"If players won’t meet fitness standards, then there will be consequences" : Mickey Arthur

[MenInG]

Mickey Arthur has had a torrid few months as Pakistan's head coach during the recent tours of New Zealand and Australia. Now in UAE in a similar role with the Pakistan Super League team Karachi Kings, Arthur faces a different challenge to inspire his team to better results than the first edition of the tournament in 2016.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Mickey Arthur spoke about his experience with the Pakistan team on the tour of Australia, lack of power-hitters in the Pakistan line-up, Misbah-ul-Haq's future, the slow start in PSL 2017 for Karachi Kings, paid tribute to the former ODI captain Azhar Ali and looked forward to working with Sarfraz Ahmed as the new ODI captain for Pakistan.

PakPassion.net : Given the results in the Australia series, would you agree that coaching Pakistan is tougher than what you had envisaged?

Mickey Arthur : It is tough work, but I am loving every minute of it. But then we already know that international cricket is tough and we are in the stage of developing cricketers and a team. That is one task that does make the job very interesting for me. So, it is challenging at times but one must also realize that we took the team to one of the hardest places to tour. Australia is one of the toughest places for an Asian team to play cricket in the world and we know that no Asian team has won a Test series there. We batted well but we didn’t bowl as well as we could and never really controlled the run-rate. Having said that, there were so many positives we could take out of that tour. Yes, it is frustrating at times but it is a challenge and my role is to create standards and we are creating our standards every day.


PakPassion.net : Your thoughts on the PCB organising a meeting for ex-players to offer advice on improving Pakistan cricket?

Mickey Arthur : I am very much in favour of this initiative by the PCB as the ex-players have so much to offer in this regard. They know the structures below and they know what we really need to do and the areas we need to improve upon. So, any input that we can all give that leads to a positive development of Pakistan cricket is good and should be welcomed.


PakPassion.net : Why is Pakistan struggling to produce big hitting batsmen and how do you intend to remedy that problem?

Mickey Arthur : To be honest, there is no magical solution to creating such batsmen but what we are doing is drills like the ones you see the Karachi Kings' squad doing; we do these every day of the week with some good results. Even during Pakistan's tour of Australia, we kept on doing similar drills so it's not a lack of practice which is a problem. What it boils down to is that we have to produce batsmen who can play free enough to hit the ball out of the ground. That is something we have identified as an important aspect of our cricket and that is what we are working on.


PakPassion.net : What are the main fitness issues in Pakistan cricket? Is it simply due to not training properly, lack of professionalism or something else?

Mickey Arthur : To me the biggest problem is that the domestic players who arrive at the international stage aren’t fit for that level. If you compare them to other international players, we are way off the mark so as a result we give runs away on the field which is a problem. We have created standards for the last eight months and there are individual standards and goals that the players have been given. The players have to simply meet those standards. If players won’t meet fitness standards, there will be consequences.


PakPassion.net : Have you had a chance to speak with Misbah-ul-Haq about his future plans?

Mickey Arthur : I intend to have a chat with Misbah again to talk about how he sees his own future and what he has planned. Regardless of what he decides, the fact is that Misbah has contributed a lot to the team. As a great leader, he deserves all the appreciation and all the respect. He should be given a good farewell which he deserves either now or whenever he decides to go.


PakPassion.net : How is Mohammad Amir coping with his return to international cricket?

Mickey Arthur : I think Amir is getting better with every game and every time he bowls. Now, he hasn’t got the wickets that he deserves as we saw all through the last year. He has bowled exceptionally well in recent times and talking to Australian batsmen, they also told me that he had bowled outstandingly well. They felt that he beat the bat and asked questions all the time. To be honest, I am very excited with where we are going with Mohammad Amir.


PakPassion.net : Slow start for Karachi Kings at the PSL, but you must be happy with what you've seen recently?

Mickey Arthur : Look Twenty20 cricket is about momentum, it’s as simple as that. If we can get momentum, then it gives us confidence and every member of the team can feed off that feeling. I am not worried yet as I have seen enough to keep me interested in this team. I have seen enough desire and hunger in our dressing room. Our overseas cricketers haven’t played cricket for a while and it’s important that they find their mark in this tournament and find it quickly. Having said that, I have seen enough in this side recently to believe that they have the ability to go the distance in this competition


PakPassion.net : Your thoughts on the change of guard for the ODI captaincy for Pakistan.

Mickey Arthur : I am really looking forward to working with Sarfraz Ahmed but then I also loved working with Azhar Ali as well who, in my view, is a fantastic cricketer and a fantastic person as well. Turning to Sarfraz, he brings another type of skill set as he is a tough and an aggressive captain. He is always on the move and constantly thinking. I think his captaincy helps his wicket-keeping and general all-round play as well and he also takes on a lot of responsibility.

 

[Sub-Zero]

he talk the talk but can't walk the walk. Umar Akmal failed the fitness test but still he came to play the Australia ODI series. :

 

[Junaids]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP.

Equally obvious that out of respect he won't force the matter.

 

[MMHS]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP.

Equally obvious that out of respect he won't force the matter.

Agreed on Misbah, but I won't take this interview on his face value. He talks lot about fitness, then picks Umar in playing XI. He talks about young blood, then recalls Hafeez from Australia. He wasn't happy with Azhar, which we came to know later - even now he is doing sweet talking - Azhar was good, Misbah is good, Sarfu will be good ......

Full interview is a perfect example of a yes man who is happy to keep his job safe. Even on fitness issues or hitting ability, he gave a motherhood statement which a taxi driver in cricket ignorant Germany can give - domestic cricket & system. But, he didn't touch any sensitive issues that can twist someone's tail like domestic season & quality, diet habits of players, off season self management on fitness from players, coaching methods & seriousness by local coaches at club level, quality of ball or wickets in domestics....

He won't be able to save his gob by sweet talking. If he is not comfortable with things or selection around PAK team, better he should open mouth, may be being politically correct, but I don't see any reflection of his thoughts, words & actions. As if, he is just a tool to try fixing whatever PCB or Inzamam throws at him.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Did he say anything about who he wants to replace Sharjeel with?

 

[mz123]

Did he say anything about who he wants to replace Sharjeel with?

sharjeel will be innocent inshallah, he knows it....

 

[marlonbrowndo]

sharjeel will be innocent inshallah, he knows it....

Highly unlikely but I hope so

 

[ExplicitAI]

sharjeel will be innocent inshallah, he knows it....

How do you know Sharjeel is going to be innocent? I'm over here hoping he is innocent and the whole thing gets brushed under the carpet; a quality attacking opener.

 

[Saj]

Must be sickening for Mickey to see players coming through domestic cricket and into the national team that are clearly way below the required levels of fitness.

The problem is that fitness is given very little importance in domestic cricket and at the NCA there are individuals who alllow players who are clearly unfit to carry on about their business as if nothing is wrong.

 

[Square Drive]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP.

Equally obvious that out of respect he won't force the matter.

How exactly are both these obvious?

 

[Junaids]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP

How exactly are both these obvious?

Mickey Arthur's words:
1. "Regardless of what he decides, the fact is that Misbah has contributed a lot to the team."

Mickey has clearly gone with the present perfect tense here - not the present tense.

If he wanted him to play on he would have said "Misbah contributes a lot to this team".

But he didn't.

This might be too subtle for his Pakistani employers to understand, but it carries a very clear message, albeit in the sort of complimentary tone you use in cricket when you realize that this has-been cricketer might be the next Chairman of Selectors or CEO.

It's like saying "Arsene Wenger has given a lot to Arsenal". It means "he did a lot, he's past his use-by date, time for him to go".


2. As a great leader, he deserves all the appreciation and all the respect.

Again, this means "I'm saying his time is up, but scattering random compliments in as much as I can because I'm well aware that he might have Shaharyar Khan's job by the end of this year. I'm not stupid - I'm not doing Homeworkgate again."

3. "He should be given a good farewell which he deserves either now or whenever he decides to go."

Note the use of the word "Now".

Just as "No means No", "Now means Now". You will never see a high quality coach say it more clearly than this.

But part of the quality of the 2016-2017 Mickey Arthur is that he has fixed his former deficits in terms of diplomacy. He's not going to knife the current skipper in public.

He has very clearly used the word "now" but has softened the message for diplomatic purposes both by prefacing it with two compliments and by adding "or whenever he decides to go".

 

[Junaids]

Agreed on Misbah, but I won't take this interview on his face value. He talks lot about fitness, then picks Umar in playing XI. He talks about young blood, then recalls Hafeez from Australia. He wasn't happy with Azhar, which we came to know later - even now he is doing sweet talking - Azhar was good, Misbah is good, Sarfu will be good ......

You raise three issues here, but I see them differently from you.

The Asians on this forum are so driven by social class issues that all they see with Umar Akmal is a fat, undisciplined slogger who can't behave properly. I've never spoken to Mickey Arthur, but multiple throw-away lines this last year make me think that he sees what I see.

Which is that apart from Babar Azam and Sami Aslam, Umar Akmal is the only viable Test batsman under 30 that he has got. If he's fat he can be slimmed down. If he's slogging he can be calmed down - and he showed in the QEA that he actually can still play First Class innings.

Mohammad Hafeez in Australia? I think Mickey would have been happy with 3 failures in 4 innings. It's not easy moving out Misbah's buddies, even in formats that Misbah doesn't play.

Azhar Ali? With Misbah a goner and Younis avoiding failure in only 3 innings out of 17 outside Asia this last six months, Mickey knows that he needs Azhar onside with him in the Test team.

 

[Veteran]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP



Mickey Arthur's words:
1. "Regardless of what he decides, the fact is that Misbah has contributed a lot to the team."

Mickey has clearly gone with the present perfect tense here - not the present tense.

If he wanted him to play on he would have said "Misbah contributes a lot to this team".

But he didn't.

This might be too subtle for his Pakistani employers to understand, but it carries a very clear message, albeit in the sort of complimentary tone you use in cricket when you realize that this has-been cricketer might be the next Chairman of Selectors or CEO.

It's like saying "Arsene Wenger has given a lot to Arsenal". It means "he did a lot, he's past his use-by date, time for him to go".


2. As a great leader, he deserves all the appreciation and all the respect.

Again, this means "I'm saying his time is up, but scattering random compliments in as much as I can because I'm well aware that he might have Shaharyar Khan's job by the end of this year. I'm not stupid - I'm not doing Homeworkgate again."

3. "He should be given a good farewell which he deserves either now or whenever he decides to go."

Note the use of the word "Now".

Just as "No means No", "Now means Now". You will never see a high quality coach say it more clearly than this.

But part of the quality of the 2016-2017 Mickey Arthur is that he has fixed his former deficits in terms of diplomacy. He's not going to knife the current skipper in public.

He has very clearly used the word "now" but has softened the message for diplomatic purposes both by prefacing it with two compliments and by adding "or whenever he decides to go".

Great job reading between the lines. Love the awareness of the subtle use of the perfect tense. I think you are right on. A lot of back-handed compliments in Mickey Arthur's words.

 

[MenInG]

Must be sickening for Mickey to see players coming through domestic cricket and into the national team that are clearly way below the required levels of fitness.

The problem is that fitness is given very little importance in domestic cricket and at the NCA there are individuals who alllow players who are clearly unfit to carry on about their business as if nothing is wrong.

Question is can he take a stand against this?

 

[Square Drive]

Pretty obvious that he has given up on Misbah, and is hoping that he will depart with dignity ASAP



Mickey Arthur's words:
1. "Regardless of what he decides, the fact is that Misbah has contributed a lot to the team."

Mickey has clearly gone with the present perfect tense here - not the present tense.

If he wanted him to play on he would have said "Misbah contributes a lot to this team".

But he didn't.

This might be too subtle for his Pakistani employers to understand, but it carries a very clear message, albeit in the sort of complimentary tone you use in cricket when you realize that this has-been cricketer might be the next Chairman of Selectors or CEO.

It's like saying "Arsene Wenger has given a lot to Arsenal". It means "he did a lot, he's past his use-by date, time for him to go".


2. As a great leader, he deserves all the appreciation and all the respect.

Again, this means "I'm saying his time is up, but scattering random compliments in as much as I can because I'm well aware that he might have Shaharyar Khan's job by the end of this year. I'm not stupid - I'm not doing Homeworkgate again."

3. "He should be given a good farewell which he deserves either now or whenever he decides to go."

Note the use of the word "Now".

Just as "No means No", "Now means Now". You will never see a high quality coach say it more clearly than this.

But part of the quality of the 2016-2017 Mickey Arthur is that he has fixed his former deficits in terms of diplomacy. He's not going to knife the current skipper in public.

He has very clearly used the word "now" but has softened the message for diplomatic purposes both by prefacing it with two compliments and by adding "or whenever he decides to go".

Very well explained.

Thank you.

 

[Junaids]

Very well explained.

Thank you.

It's my pleasure!

Mickey has to be so careful. Kevin Pietersen thought that he had seen off Andrew Strauss, only for him to return as the overall boss and end his career.

So Mickey can only speak in code to make his point.

 

[SL_Fan]

Where are all the big hitters? Mickey Arthur gives the answers

Pakistan cricket was once a proud abode to hard hitting batsmen producing superstars i.e. Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, it is a dilemma that the current squad faces a dearth of quality hitters.

Pakistan current cricket coach Mickey Arthur informed that the cricket board is working on addressing the issue, and he has been conducting drills with the squad.

"To be honest, there is no magical solution to creating such batsmen but what we are doing is drills like the ones you see the Karachi Kings' squad doing; we do these every day of the week with some good results. Even during Pakistan's tour of Australia, we kept on doing similar drills so it's not a lack of practice which is a problem," said Mickey Arthur, in an interview to PakPassion.net.

The coach who at the moment is with Karachi Kings, said that we have to allow our batsmen the necessary freedom, which is essential to create such batsmen.

"What it boils down to is that we have to produce batsmen who can play free enough to hit the ball out of the ground. That is something we have identified as an important aspect of our cricket and that is what we are working on."

Link

 

[Shafi]

Whole PCB including Arthur and Inzi are joke. They always talk about fitness and young players but keep backing and recycling oldies and unfits.
Need a new administration to get rid all of them.

 

[JibranAnsari]

yes Fitness is a concern but bigger concern is lack of good fast bowlers (fit or unfit) and good hitters ( fit or unfit) , right now we can't be choosers.

 

[Markhor]

Whole PCB including Arthur and Inzi are joke. They always talk about fitness and young players but keep backing and recycling oldies and unfits.
Need a new administration to get rid all of them.

He hasn't been in the job for a year ! Give him some time, you're not going to overhaul fitness and nutrition standards at junior and domestic level in a matter of months.

 

[Abdullah719]

The training camp ahead of the WI tour will be starting soon - I think it's high time that players who refuse to improve their fitness are shown the exit.

It's a problem that unfit players are coming from the domestic system but at the end of the day, if they're willing to improve then they can be given leeway.

Those that refuse to acknowledge the issue, however - is where the problem lies.

 

[Syed1]

And what about players who when dropped from side instead of improving develop double-chins and massive bellies? What to do with such cricketers? Supposedly they have ALOT of talent.

 

[Sherlock]

I feel that's the reason Maqsood hasn't been seen again. Weren't there rumours that he didn't bother listening to coaches advices in-regards to fitness?

 

[Saj]

Needs to be more professionalism in Pakistan cricket. Too many situations where fitness is ignored and players allowed to play when not fit enough.

 

[Rayyman]

And what about players who when dropped from side instead of improving develop double-chins and massive bellies? What to do with such cricketers? Supposedly they have ALOT of talent.

They also belong to the same city of Pakistan lol.

 

[Hasan123]

Fitness and fielding should never be comprised on.

 

[Abdullah719]

Shahryar Khan also sending out a similar message, now it's time to take action against repeat offenders.

 

[Abdullah719]

Mickey walking the talk with regards to Umar Akmal.

 

[Saj]

For many years players have passed fitness tests due to friendships with the trainers at the NCA, thankfully those days are gone......well until Mickey is the head coach anyway.

 

[mak36]

For many years players have passed fitness tests due to friendships with the trainers at the NCA, thankfully those days are gone......well until Mickey is the head coach anyway.

Great to hear Mickey is walking the walk. If he is able to put the right structures/standards in place (as he seems to be doing), the fruits of his labour will be present for many years to come. Truth be told, it may well end up being his biggest legacy.