking. The road to endless criticism leads to an opportunity to work with the very board, and one shouldn’t be surprised if the aggressive left-hander makes it to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the subject of his current wrath. Such are the ways of Pakistan cricket, where anything is possible.
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