It will be difficult to find a replacement for Akhtar: Younis

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has paid rich tribute to the retired fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and said it would be difficult to find an ideal replacement for the enigmatic pacer, who retired after the World Cup. "Shoaib was a big name in Pakistan cricket and there is no doubt that he left an impact on the team. It is never easy to replace such players but I guess every player has to sometime call it a day," Waqar said during an interaction with the media in the city. Akhtar had announced his retirement after the World Cup match against New Zealand in which he was bludgeoned for 28 runs in one over by the Kiwi batsmen. The tour selection committee did not play Akhtar after that match although they were calls for him to be included in the team for the semi-final against India. Waqar said that the tour selection committee took the best possible decision, keeping in mind the requirements of the team. "No one doubts that Shoaib has given some great service to Pakistan cricket and it will be hard to find a replacement for him but it is also a fact that every cricketer has to call it a day sometime in his career," Waqar added. The Chairman of the Pakistan cricket Board Ijaz Butt said this week that it was a shame that there was no culture in Pakistan for senior players to retire at the right time. "In Pakistan, we have an issue where senior players can't decide themselves when it is time for them to call it a day and unfortunately the board than has to take this decision," Butt had said. Shoaib since returning from the World Cup has maintained a low profile despite reports now emerging that majority of the players in the team wanted the management to select him for the semi-final against India that Pakistan lost by 29 runs. Waqar also spoke about the forthcoming tour to the West Indies and admitted that since both teams had announced new players in their squads it should be a relatively easier series. "The World Cup is a benchmark for teams and normally after a World Cup the idea is to rebuild the team and introduce new players while giving rest to seniors or dropping some of them. "It will be a challenge for me to oversee the introduction of these new players into international cricket and to guide them on how to adjust and perform to this top level of the sport," the former Test captain said. The Pakistan coach said that it was a good opportunity for the new players to impress in the coming series and cement their places in the national team.

Reward support staff as much as players: Waqar

Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis believes that it is high time the support staff and management of the national team are rewarded as well as the players for any series or tournament triumph.

Waqar said he was disappointed that until now in Pakistan cricket there was no trend of recognising the efforts of the support staff and management in the good performance of the team.

The former Pakistan captain voiced his views on the issue at a reception for the World Cup squad at the Sindh chief minister's house last night where cash awards of Rs. 550,000 were announced for each player.

Earlier, the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had also distributed the same amount to each player in Lahore while more financial rewards appear to be on way for the players when they attend the Prime Minister's reception in Islamabad on Monday.

"I just think that the management deserves the same treatment as the players," Waqar told reporters.

"Because if a team does not perform well the support staff and management is also held responsible and criticized like the players. So when the team does well the contribution of the support staff and management towards the success of the team should also be recognized," the Pakistan coach said.

Presently, under the payment system prevalent in Pakistan cricket any winnings in a tournament or event are distributed equally among the players. The management is entitled to only a share that is given to a player and the amount has to be distributed among all the support staff.

Even when a player wins individual awards, he keeps 25 percent of the earnings and the rest is distributed among the other players.

The Pakistan team returned home with winnings of around USD 1.1 million for reaching the semi-final of the World Cup which roughly comes to around Rs. 95 million.

CM Sindh announces cash awards for Pak cricketers

Chief minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah hosted a reception in honour of the Pakistan cricket team, the World Cup semi-finalists, and also announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million each for the players.

Those attended the reception, held here at the Chief Minister House, were captain Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis, manager Intikhab Alam and ten players of the team while Akmal Brothers, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Junaid Khan were not present on the occasion.

Praising the performance of the national team in the World Cup 2011, the chief minister said the World Cup 2015 would go only to Pakistan.

Captain Afridi thanked the people for providing full support to his team and said that if they continue the support then Pakistan would Insha Allah win the next World Cup.

On this occasion, Qaim Ali Shah presented ajrak and Sindhi cap to all members of the team and announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million for each player.

 

Afridi asks Pakistan players to stay away from news

Mohali, March 28 (IANS) Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has instructed his teammates to avoid watching news bulletins and talk shows on Indian channels ahead of his team's World Cup semi-final against old and arch rivals India here Wednesday.

'I've heard that the media here has created quite a hype around our World Cup semi-final against India. But I'm not watching it. Whenever they start flashing some story about it, I just change the channel and go to something else. I have no time for it,' said Afridi.

Afridi said Pakistan are in India to play a World Cup semi-final and that's it.

'There is no war, nothing like that. It's a big cricket match for both the teams and I want to just focus on it,' he stressed.

The flamboyant all-rounder said that he is also advising his teammates to do the same. 'I've asked all the players to avoid watching news or discussions on TV shows and bulletins. It might distract them.'

Afridi is seen as a vital cog for Pakistan as they look to floor India in their own backyard. 'I know that as captain and the team's senior player, I have a huge responsibility,' he said.

'I've been really working hard and am confident that I'll lead from the front against India. It's a huge match not just because it's against India but because a win in it will give us a place in the final.'

The all-rounder, who is the tournament's most successful bowler with 21 wickets, is pleased with his team's preparations.

'We've had some really good training sessions here,' he said. 'The boys are all focused and the best part is that they are all relaxed and not taking any pressure.'

'How they will handle the pressure in the match is going to be the key and I'm confident that they will not face any problems in doing that. We are a good side and have the guts to face any situation.'

Shahid Afridi rules out returning to Test cricket

Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has made it clear that he will never return to Test cricket- the longest format of the game that he had quit last year. Afridi was initially installed as Pakistan’s captain for all three formats last year after he came out of his Test retirement to lead
the team against Australia in England last summer, but retired from Test cricket again after Pakistan suffered a heavy defeat against the Aussies at Lord’s in the opening Test.

Some experts, including former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, wanted Afridi to lead the national team in all three formats again.

“I don’t intend to return to Test cricket because I think I am not the best choice for this format,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.

The flamboyant allrounder, who failed miserably with the bat in the recently concluded World Cup, said that he would focus on getting some runs in the upcoming West Indies tour.

“I will really work hard to improve my batting because it has been pretty bad for quite some time,” he said.

“Even my daughter has started calling me Baba Boom Boom Out because of my poor batting performance,” he added.

Pakistan, considered underdogs before the start of the 2011 World Cup, made it to the last four stage of the tournament before their campaign ended in a 29-run defeat at the hands of India in the semi final clash at Mohali on March 30.

Noting the recent improvement in his team, Afridi said that Pakistan could emulate the mighty Australians with proper planning and hard work.

“Our team has improved a lot recently and our performance in World Cup was commendable because we played it under pressure because of a series of setbacks before the tournament,” he said.

“I believe that if we continue the same progress we can become like the Aussies who were considered as invincible till a few years back,” he added.