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Why Pakistan cricket team needs a coaching stint from the great Wasim Akram?
•Proven Experience as a successful coach and talent spotter
Wasim Akram is an absolute legend of Pakistan cricket. The man has won multiple laurels with the Pakistan cricket team (PCT) both as a player and as a captain. But one thing that still eludes his illustrious career is a deficiency of glory with the national side as their coach. There is no much scepticism regarding Wasim’s skills as a coach. As he has already proven his worth as a serial winner by winning silwerwares for different franchise leagues around the world. Two IPL titles with Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and one PSL title each with Islamabad United(IU) and Karachi Kings (KK) are just some of his coaching accomplishments. Also there is no denying of his great knack of hunting young talents for teams. To name a few, guys like Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav are just a few names in his long list of golden picks.
•Better grasp of Pakistan’s cricketing culture and players’ mindset
Another benefit of having Wasim Akram as Pakistan’s bowling coach would be his great acquaintance with the cricketing culture within and outside Pakistan. Certainly a player who has remained a part of this system for more than 19 years can tender a better advice than any outsider who is naïve enough to understand the complex political dynamics within the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In words of late Australian top coach Dean Jones, “It’s important that anyone who wishes to work and succeed in this environment (Pakistan) must try to understand the culture of the country and the mindset of the Pakistani cricketers” Thus because of this factor Wasim Akram would be an excellent pick for the team Pakistan.
•Bowling woes of Pakistani pacers and need of a seasoned figurehead
Another factor that makes Wasim’s coaching stint more pertinent than ever is the ongoing poor run for the Pakistani pacers. Recently, Pakistan star pacer Haris Rauf was at the receiving end of a despicable record of conceding most runs in a single ODI World Cup edition and his fellow pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali were also somewhat unimpressive with the ball. Despite the fact that they were performing in flying colours just before the commencement of the ODI World Cup. So in order to resuscitate the deadly bowling skills of our pacers we need a maestro like Wasim Akram who not only knows how to swing ball well but also equips a number of bowling subtleties that can disguise any great batsman into playing false shot. Thus, Wasim Akram’s selection can result in imparting of these skills to our youngsters too and therefore, a change in their fortunes.
•Can allay the probabilities of injury for players through his vast experience.
Another area where Wasim Akram’s rich experience can come handy is the injury and fitness related issues of our players. Many decent pacers of Pakistan like Rumman Raees, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali etc have had a sporadic career with the national side owing to their intermittent injuries. Also in the last couple of years, we have seen Pakistan star pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah missing much of the action in cricket owing to their own unfortunate injuries. So in recent times, the injury-plagued seasons of our players has been a great source of headache for team Pakistan and has been the chief reason of their unsatisfactory performances in the recent ICC events. Therefore, it is high time to appoint a coach who is deft in dealing with injury related issues and has also dealt with them brilliantly in his own cricketing tenure. For this, we do not need to look any farther as our very own bowling legend and Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram has been master of it. In his own words
“I went to the gym only in the final three years of my career. I played 10 seasons for Lancashire and would have played around 100-150 first-class games. Here you play these pacers two first-class games and they won’t get out of bed for six days. Their bodies are not used to it.”
•Wasim’s phenomenal mentorship and excellent bowling prowess on overseas venue
Wasim Akram’s stint as bowling coach for Pakistan can also be a game changer for Pakistan as besides a good coach and bowler, he is also a good mentor and great players like Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami have developed greatly under his mentorship. Recently Mohammed Shami’s former bowling coach has also acknowledged this influence. He said “It’s Wasim Akram who made Shami the bowler he is today. ” Besides this overarching influence, Wasim also has an exceptional bowling record at overseas venues and that has been of lately a great issue for Pakistani pacers who struggle to take wickets on overseas venues. So this is another area where Pakistan’s bowling unit need a desperate help from him.
•No language barrier with players and great men management skills
Former Pakistan coach and players like Dav Whatmore, Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan have all pointed out that the language barrier does affect the execution of plans for the team Pakistan. Besides this issue, we also need a good man manager who can hold the players together like a glue. Well, If PCB appoints Wasim Akram as our coach then we would not face above mentioned issues as being a good man manager himself, Wasim can do wonders for team Pakistan as he did before in the past for the multiple franchises that he worked with.
•The only big hurdle: Wasim’s own reluctance to do coaching role for team Pakistan
With mammoth bowling experience, Wasim can offer valuable services to Pakistan cricket team. The only big hurdle in the realization of this dream is Wasim’s own strong conviction against joining PCT as a coach owing to the abusive demeanor that PCT coaches have faced in the past. Wasim has also mentioned his little tolerance threshold as the reason behind his reluctance to do coaching duties for Pakistan. But at the same time his stated reservations do not hold any substance when you consider the fact that he has faced loads of criticism as a coach during his stint with various league franchises.
It is not like, that Wasim has not received a coaching offer before from PCB. Infact, PCB approached him formally in the wake of 2012 but he declined it then citing his personal busy schedule with different franchise teams. As Wasim Akram is no more overwhelmed with such engagements now so it appears he can perform the coaching duties for Pakistan. Also bearing in mind that our erstwhile top quality fast bowling unit is facing a host of issues since the conclusion of Asia Cup 2023. So it is high time for a bowling stalwart like Wasim Akram to step in and address the issues of our fast pacers by rendering them his valuable services and tips.
•Conclusion
To conclude, Pakistan desperately needs a coaching stint from an experienced campaigner like Wasim Akram because the experiment with novice coaches like Morne Morkel and Shaun Tait has not fared desirable results for team Pakistan. Also Wasim Akram needs to seriously revise his decision of not to coach team Pakistan because if world cup winning captains like Kapil Dev and Clive Lloyd can perform these duties for their nations then why Wasim Akram can not perform these duties for his beloved nation. Also it would be a great disservice to Pakistan on part of Wasim Akram if he is OK with criticising the players on TV but is unwilling to share his skills with them on the field. Therefore, Wasim Akram should opt for a coaching role with team Pakistan as it is in the greater interest of both i.e him and our cricketing nation.
•Proven Experience as a successful coach and talent spotter
Wasim Akram is an absolute legend of Pakistan cricket. The man has won multiple laurels with the Pakistan cricket team (PCT) both as a player and as a captain. But one thing that still eludes his illustrious career is a deficiency of glory with the national side as their coach. There is no much scepticism regarding Wasim’s skills as a coach. As he has already proven his worth as a serial winner by winning silwerwares for different franchise leagues around the world. Two IPL titles with Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and one PSL title each with Islamabad United(IU) and Karachi Kings (KK) are just some of his coaching accomplishments. Also there is no denying of his great knack of hunting young talents for teams. To name a few, guys like Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav are just a few names in his long list of golden picks.
•Better grasp of Pakistan’s cricketing culture and players’ mindset
Another benefit of having Wasim Akram as Pakistan’s bowling coach would be his great acquaintance with the cricketing culture within and outside Pakistan. Certainly a player who has remained a part of this system for more than 19 years can tender a better advice than any outsider who is naïve enough to understand the complex political dynamics within the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In words of late Australian top coach Dean Jones, “It’s important that anyone who wishes to work and succeed in this environment (Pakistan) must try to understand the culture of the country and the mindset of the Pakistani cricketers” Thus because of this factor Wasim Akram would be an excellent pick for the team Pakistan.
•Bowling woes of Pakistani pacers and need of a seasoned figurehead
Another factor that makes Wasim’s coaching stint more pertinent than ever is the ongoing poor run for the Pakistani pacers. Recently, Pakistan star pacer Haris Rauf was at the receiving end of a despicable record of conceding most runs in a single ODI World Cup edition and his fellow pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali were also somewhat unimpressive with the ball. Despite the fact that they were performing in flying colours just before the commencement of the ODI World Cup. So in order to resuscitate the deadly bowling skills of our pacers we need a maestro like Wasim Akram who not only knows how to swing ball well but also equips a number of bowling subtleties that can disguise any great batsman into playing false shot. Thus, Wasim Akram’s selection can result in imparting of these skills to our youngsters too and therefore, a change in their fortunes.
•Can allay the probabilities of injury for players through his vast experience.
Another area where Wasim Akram’s rich experience can come handy is the injury and fitness related issues of our players. Many decent pacers of Pakistan like Rumman Raees, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali etc have had a sporadic career with the national side owing to their intermittent injuries. Also in the last couple of years, we have seen Pakistan star pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah missing much of the action in cricket owing to their own unfortunate injuries. So in recent times, the injury-plagued seasons of our players has been a great source of headache for team Pakistan and has been the chief reason of their unsatisfactory performances in the recent ICC events. Therefore, it is high time to appoint a coach who is deft in dealing with injury related issues and has also dealt with them brilliantly in his own cricketing tenure. For this, we do not need to look any farther as our very own bowling legend and Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram has been master of it. In his own words
“I went to the gym only in the final three years of my career. I played 10 seasons for Lancashire and would have played around 100-150 first-class games. Here you play these pacers two first-class games and they won’t get out of bed for six days. Their bodies are not used to it.”
•Wasim’s phenomenal mentorship and excellent bowling prowess on overseas venue
Wasim Akram’s stint as bowling coach for Pakistan can also be a game changer for Pakistan as besides a good coach and bowler, he is also a good mentor and great players like Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami have developed greatly under his mentorship. Recently Mohammed Shami’s former bowling coach has also acknowledged this influence. He said “It’s Wasim Akram who made Shami the bowler he is today. ” Besides this overarching influence, Wasim also has an exceptional bowling record at overseas venues and that has been of lately a great issue for Pakistani pacers who struggle to take wickets on overseas venues. So this is another area where Pakistan’s bowling unit need a desperate help from him.
•No language barrier with players and great men management skills
Former Pakistan coach and players like Dav Whatmore, Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan have all pointed out that the language barrier does affect the execution of plans for the team Pakistan. Besides this issue, we also need a good man manager who can hold the players together like a glue. Well, If PCB appoints Wasim Akram as our coach then we would not face above mentioned issues as being a good man manager himself, Wasim can do wonders for team Pakistan as he did before in the past for the multiple franchises that he worked with.
•The only big hurdle: Wasim’s own reluctance to do coaching role for team Pakistan
With mammoth bowling experience, Wasim can offer valuable services to Pakistan cricket team. The only big hurdle in the realization of this dream is Wasim’s own strong conviction against joining PCT as a coach owing to the abusive demeanor that PCT coaches have faced in the past. Wasim has also mentioned his little tolerance threshold as the reason behind his reluctance to do coaching duties for Pakistan. But at the same time his stated reservations do not hold any substance when you consider the fact that he has faced loads of criticism as a coach during his stint with various league franchises.
It is not like, that Wasim has not received a coaching offer before from PCB. Infact, PCB approached him formally in the wake of 2012 but he declined it then citing his personal busy schedule with different franchise teams. As Wasim Akram is no more overwhelmed with such engagements now so it appears he can perform the coaching duties for Pakistan. Also bearing in mind that our erstwhile top quality fast bowling unit is facing a host of issues since the conclusion of Asia Cup 2023. So it is high time for a bowling stalwart like Wasim Akram to step in and address the issues of our fast pacers by rendering them his valuable services and tips.
•Conclusion
To conclude, Pakistan desperately needs a coaching stint from an experienced campaigner like Wasim Akram because the experiment with novice coaches like Morne Morkel and Shaun Tait has not fared desirable results for team Pakistan. Also Wasim Akram needs to seriously revise his decision of not to coach team Pakistan because if world cup winning captains like Kapil Dev and Clive Lloyd can perform these duties for their nations then why Wasim Akram can not perform these duties for his beloved nation. Also it would be a great disservice to Pakistan on part of Wasim Akram if he is OK with criticising the players on TV but is unwilling to share his skills with them on the field. Therefore, Wasim Akram should opt for a coaching role with team Pakistan as it is in the greater interest of both i.e him and our cricketing nation.
