"Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : Julien Fountain

[Saj]

I'm delighted to announce the first blog for PakPassion from Pakistan's former fielding coach Julien Fountain.

Julien has been an active member on PakPassion for many years and has very kindly agreed to do this blog.

As Julien says below, this is an interactive blog and if you have any questions relating to what Julien has written here then feel free to add them to this thread and Julien will respond as and when he gets the chance to.

I am writing this blog, whilst sat in my new apartment in Seoul, South Korea, where I am currently the Head Coach of their national cricket team. We are preparing for the Asian Games, and believe me we are going to surprise a few people. I have ex baseball players who can happily hit a ball 100m plus, I have a 6ft 3 left arm 140kph quick, and a guy who bowls a doosra. Korea is a very disciplined country, and despite facilities being sparse, and budgets small, it’s a real pleasure to be their Head Coach as we are the host country and the prestige is huge!

Firstly, may I begin by saying a huge thank you to all of you who read and post regularly on Pakpassion.net, and who have been so supportive during my recent two years with Pakistan. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team, and according to many well respected players, coaches and even some TV pundits, Pakistan actually started looking pretty good in the field.

But we already knew that, as those of you who pay attention to the games would know, I keep detailed statistics on each performance. The “old school” who simply know how to criticize but not to impartially assess, are just not smart enough to accept that Pakistan's fielding improved over the last two years.

Now that is not to say it could not get better; of course it could be better, but there are sometimes limiting factors which do not get taken into consideration when making sweeping statements like “Player X is a useless fielder” for example:

• Is the player carrying an injury you are not aware of?
  
• Has the player ever actually been taught the fielding skill he has just messed up?
  
• Is there actually a time period in this players working week where he is able to both learn & practice this skill?

Lets take a favourite topic for discussion, Diving & Sliding

In order for an international cricket team to be successful in the field, its players must all be able to dive and slide effectively. Hell even Imran Tahir & Tsotsobe are to be seen hitting the ground quite frequently, so ethnicity is no excuse.

Some players in the Pakistan team are unable (or unwilling) to dive or slide as often as is required or even at all. This does hinder the teams performance somewhat, as it means these players are executing other skills at inappropriate times, thus increasing the risk of making an error.

“Teach them all to dive then Fountain”, I hear you say; well, ok that was what I intended to do but now listen to some of the counter arguments I heard in my time with the team.

1.“Some of these players are a little old, and do not want to put the final stage of their career at risk due to injury”

2.“We are on tour, we don’t want injuries before a game, cannot this be done at the NCA”

3.“We need to practice catching, as that is more important than diving”

4.“I am a little tired, can we do this training tomorrow”

5.“There is no time in the schedule and nowhere to do it, sorry”​

So, what do you do….

Some are too old, some are too stubborn and if they all get the green light from various sources to wimp out of it, what can you do.

Even when we have done some sessions, using the same “Baby Steps” that you would use with Under 12 age players, still certain people managed to get “Injured” !!! What to do?

You want results, but the reality is that sometimes the very people involved either directly or indirectly are simply not willing to go that extra mile to ensure success on the field. Too busy cozying up to a celebrity to actually enforce a decision.

If the domestic structure had appropriately skilled coaches, and the domestic teams were selected using the appropriate criteria (not whose brothers, uncle’s, nephew once removed you are) then fielding (and fitness) would have a definite place.

I have said it before and will continue saying it “Your national team is only as good as your domestic teams” Until your domestic teams can challenge an international touring team, you will always struggle for consistent performances at senior international level.

I have been involved with PP since 2006, so please feel free to ask me any questions you like and I will do my best to answer them.

Ask away . . .

​

 

[jaspa888]

"Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Fountain

Welcome Julien, thanks for your great efforts.

Did you find the younger members of the team to be generally more receptive to your new ideas? Or was it just down to individual level?

 

[j_kazmi]

What kind or excuse is number 4! That really is pathetic these guys are paid to be international cricketers and we get excuse like that.

 

[Saj]

The excuses that Julien has written from the players are frankly alarming.

No wonder our team lacks professionalism and lag behind others in fielding.

 

[Barragan]

Such a shame, some players are unwilling to put in the hard yards into their fielding because fielding alone, can you win games and if you don't believe me, then check out the Kiwi's!

They constantly make the knock out stages of a tournament because of their fielding and they don't have many star players either (although it is better now), just by purely being a good fielding unit, has helped them immensely.

 

[GreenTigers]

"Kaam chor" are the best urdu words can describe these unprofessional players who don't understand the importance of fielding. Simply put they're not willing to make any effort in fielding, which is a typical old school mentality.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Does Julien feel that he was hindered by the higher powers not giving him or the coaching staff enough support??

 

[Saqs]

Re: "Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Founta

All those excuses are so pathetic!

This is why you hear our management say things like 'we need Pakistani coaches because they understand our culture and know the players'

Ridiculous.

 

[ChaudrySaab]

Those "excuses" by the players are frankly unprofessional and pathetic!.

Did you ever inform the PCB about this and what was their response?.



Congratulations on your new job by the way!.

 

[khalil1986]

Disgusting excuses but not at all surprising.

Things will never improve under such outdated dinosaurs in charge.

At the end of the day if the players have no desire to improve and don't mind being ridiculed by the entire world than no coach can do anything.

 

[saiyan0312]

Those have to be the most disgusting excuses in international cricket. What do these players think this is school cricket. They really need to grow up.

What was PCB or the head coach response to this childish behavior bcz frankly no matter what kind of a star he is or what kind of a talent he is if he has such unprofessional behavior then he should be kicked out.

This actually explains why our players dont learn from their mistakes. They dont have the work ethics to work on this.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Look at Irfan lol. He looks like a mountain.

 

[Bullet Drive]

What do you think about our young upcoming players? I'm quite impressed with their fielding e.g. Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Hammad Azam.

Some need to be worked on. Jamshed & Haris Sohail

 

[Misia]

Julian, your old school comment is 110% correct. I whole heartedly thank you for all your efforts and would like to wish you the best of luck with your endeavours in Korea ..!!!

 

[Saqs]

Re: "Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Founta

What do you think about our young upcoming players? I'm quite impressed with their fielding e.g. Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Hammad Azam.

Some need to be worked on. Jamshed & Haris Sohail

Junior is a great out fielder and ground fielder but his in field catching still needs work. He has dropped some dollies in the past.

 

[Saqs]

Re: "Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Founta

Look at Irfan lol. He looks like a mountain.

He's taller than the mountains behind him. Beast.

 

[Saqs]

Re: "Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Founta

Those have to be the most disgusting excuses in international cricket. What do these players think this is school cricket. They really need to grow up.

What was PCB or the head coach response to this childish behavior bcz frankly no matter what kind of a star he is or what kind of a talent he is if he has such unprofessional behavior then he should be kicked out.

This actually explains why our players dont learn from their mistakes. They dont have the work ethics to work on this.

Some of those excuses seem to be coming from management themselves. What do you think their response would be lol.

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

Julien, I'm not surprised by this. This Pakistan team is living off the glory of the great Pakistani teams of the 90s and early 2000s.

If these people continue to play and the administrators as they are keep running Pakistani cricket, we will be like WI very soon.

 

[Aman]

Who would you currently rate as the best fielding outfit?
Also all the best coaching the South Korean cricket team

 

[FreeBird]

Who are those players in the "senior school"? From what I know it's Misbah, Afridi, Younus Khan, Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Umer Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Perhaps Sohail Tanvie who calls himself senior.

I have seen Umer Gul and Afridi, and occaisionally Saeed Ajmal diving and sliding. Umer Gul perhaps tops the list.
YK fields in the slip and Kamran is keeper so there is hardly any sliding and their diving is somewhat different than diving to save a boundary.

You are left with Misbah, Hafeez and Tanvir, and perhaps also Afridi as he is not the fielder as he once was.

 

[blinding light]

Man, this is so embarrassing

Julien, what do you make of the younger players? Some of them really do show commitment on the field - do you think they would fall to such antics themselves in a few years (i.e., is there just no hope for us as a fielding unit)?

Also, good luck for the future with the South Korean team!

 

[FreeBird]

Julien may not agree with me but I think Asad Shafiq is one of the top and most comitted fielder.

 

[jeetu]

"Regarding Diving & Sliding"
Question for JF - How much of factor does grass on Outfield plays in it and if so does grounds at Asian Domestic level act as a deterrent ?

 

[Indiafan]

And then when the players misfield or do not improve, the first one to be blamed is the fielding coach

 

[Saqs]

And then when the players misfield or do not improve, the first one to be blamed is the fielding coach

Lol yeah. Makes you think twice about criticising Mohammad Akram as the bowling coach adn Whatmore as the Head Coach if this is really the attitude that prevails in the team.

 

[IndianWillow]

School boy excuses!

 

[Ian Pont]

I am so pleased Julien has finally revealed this. It is incredibly frustrating but not uncommon to hear such excuses in other countries like Bangladesh as well, where Julien and I first experienced these things.

Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever standard you play, the person with the most excuses and answers, is staring out at you from the mirror.

I wish Julien well in Korea and trust he will instil his fantastic work ethic of "Attention To Detail". If I know Julien correctly, he will cause a stir with his coaching.

Best luck lad!

 

[saiyan0312]

Lol yeah. Makes you think twice about criticising Mohammad Akram as the bowling coach adn Whatmore as the Head Coach if this is really the attitude that prevails in the team.

This. If this is the attitude of our players then coaches dont deserve even half of the flak that we give them but if this is their attitude how can you solve it. ??? i mean these arent school children that need discipline with a ruler. nvir

 

[corneredtiger85292]

Would just like to thank Mr Fountain for all the hard work he put in when he was with us, and also for putting up with our prima dona's who think so highly of themselves it's a joke.

Best of luck with South Korea and I shall be following the cricket at the Asian games with interest now

 

[96NotOut]

Congratulations and good luck with your new job!

I'm actually not surprised our players come up with stuff like this.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

I am so pleased Julien has finally revealed this. It is incredibly frustrating but not uncommon to hear such excuses in other countries like Bangladesh as well, where Julien and I first experienced these things.

Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever standard you play, the person with the most excuses and answers, is staring out at you from the mirror.

I wish Julien well in Korea and trust he will instil his fantastic work ethic of "Attention To Detail". If I know Julien correctly, he will cause a stir with his coaching.

Best luck lad!

Dead right, Mr Pont. I think the big problem in sub-continental countries particularly, is that you just can't select the side on merit and drop the players who come up with this sort of nonsense.

Frankly, this is why I prefer franchise cricket to international cricket, it allows for a natural weeding out of this sort of player and gives private parties without vested interests an incentive to pick a better sort of player instead. I can't even imagine the amount of frustration involved in coaching players who do this.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

I'm also interested to see how South Korea does. I have a feeling that baseball batters might be utterly devastating with a bit of training and practice if allowed the freedom to just do their thing, especially so in the shorter formats. Hitting a baseball/softball is much tougher than hitting a cricket ball, and I'd wager from the demands of the sport, that baseball hitters are much better at not needing the time to get their eye in.

 

[Saj]

I have no inside information on which players are guilty here, but the indications are that it's some senior players together with one or two arrogant youngsters.

What is really worrying though is that those players are being backed by management who should be backing professional coaches instead.

 

[praveen]

5.“There is no time in the schedule and nowhere to do it, sorry”

Don't coaches set the practice schedules ?

 

[RagingJ]

There's always people trying to dodge fielding, it's one of those things.

It exposes the lazy people, go to a club and you see it, I know these guys are professional, but it carries on as some think they are hotshots.

 

[Saqs]

I have no inside information on which players are guilty here, but the indications are that it's some senior players together with one or two arrogant youngsters.

What is really worrying though is that those players are being backed by management who should be backing professional coaches instead.

This. This. This.

All those excuses are the byproduct of being an overprotected, overpriviliged species that get their own way through their influence with management.

Players alone cannot come up with those excuses, until and unless they know their managers are supporting them, against the very fielding coach that those managers have hired in the first place. Lol.

 

[FreeBird]

Korea is a very disciplined country

Makes me jealous as THIS is where it all starts.

I can vouch for Koreans' discipline. Have worked with a few Koreans in the IT industry and I can tell you that their devotion to their work is absolutely mind boggling.

 

[the Great Khan]

explains why someone like tendu is successful as compared to some others who think practice is a chore and "match ay gaa tu sub chulta hay"...its a lazy school boy cricket attitude..pathetic but I am not surprised.

 

[JibranAnsari]

I don't think that only players are to be blamed , team management is equally responsible for the behavior. Working hard on their fitness and improving fielding skills are part of cricket and these guys find excuses for not working hard. Disgusting really. The way PCB works nothing is going to change soon , the only answer we have to all problems usually is change the captain or sack a player whereas the problems here have deeper roots. You bring the best batting or bowling coach in the world , nothing will change. No wonder why whatmore was so unsuccessful.

 

[Zaz]

Re: "Old school failed to accept that fielding improved over last 2 years" : J Founta

I don't think that only players are to be blamed , team management is equally responsible for the behavior. Working hard on their fitness and improving fielding skills are part of cricket and these guys find excuses for not working hard. Disgusting really. The way PCB works nothing is going to change soon , the only answer we have to all problems usually is change the captain or sack a player whereas the problems here have deeper roots. You bring the best batting or bowling coach in the world , nothing will change. No wonder why whatmore was so unsuccessful.

Exactly The culture has to change and you do that from the grass roots You can bring in the best coaches in the world into the national team but they ll always have their backs to the wall and their work cut out

Unfortunately in pakistan the administration is all over the place and player power is too prevalent Until a more professional set up occurs we ll keep seeing and hearing of areas where pakistan cricket struggles

 

[FreeBird]

Julien,
While employeed by PCB, did you take any action, like filing a report against the "Old School" in an effort to address the problem, or you are just saying it after being released from the job? ..just wondering.

 

[khalil1986]

Julien,
While employeed by PCB, did you take any action, like filing a report against the "Old School" in an effort to address the problem, or you are just saying it after being released from the job? ..just wondering.

File a report to who exactly?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

This is absolutely pathetic.

And these are international cricketers.

I want these players to get selected in IPL and show this kinda attitude to their IPL coaches and fellow team mates.

They will be snubbed and put in their rightful place.

I am sure all Pak fans too would love to see professionalism drilled into these guys (even if its via snubbing).

Imagine if Julien could achieve good results with this bunch of incompetent cricketers, then how good must he be in reality.

Imagine.

 

[FreeBird]

File a report to who exactly?

Whoever was Julien reporting to. He must have a supervisor, he wasn't the chief of PCB was he?

 

[iafzal]

Julian,
First of all good luck in Seoul. I am sure you will find them much more professional and hence better results especially in fielding department.

Which of the 3-4 players you think are the top fielders in the current Pak cricket setup. Why do you think they are so better than the rest? How did they get there?

Also which of a couple players that we may think are poor fielders but have the tools to be very good if they apply and work hard at it.

 

[julien f]

Welcome Julien, thanks for your great efforts.

Did you find the younger members of the team to be generally more receptive to your new ideas? Or was it just down to individual level?

The was a good mix of seniors and juniors who were receptive to the idea of striving for expertise as a fielder. Some of the very most senior players such as Azar Ali, sawed Ajmal & Misbah were happy to put in the effort, and even go above and beyond what was being asked of them in terms of the amount of practice required. Equally, some of the newer and younger players such as Shan Masood, Khurram Manzoor, Anwar Ali or Umar Amin were all keen to create a "New Pakistan" in terms of fielding performance.

Of course the guys who are traditionally seen as good fielders such as Shezad, Umar Akmal Md Hafeez etc continued to put in the good statistics, but remember, the better the fielder, the more balls they field so when they have an off day it is a little more noticeable. What i appreciated was the guys who struggle a little such as Rahat, Irfan etc really trying hard to raise their own performance to help the team.

 

[julien f]

Who would you currently rate as the best fielding outfit?
Also all the best coaching the South Korean cricket team

Great question, and one that should be easy to answer by checking fielding stats on cricinfo, just like batting or bowling . . . . However, there are no real stats for fielding, other than catches / stampings / run outs. I would dearly love there to be a fielding stats package used globally so that we can measure that facet of the game properly. It begs belief that in this day and age a professional sport still does not have conclusive figures for a players fielding performance.

From my experience almost all the 10 full members and Ireland can put in an outstanding fielding performance (not bowling, but purely fielding) on any given day. But judging from the stats i collected during my tenure, Pakistan managed to equal or better South Africa, India or Sri Lanka as many times as they were out performed by the same team. Even at the ICC Champions Trophy, despite Pakistan performing poorly, the fielding (except against India) was of a high standard generally.

I would like to see an ICC Ranking for fielders, in the same way bowlers and batters are ranked. What do you think?

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Great question, and one that should be easy to answer by checking fielding stats on cricinfo, just like batting or bowling . . . . However, there are no real stats for fielding, other than catches / stampings / run outs. I would dearly love there to be a fielding stats package used globally so that we can measure that facet of the game properly. It begs belief that in this day and age a professional sport still does not have conclusive figures for a players fielding performance.

From my experience almost all the 10 full members and Ireland can put in an outstanding fielding performance (not bowling, but purely fielding) on any given day. But judging from the stats i collected during my tenure, Pakistan managed to equal or better South Africa, India or Sri Lanka as many times as they were out performed by the same team. Even at the ICC Champions Trophy, despite Pakistan performing poorly, the fielding (except against India) was of a high standard generally.

I would like to see an ICC Ranking for fielders, in the same way bowlers and batters are ranked. What do you think?

I'm amazed there aren't stats guys who compile this, especially for T-20 cricket. The difference between an excellent fielding side and a poor one could be around 10-15 runs per match which is massive.

 

[Saj]

I would like to see an ICC Ranking for fielders, in the same way bowlers and batters are ranked. What do you think?

I think it's a good idea Julien. Practically how would it work, I mean the points system how could that be allocated to players, based on catches run outs, runs saved etc?

 

[yadunoe]

Great info by Julien , Always love to hear his knowledge and input on the game of cricket. Julien who do you think are the top 10 best fielders in the world currently , Also who is the fittest player in the pakistan cricket team .

 

[iafzal]

I think it's a good idea Julien. Practically how would it work, I mean the points system how could that be allocated to players, based on catches run outs, runs saved etc?

In baseball, there is an error charged against the fielder if he misfields(around the bases) or miss a catch. It is not a perfect system as the umpire has to make that call.

Same can be done with cricket where if a catch is dropped it deducts a point vs. when you make a catch. If the catch is just too difficult than it should not count. The 3rd TV umpire can do this.

As far as good fielding and saving runs... how about a matrix which says "Runs Saved". Say a player dives and saves a sure 4 that will count as 4 runs saved. This will add up for him just like when players score runs batting. There will be some gray areas in this on how many runs a player saved but that is a small price. Also if a players miss fields, the runs scored will be counted as negative runs thus lowering the runs saved by him in that match.

It think this can work but ICC may have to hire a dedicated umpire whose sole job is to do this.

 

[julien f]

In baseball, there is an error charged against the fielder if he misfields(around the bases) or miss a catch. It is not a perfect system as the umpire has to make that call.

Same can be done with cricket where if a catch is dropped it deducts a point vs. when you make a catch. If the catch is just too difficult than it should not count. The 3rd TV umpire can do this.

As far as good fielding and saving runs... how about a matrix which says "Runs Saved". Say a player dives and saves a sure 4 that will count as 4 runs saved. This will add up for him just like when players score runs batting. There will be some gray areas in this on how many runs a player saved but that is a small price. Also if a players miss fields, the runs scored will be counted as negative runs thus lowering the runs saved by him in that match.

It think this can work but ICC may have to hire a dedicated umpire whose sole job is to do this.

I was going to double check this, as I thought that it was the official scorer for the game who calls a mistake in the field an Error. I think that the answer is clear if you look at the Highlighted Box.

Here is a link: http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/08/the_official_sc_2.php

So part of the answer is . . . train the scorers to be able to make a fair analytical judgement on a piece of fielding . . . Now create a scoring system that allows for data to be collected for fielding, thus giving you a "fielding average" or even a "fielding strike rate"

Ooh, and here's an interesting one for you to think about :
"In baseball, when a fielder makes a mistake, it does not affect the pitcher's figures. i.e if a bowler in cricket bowls a great ball, batter nicks it straight to slip, he drops it and it goes for four, is it fair to attribute the mistake to the bowlers figures (he did his job correctly, he got the nick, it was the fielders fault the wicket was achieved i.e Error !)

Should we have two sets of bowling figures, one that takes into account fielding errors, and the traditional one that does not. It would be interesting to see how that looked at the end of an innings????? You might have a very different view of many bowlers.

 

[zulfiqar]

I remember we had a discussion about this like 8 yrs ago here on PP. The only issue is that cricketing authorities in general are very conservative, and would almost never change the way bowling figures are recorded. However, recording fielding performance would be a great plus I think! Statisticians love cricket and it would be one more thing for the stats guys =p

 

[Saj]

Watch this space for Julien's next blog.

 

[MenInG]

Wonder how this will change given the change in contracts?

 

[Worldcuppa]

Correct technique for Diving

Hi Julien,

One of the reasons I have heard regarding players' reluctance to dive in the field is due to the roughness and hardness of subcontinental surfaces that cause cuts, bruises and abrasions (and potentially, elbow, shoulder and knee injuries).

Have you spent much time teaching players the correct technique for diving that would:

1. Minimise risk of dropping the ball; and
2. Minimise risk of injury

when impacting the ground from a dive?

Are there online resource available somewhere that clearly demonstrate all this ?

Thanks

 

[MenInG]

Some food for thought in terms of fielding!

 

[Alchemy]

Some food for thought in terms of fielding!

I dont understand this attitude. KKR's fielding was equally embarrassing. The only difference is that LL lost thus the furore.

 

[hadi123]

Absolutely pathetic fielding. we would have won this game had our fielding been slightly better. we must have given at least 10 runs too many in the field

 

[waleed88]

Atleast Misbah won't be in the list. He's been one of our best fielders for the past year.

 

[Alchemy]

Atleast Misbah won't be in the list. He's been one of our best fielders for the past year.

Of course, who can forget the catches he took especially during WC 2011 semi. Oh waaaaittt..

 

[Savak]

They should incorporate fielding in the central contracts to in addition to fitness.

 

[steelo green]

I dont understand this attitude. KKR's fielding was equally embarrassing. The only difference is that LL lost thus the furore.

Lahore is a bunch of youngsters who came up from Pakistans grassroots whereas KKR is a combination of players worldwide so can't really pinpoint it on the nation.

Pakistan is notorious for poor fielding and you're delusional if you think otherwise. We have 3 good fielders in Umar (not keeper), Shehzad and Fawad. Rest are below average to average and some are just plain bad.

The Sri Lankan series comes to mind. We hit to point and they stop it from a boundary and instead we get 0. The same the other way and it's a boundary every other time. That could be 10-15 runs right there which is the difference in winning and losing.

We have a structural problem. Our players feel naturally privileged for no reason and are given a free pass because no one criticizes them.

This isn't an issue of the day. I've constantly said it, as have others.

If you don't challenge someone, they will become lethargic and not want to improve. They become content. You don't do the drills, then sit on the bench. I don't care if you're Umar, Hafeez, Misbah. A message needs to be sent, but no one is bold enough to do this because of whispers in everyone's ears about how they need to run the team.

Too many (poor) chefs in the kitchen will lead to failure.

 

[JilaWatan]

I dont understand this attitude. KKR's fielding was equally embarrassing. The only difference is that LL lost thus the furore.

and i dont understand your logic. we're talking about LL's and in general pakistan's fielding. kkr has nothing to do with it. cant say they were bad so its ok if we were too

 

[Saj]

Some of these guys are supposed to be mid twenties in age, but field as if they are in the mid forties.

It's heart of the mouth stuff when the ball goes to some of our Pakistani fielders and you literally breathe a sigh of relief when they stop the ball.

 

[Ahson8]

It's defo a problem in the domestics. National team fielding isn't THIS bad.

Fountain was a fantastic coach; our fielding improved leaps and bounds under him. Wish we had persisted with him.

 

[waleed88]

Of course, who can forget the catches he took especially during WC 2011 semi. Oh waaaaittt..

And Younis Khan dropped a catch in that match? Does that make him a bad fielder too?

 

[Alchemy]

And Younis Khan dropped a catch in that match? Does that make him a bad fielder too?

Younis khan is notorious for dropping important catches. He has been an awful fielder recently.

 

[waleed88]

Jayawardene is known to drop 5 catches in the same match in the same position against the same team. He is one of the safest hands in world cricket. Surely a couple of drops here and there dont make a bad fielder.
Hafeez is a good fielder too and he is dropped alot of important catches. That doesn't make him a bad fielder.

 

[Saj]

Bump !!

 

[Atif]

The excuses that Julien has written from the players are frankly alarming.

No wonder our team lacks professionalism and lag behind others in fielding.

And that's the head coach to blame for being lenient and not punishing those who don't seem interested to learn/listen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Saj]

And that's the head coach to blame for being lenient and not punishing those who don't seem interested to learn/listen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Partially yes. But sometimes the players have more 'power' and backing than the coaching staff.

 

[Theo_14]

Good bump .... Problem now is that our 'youngsters' are heading towards the Old School path. Umar Akmal, Maqsood, Ehsan I believe failed their fitness test. Can I see them consistently training under any foreign coach with high quality training dills? I doubt it. Very concerning.

 

[Atif]

Partially yes. But sometimes the players have more 'power' and backing than the coaching staff.

This is why Pakistan Cricket will sadly never excel until they eradicate player power.

I assume when certain individuals retire, things may slightly improve.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Donal Cozzie]

I have no inside information on which players are guilty here, but the indications are that it's some senior players together with one or two arrogant youngsters.

.

Looks like its happened again just today.

 

[Saj]

Looks like its happened again just today.

Absolutely. But it won't just have been about today. I would guess that this has been happening for a while for Luden to resign in the middle of a huge tournament.

 

[Saj]

Grant Flower unhappy with the attitude of some players. Similar story from Julien Fountain in 2014:

“Teach them all to dive then Fountain”, I hear you say; well, ok that was what I intended to do but now listen to some of the counter arguments I heard in my time with the team.


1.“Some of these players are a little old, and do not want to put the final stage of their career at risk due to injury”

2.“We are on tour, we don’t want injuries before a game, cannot this be done at the NCA”

3.“We need to practice catching, as that is more important than diving”

4.“I am a little tired, can we do this training tomorrow”

5.“There is no time in the schedule and nowhere to do it, sorry”

So, what do you do….

Some are too old, some are too stubborn and if they all get the green light from various sources to wimp out of it, what can you do.

Even when we have done some sessions, using the same “Baby Steps” that you would use with Under 12 age players, still certain people managed to get “Injured” !!! What to do?

 

[asfandyar]

Old School = Shakil Shaikh + Haroon Rasheed + Intikhab Alam + Zakir Khan + Subhan Ahmed along with our friends from the banking sector.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

For most of us being paid a lot of money to actually play cricket is a dream come true. Add to that the fact that you are representing your nation.

With that it mind it's a disgrace that some players don't train hard enough and show poor attitudes. In any other profession if you had a lousy attitude and do not prepare adequately to carry out the roles you are paid to do then you would be sacked. Sport should be no different.

If you don't want to practice fielding or batting then chose a different job.

 

[Saj]

ets take a favourite topic for discussion, Diving & Sliding

In order for an international cricket team to be successful in the field, its players must all be able to dive and slide effectively. Hell even Imran Tahir & Tsotsobe are to be seen hitting the ground quite frequently, so ethnicity is no excuse.

Some players in the Pakistan team are unable (or unwilling) to dive or slide as often as is required or even at all. This does hinder the teams performance somewhat, as it means these players are executing other skills at inappropriate times, thus increasing the risk of making an error.

“Teach them all to dive then Fountain”, I hear you say; well, ok that was what I intended to do but now listen to some of the counter arguments I heard in my time with the team.

1.“Some of these players are a little old, and do not want to put the final stage of their career at risk due to injury”

2.“We are on tour, we don’t want injuries before a game, cannot this be done at the NCA”

3.“We need to practice catching, as that is more important than diving”

4.“I am a little tired, can we do this training tomorrow”

5.“There is no time in the schedule and nowhere to do it, sorry”

So, what do you do….

Some are too old, some are too stubborn and if they all get the green light from various sources to wimp out of it, what can you do.

Even when we have done some sessions, using the same “Baby Steps” that you would use with Under 12 age players, still certain people managed to get “Injured” !!! What to do?

You want results, but the reality is that sometimes the very people involved either directly or indirectly are simply not willing to go that extra mile to ensure success on the field. Too busy cozying up to a celebrity to actually enforce a decision.

If the domestic structure had appropriately skilled coaches, and the domestic teams were selected using the appropriate criteria (not whose brothers, uncle’s, nephew once removed you are) then fielding (and fitness) would have a definite place.

I have said it before and will continue saying it “Your national team is only as good as your domestic teams” Until your domestic teams can challenge an international touring team, you will always struggle for consistent performances at senior international level.

With fielding being discussed once again, I thought this would be worth bumping.