November 2007

Akram backs Lawson in

‘What matters is how players handle the pressure’

By Philip Moore in Dubai and Saeed Rahman in Karachi

Hall-of-famer Wasim Akram has thrown his weight behind his country’s coach, former Australian Test player Geoff Lawson, who was a controversial appointment over summer to one of cricket’s most prickly positions.

The champion all-rounder also says that while Inzamam-ul-Haq was one of the true greats of Pakistani cricket you can’t dwell on his retirement and “it’s time to move on.”

Akram made the comments to Total Sport during a flying visit to Dubai with his mate Ravi Shastri, one of the best all-rounders India has produced and Nasser Hussain, the fiercely-competitive ex-England skipper. They were in the UAE to kick off the HSBC Cricket Challenge tourney and regale the public with some extraordinary tales at a gala dinner.

Lawson, a deep-thinker on cricket, had limited coaching experience and filling the void in Pakistan was always going to be tough considering the horrendous time the team and fans had when former coach Bob Woolmer died at the World Cup this year. Lawson’s appointment was criticised because he was not a seasoned coach and some, such as batting great Javed Miandad, felt the job should go to a Pakistani. Well-travelled Sri Lankan-born Australian Dav Whatmore was favourite for the position but pipped at the post by Lawson.

As far as Akram is concerned Lawson, an optometrist who hails from the New South Wales country town of Wagga Wagga, which also produced Mark Taylor and Michael Slater, is doing well.

Akram told me: “He’s a quiet guy, he’s a laid-back guy. The players are happy with him, and the board is happy with him too. I have spoken to players and the board and they’re all pleased.”

He was speaking as the Pakistan team went into the nets to get ready for what is now dubbed the “other Ashes,” so intense is a series between India and Pakistan.

As for Lawson, he reckons an India-Pakistan series is now the biggest rivalry in world cricket.

“I think an India-Pakistan contest is bigger than the Ashes. I understand a fair bit what happens here when India plays Pakistan. It’s more than a cricket contest, it becomes a national rivalry.”
Lawson said the Pakistan team had learnt a lot from its mistakes during the recent series against South Africa that Graeme Smith’s team won 3-2.

Lawson said he was not bothered by that fact that India has been dubbed the stronger side for the upcoming one-day series that begins November 5 in the northeastern city of Gauhati.

“Whether we start as the favourites or not, what matters is how players handle the pressure,” he said. “There’s very little difference between the two sides.”

Lawson also says the two World Twenty20 cliff hangers against India made the Pakistan team hungry for this series against their neighbours and rivals.

“India have certainly been at the back of their (Pakistani players’) minds. In fact what happened in the World Twenty20 has only wet the appetite for the coming series. Although an Indo-Pak series always produces high tension. But it is becoming more exciting with the introduction of new players,” according to the former Test paceman.

“I am looking forward to it. We have a good side and we are confident we can do well. We played against them in the World Twenty20 and there is nothing much between the two sides in the instant form of the game,” Lawson said.

He said that the coming series promised more because of the change of guard in both teams.

“Great players leaving always leaves you with a great deal of sadness but they are a few exciting new talents coming through in both teams. All this is adding more and more to what will be a great series,” he said in an interview.

Lawson is satisfied at his progress with the Pakistan team so far but believes players need nine to 12 months of work to get to the fitness level expected of professional players. And he is adopting a steady-as-she-goes approach.

“I think it would be foolish to try to transplant the Australian system into Pakistan cricket because they have a different culture, system and building blocks. It will take time to make these players change their old habits. I am still learning how their culture affects their cricket and how they go about their training.”

But Lawson is impressed with captain Shoaib Malik.

“Malik, I think will only get better and better as a captain. He is new and he listens and takes things on board. He is good at interacting with the players. And from what I have heard this is different from what it used to be in the past in Pakistan cricket.”

Many felt Inzamam could have been coaxed to get back in the middle order, but Akram feels it was time for the record-breaking batsman to draw stumps.

“Inzy is one of the greatest players of all time, he’ll be missed but it’s time to move on,” Akram told Total Sport.

At this stage Shastri reckons it’s too close to call and “it would be a brave man or a foolish man who does.”

The Pakistan team still features four pace bowlers in Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar and Sohail Tanveer. Akram feels the stormy Akhtar could tip the balance if he explodes as we all know he can.
“If he plays, he’ll be the key.” Akhtar, however, finds it tough to finish a series due to injury problems.

Shastri adds, with reference to the fast bowler’s highly-publicised dressing room rumble in South Africa, “and if he uses the ball, not the bat.”
India were buoyed by their wonderful tour of England and Twenty20 triumph but brought down to earth with a thud in the one-dayers against Australia. Shastri says they’re up for the series against Pakistan.

“Their vocabulary has improved,” he jokes, referring to the acrimonious clashes with Ricky Ponting’s men.

Shastri defends the Indian players for their spats with the Aussies, saying it is necessary to take the on-field fight to the world champs.

“It was good to see them taking two games off the Aussies.You have to have a go. There’s no freebies once you’re over that boundary line.”
Which is all very well but as Hussain, who was known to have a word himself, pointed out, there are some people who shouldn’t be revved up. England recently stirred up Yuvraj Singh and were left open-mouthed as six sixes off as many balls scattered crowds and dented grandstand roofs.

“There are some people you just shouldn’t stir up. Freddie Flintoff had a go at him and the result was six sixes.”

He also said the jelly bean throwing by England against India was “childish” and that it backfired. Zaheer Khan bowled like a man possessed after that and swung the series India’s way.

“Zaheer Khan was like a man possessed after that, so it backfired anyway. I would have never done it and it shouldn’t have happened. You respect Tests and you respect your opposition”

Nass goes in to bat for ex-coach

‘Fletcher didn’t slag anyone off’

By Philip Moore

While public opinion has turned against Duncan Fletcher for his attack on Freddie Flintoff’s boozy antics, Nasser Hussain, who worked with the Zimbabwean coach, has defended the right of his former boss to have his say.

Nass told us in Dubai that what happened on the field and in the dressing sheds stayed there in Fletcher’s days.

“Now he’s out he can say what he likes.”

If Flintoff and others want to respond they can too, says Hussain. Plenty of them are too although big Freddie, currently on R&R in the US, is keeping quiet.

Ex-skipper Hussain says Fletcher “didn’t slag anyone off” in the press or leak stories to journos when they worked together as captain and skipper. Plenty of others did, he says.

At the moment, however, many believe sacked and surly Fletcher has kicked Flintoff while he was down and trying to recover from his fourth ankle operation just so he can sell his book ‘Behind the Shades.’

Hussain agrees he would not have permitted such a vital commodity as Flintoff to be pounding away on a suspect ankle in the Twenty20 series in South Africa.

But he says Flintoff’s terrible run of injuries can be traced to a fault in his bowling technique. Hussein implied Flintoff won’t listen to advice and didn’t appear to have much sympathy for the giant all-rounder.
“Bowling is hard work, he’s a big lad. It’s not a natural thing.”

Wasim Akram and Ravi Shastri, both bowlers, explained that Flintoff lands with his left foot almost facing down the pitch. They say that during the delivery stride the left foot should point left.

Hussain says of Flintoff: “He’s not very good at changing things. He doesn’t find it easy to listen.”

As for Fletcher, the Zimbabwean-born coach has ignited a power keg.
Flintoff’s father Colin has already accused Fletcher of ‘betraying’ his son and legendary ex-opener Geoff Boycott has attacked Fletcher for revealing dressing-room secrets about Flintoff.

Hussain is an unashamed Fletcher fan and he told us in Dubai that in England’s recent ODI success in Sri Lanka “there are still hints of what Fletcher was trying to do.” He was referring to bowlers being able to bat and vice versa which worked in the home Ashes series but by the time the Aussies hosted the Poms the England ship was sinking fast.

And according to Fletcher, it was leaking a lot of Freddie’s booze. Fletcher claims he had to cancel a practice session in Australia last winter as Flintoff was so drunk.

He said he was close to sacking Flintoff as captain there and then but decided against it because he feared a media backlash.

Yet Fletcher and returning skipper Michael Vaughan did axe Flintoff as vice-captain during the World Cup in March after an all-night bender ended with fun-filled Freddie capsizing a pedalo and having to be rescued by hotel staff.

Hussain says people have forgotten Fletcher’s imposing winning run at home and how England went from international deadbeats to the second-best side in the world.

Hussain had his share of critics too but England won 17 Tests under his leadership, a total exceeded only by Peter May (20) and Mike Brearley (18).

“The jury is out” on Fletcher’s successor Peter Moores, according to Hussain. He says the new England coach is keen to recruit seasoned county players to the Test team but some appear to be coming up short of international class, although left-arm opening bowler Ryan Sidebottom has proved his is worth a place.

Hussain insists a coach is pivotal in the modern game, despite the position attracting its critics.

“It really is an important role. You’d be amazed what players need to learn about, even at the top level. You’d be amazed at how much help they still need with their games.”

Hussain says England can only beat Australia again by attacking them with four fast bowlers, a formula that worked when they got the Ashes back after 18 years.

Shastri, who also captained his country, says Australia could be vulnerable following the retirements of Glen McGrath and Shane Warne.

“That’s the factor we just don’t know about yet. They would bowl so many overs, give no runs away and take wickets.”
Hussain sees plenty of room for optimism in England’s ODI serties-winning tour of Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka is a very, very tough place to tour. Ravi Bhopara is a world-class player. There are good signs for England. But we’ve had 20 bad years so lets not get carried away over three months.”