Mickey Arthur's double standards on fitness

[Savak]

He has in his tenure publically criticized Mohd Irfan, Umar Akmal, Sohail khan for their poor fitness and for huffing and puffing in the second spells onwards. He criticized Imran Khan Jr for being a trundler even though he had a very good average.

But on this tour, he has acknowledged taking an unfit Shadab, an unfit Harris Sohail, he has persisted with Amir and Shaheen even though these players were huffing and puffing from their second spells onwards. Imad Wasim got a long run inspite of his poor fitness and belly. He says nothing on Sarfaraz's poor fitness. Apparently Yasir himself was carrying a niggle. Abbass had a shoulder injury and apparently played the second test on pain killers against medical advice.

He publically admonishes Wahab Riaz for not having won a test match for Pakistan for 2 years but persists with Amir and doesn't give him any tough love. Honestly speaking I seriously hope that the PCB Cricketing Committee has a serious word with him and tell him to either apply his rules uniformly or start welcoming the players that he has unfairly discarded for long.

 

[Mr.Q]

I don’t think he’s a good coach tbh. Certainly not the kinda coach that would suit Pakistan. He’s all talk and no action. Some of the drills he has introduced are ridiculous. He comes off as an impatient guy who wants everything to go his way all the time. I hate people with such an attitude, especially in sports. And he thinks praising the players just for the sake of it is going to bring the best out of them, which isn’t true when it comes to players from the SC in general. Praise and fame generally make them hydrogen balloons.

I don’t see any new player showing great improvement under him. There isn’t a player you can point to and say “Mickey Arthur’s discovery”. You blame the players all the time for their lack of mental toughness, but the finger is never pointed at the coach who plays a serious role in keeping them motivated and focused. So in my humble opinion his double standard when it comes to fitness should be the least of your worries.

 

[Savak]

I don’t think he’s a good coach tbh. Certainly not the kinda coach that would suit Pakistan. He’s all talk and no action. Some of the drills he has introduced are ridiculous. He comes off as an impatient guy who wants everything to go his way all the time. I hate people with such an attitude, especially in sports. And he thinks praising the players just for the sake of it is going to bring the best out of them, which isn’t true when it comes to players from the SC in general. Praise and fame generally make them hydrogen balloons.

I don’t see any new player showing great improvement under him. There isn’t a player you can point to and say “Mickey Arthur’s discovery”. You blame the players all the time for their lack of mental toughness, but the finger is never pointed at the coach who plays a serious role in keeping them motivated and focused. So in my humble opinion his double standard when it comes to fitness should be the least of your worries.

Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim feel very positively about him.

 

[Mr.Q]

Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim feel very positively about him.

There will always be players trying to please the coach, especially if he gives them so many opportunities. Or maybe they’re just returning the praise he sent their way. I think Pakistan needs a different kind of coach. Someone who can influence the emotions of the players.

 

[SportsWarrior]

He is a pretty average coach. I am not saying he is outright bad, but pretty average. Pakistan has lots of past greats.. get someone with good head over their shoulders to coach them. Most of the SC teams need local coaches who understand how the countries FC setup works. Good to bring in foreign coaches for couple of years as consultants but not on a permanent basis. It might work for India where the coach is expected to be low profile and not expected to bring in any big changes. But for Pakistan it won't work as the foreigner won't understand all the internal politics. i know the expectation from Pak fans is that Mickey being an outsider will be able to push in lots of changes. But to change a slow moving organization like PCB/PCT you need someone how understand how it works and willing to work within the system to make necessary changes..

 

[hadi123]

There is a difference between being fit based on the fitness Tests and being injured like Shadab, Fakhar Zaman is. The likes of Shadab would have passed those fitness tests with flying colours

 

[The Viper]

Shadab was not fit so why pick him in the squad? Why not pick someone like Gohar or another spinner that can bat a bit.

 

[Savak]

Shadab was not fit so why pick him in the squad? Why not pick someone like Gohar or another spinner that can bat a bit.

Shadab was unfit in the UAE as well.

 

[Pete Rose]

Ok with Mickey having favorites.

 

[ManFan]

I think OP is getting a little confused.

Umar Akmal was dropped along with others because of their fitness issues WHEN playing.

Shadab and Haris are not dropped because when fully healthy and selected, they do not have fitness issues IN the middle of a game.

Sohail Khan bowled 10 kph slower than Amir has been doing in his second spell while Riaz was dropped because he was erratic. In fact, he had one good tour in Australia 2016 and a grand total of two five-fer’s in eight years of Test Cricket.

Coming to Sarfraz, he has been captain for a short period of time and if Mickey were to purge him so soon, it would look like he cannot cooperate with anyone holding a different opinion than him.

Pakistani fans need to realize that Mickey Arthur may not understand the usage of spinners in Asia but he has been the reason why Pakistan is not Number 9 in the rankings.

He has to produce the best possible results with an inadequate supporting staff and set of players.

Senior players come in and out like revolving doors due to politicking media antics while young players become complacent after a short period of success they cannot sustain.

He has to set the scale amidst turbulent waters but he wanted the challenge to coach Pakistan and the headache is a major job requirement.

I think he can make the SF’s at maximum in ENG because the bowlers can get the ball to reverse-swing in the middle overs. If he does so, it will be a fine testament to his coaching.

He speaks with his heart on his sleeve but unfortunately, in any field, that will create enmity amongst those surrounding you.

 

[Mirpur express]

played Yasir in 2 tests with 0 overs of spin bowled by the opposition on green decks because “he is the best spinner in the world “ *says it all.. still rate him more then any home grown coaches but as op says double standard are annoying & his obsession with playing Shadab in tests too

 

[Abdullah]

played Yasir in 2 tests with 0 overs of spin bowled by the opposition on green decks because “he is the best spinner in the world “ ����*says it all.. still rate him more then any home grown coaches but as op says double standard are annoying & his obsession with playing Shadab in tests too

Y the hate for shadab.
Go and look at our last overseas tour and shadab done fine.
We needed shadab here and shame they went with Yasir really when we never had the batting to take the game deep

 

[Itachi]

The issue with mickey is, he doesn't hesitate to throw others under the bus when going gets tough. It creates confusion, fear inside the dressing room which is always a recipe for disaster.

 

[Asif321]

Overrated
He has done many blunders including selection of 5 pacers for Asia cup and One spinner for SL tests
Benching shaan to accommodate Imam. Then doing drama on sidelines
And you should know how poor coach he is and what kind of eye he has
Shaan Masood would have not have played first test if Haris wouldn’t be injured
And Shan was actually your best batsmen. Shan unlikely would have played first 2 matches had Harris been fit . He has his own golden boys . I thought at first he might be a good choice but looking at his record in this stint he is a poor - average coach with no eye for talent

 

[Pete Rose]

Overrated
He has done many blunders including selection of 5 pacers for Asia cup and One spinner for SL tests
Benching shaan to accommodate Imam. Then doing drama on sidelines
And you should know how poor coach he is and what kind of eye he has
Shaan Masood would have not have played first test if Haris wouldn’t be injured
And Shan was actually your best batsmen. Shan unlikely would have played first 2 matches had Harris been fit . He has his own golden boys . I thought at first he might be a good choice but looking at his record in this stint he is a poor - average coach with no eye for talent

I didn’t see too many people clamoring for Shan Masood before his comeback. There was the usual moan about getting hockey pro fawad Alan in to the team

 

[MenInG]

The issue with mickey is, he doesn't hesitate to throw others under the bus when going gets tough. It creates confusion, fear inside the dressing room which is always a recipe for disaster.

Really? Some examples would be great.

 

[Markhor]

He has in his tenure publically criticized Mohd Irfan, Umar Akmal, Sohail khan for their poor fitness and for huffing and puffing in the second spells onwards. He criticized Imran Khan Jr for being a trundler even though he had a very good average.

But on this tour, he has acknowledged taking an unfit Shadab, an unfit Harris Sohail, he has persisted with Amir and Shaheen even though these players were huffing and puffing from their second spells onwards. Imad Wasim got a long run inspite of his poor fitness and belly. He says nothing on Sarfaraz's poor fitness. Apparently Yasir himself was carrying a niggle. Abbass had a shoulder injury and apparently played the second test on pain killers against medical advice.

He publically admonishes Wahab Riaz for not having won a test match for Pakistan for 2 years but persists with Amir and doesn't give him any tough love. Honestly speaking I seriously hope that the PCB Cricketing Committee has a serious word with him and tell him to either apply his rules uniformly or start welcoming the players that he has unfairly discarded for long.

I don't see how any of these issues can be laid at the door of Mickey Arthur. Many of these claims are factually inaccurate.

Haris suffered his injury on tour. Amir and Shaheen have been huffing and puffing in their later spells because Captain Fantastic did not play four quicks to share the workload.

Imad Wasim was dropped for the Asia Cup due to poor fitness - he returned in the AUS and NZ series only after passing the fitness test. Sarfraz may carry a belly but he passed the fitness test too.

Abbas has been our best seamer this year by far so the team management's desire to feature him is understandable.

He did not persist with Mohammad Amir but dropped him after the Asia Cup, and told him to work on his weaknesses in domestic cricket. Literally the opposite has happened.

 

[Markhor]

He is a pretty average coach. I am not saying he is outright bad, but pretty average. Pakistan has lots of past greats.. get someone with good head over their shoulders to coach them. Most of the SC teams need local coaches who understand how the countries FC setup works. Good to bring in foreign coaches for couple of years as consultants but not on a permanent basis. It might work for India where the coach is expected to be low profile and not expected to bring in any big changes. But for Pakistan it won't work as the foreigner won't understand all the internal politics. i know the expectation from Pak fans is that Mickey being an outsider will be able to push in lots of changes. But to change a slow moving organization like PCB/PCT you need someone how understand how it works and willing to work within the system to make necessary changes..

We had a local coach in Waqar Younis and he failed dismally on two separate occasions. He was tactically inept and we plummeted to 9th and 7th in ODI and T20 rankings. We were humiliated in 2015 and 2016 World Cups, where Waqar did little preparation. As a man manager he was awful as captain and coach.

At least Mickey has tried to develop youngsters for the future and give them confidence.

The reason we keep appointing overseas head coaches is as there's a dearth of quality local coaches. They get too involved in internal politics and are more susceptible to pressure from the media.

 

[Savak]

We had a local coach in Waqar Younis and he failed dismally on two separate occasions. He was tactically inept and we plummeted to 9th and 7th in ODI and T20 rankings. We were humiliated in 2015 and 2016 World Cups, where Waqar did little preparation. As a man manager he was awful as captain and coach.

At least Mickey has tried to develop youngsters for the future and give them confidence.

The reason we keep appointing overseas head coaches is as there's a dearth of quality local coaches. They get too involved in internal politics and are more susceptible to pressure from the media.

The way Waqar demoralized the team after the defeat to NZ in the T-20 WC in 2016 by stating the team does not deserve to qualify further in the tournament even though the team had a more than a game chance against Australia was unforgivable and the shining example of why the individual does not deserve to ever coach any international team because frankly speaking he just does not have the temperament. Then in the same press conference he threw Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad under the bus and publically demanded the selectors to axe them from the team.

Regardless of the merits of his statements, you never demoralize your players, team and do not air your dirty laundry in public. But that is what you get with Waqar as proof of all his coaching stints. His captaincy tenure is also a classic example where after the tournament where he gave an interview on GEO where he lashed out on each and every player in his team for under performing, defending his own performance as a player, that it was up to the selectors and the PCB on whether they wish to retain him as captain or not, but he was not going to step down as captain or as a player. Really poor stuff and no one wants to play for such a person.

 

[Saj]

Are Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah match-fit? They don't look it to me.

 

[Savak]

Are Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah match-fit? They don't look it to me.

Match fit, maybe. Yasir looks to be carrying a niggle. But both aren't in the best possible shape expected of them.

 

[SportsWarrior]

I didn’t see too many people clamoring for Shan Masood before his comeback. There was the usual moan about getting hockey pro fawad Alan in to the team

to be fair that is because none on PP would have seen how he was batting in the nets. if he is a good coach he would have seen the improvement. i always felt Harris is overrated here and pretty average batsman with poor work ethics. Someone who was batting well in nets, with good work ethics and fitness should have been a better choice. Injury to Harris made it easier otherwise that guy would have limped through two tests in SA

 

[SportsWarrior]

Are Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah match-fit? They don't look it to me.

are they match fit anytime? after looking at some of the highlights they both look like potatoes (obviously exaggerating, but you get the point)

 

[Pete Rose]

to be fair that is because none on PP would have seen how he was batting in the nets. if he is a good coach he would have seen the improvement. i always felt Harris is overrated here and pretty average batsman with poor work ethics. Someone who was batting well in nets, with good work ethics and fitness should have been a better choice. Injury to Harris made it easier otherwise that guy would have limped through two tests in SA

Even so, it was going to be difficult to replace Harris who came on the tour with two centuries in the last four tests. Either way it ended well for Pakistan