When it comes to Pakistan cricket, there’s no shortage of things to talk about.
For the past few weeks we’ve been swamped with reader comments and reactions about the performance of the Pakistani team and state of the game in the country.
Over the weekend, Dawn.com hosted Pakistan captain, Younus Khan in Dubai as he answered fan queries.
We would like to thank Younus Khan as he took out some time, hours before his departure to Karachi, to chat with us and interact with our readers.
We also appreciate and thank all our readers for joining in. Unfortunately, due to high traffic we could not accommodate also questions and comments but look forward to having another star on the same forum pretty soon.
Dawn Sports Team
I personally feel that Shoaib Akhtar performance in all recent matches is not in any standard for T20 or One day formate of game. I feels that Shoaid Akhtar is becoming a liability for Pakistan Cricket. I understand that Pakistan cricket has spent lot for him but at the same time we need to see the Pakistan cricket as whole and see how we could bring the same excitement in viewer as we used to have when Wasim Akram and Waqar were playing.
We should look toward new blood and give them a chance.
When will Mohammad Yusuf come back into the team?
Younas bhai, if you are only going to pick the fittest players, does that mean Akhtar is out? I hope so, he is a spent force. Secondly, focus and concentration are important for batting success. There is too much commaradry and jocularity with opposing players from our batsmen. While it is important to keep a polite and sportsmanlike demeanor, our batsmen need to show determination and focus. Opposition, especially the Aussis, do their best to rattle batsmen. I hope our players go to the wicket with, “we are going to pummel you” attitude and demeanor.
I ‘m for any sport that brings smile on the faces of young and old especially during this uncertain situation in our country. About Younus, he is a solid batsman and he will do weel during upcominf series. Gooduck
Absolutely! If a player is not fit enough to play the entire match before the start then he can sit in the dressing room because I will only pick players who are fit enough to give their 100 per cent.
I wasn’t feeling fit before the Twenty20 match so I sat out because I didn’t want to go on the field and not perform to the best of my abilities.
If a player is not fit enough to last 50 overs on the field, will you keep him out of the team? How important is fitness for you as a captain?
I believe in aggressive style of play and I would definitely like my team to play with confidence. Winning and losing is a part of the game and if you play confidently and aggressively but end up losing, I have no complaints.
Do you think it is more important to play aggressively and confidently or getting a result is more important?
here is no permanent place for any player in the team if he doesn’t perform well. Even I don’t feel that my place is secure, despite being the captain. However, for players who have been your star performers in the while, you have to give them a chance if they are going through a bad patch. If you look at Shaid Afridi of a few years back, and the Shahid Afridi of new, there is a marked difference. That is because we stuck with him even when he was not performing at his peak and look at how it is paying back now.
Do you believe that senior players who have not been performing well feel threatened that they will lose their place or does seniority mean automatic selection?
Every player is playing for Pakistan and whether he is a senior player or a junior player, he shouldn’t be in the team if he is not performing well. However, when a player has been performing for over five to seven years, the board has invested a lot in that player so you can’t leave him out of the team on the basis of three or four matches.
It is not a wise decision to sack a player so early because first, you have to look for a replacement for that player.
If a senior player does not perform well in a series, or over four or five matches, will you take a stand to drop that player and bring in young blood?
The plan I have is for my team and that is to make all the squad members play as a team, as one unit.
On several occasions it happens that we rely on one or two particular players to pull us through the match and that is what I want to eliminate from this side.
This is my main focus because my first concern is to take the team up.
Have you chalked out any concrete plan to take Pakistan cricket to some stability?
My approach is the same for all players. Any players who want to play for the country should prove their fitness, perform consistently and appear for a test and he will get a fair chance.
If Mohammad Asif is cleared by the board for selection, will you bring him to the national side?
Firstly, we have to see that the players who play in the ICL are mostly retired cricketers or cricketers who have not been selected by their national sides for lack of performance. So performing well against them (in the ICL) is not as big a thing as say, performing in the IPL because the world’s best players play in the IPL. As far as their future is concerned, it is up to the PCB to make a decision on that.
Who do I drop to accommodate Fawad? He is an all-rounder and it only makes sense that he replaces an all-rounder instead of a batsman or a full-time bowler. We have two all-rounders in the the team. Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi and they have both performed well in the series. If I drop Malik, I will get blamed for leaving out my predecessor and if I leave out Afridi, God knows how many people will come after my life!
Is it possible to get Imran Nazir back in the team?
After this series, Fawad Alam must have become the best water-boy. It is sad that the team was being out-classed in every match (batting wise) and we kept playing the same batsmen. If Kamran and Misbah performed in one match (dead rubber) then that should not be taken as a positive point. Pakistan Domestic is full of new players – give them a chance.
I really don’t think it makes a great deal of difference who you play in the warm-up matches because in the end what matters is how you play in the actual tournament. What matters is consistent performance, what your approach is because if we win the warm up match against India and lose in the big matches like semi-final or final, its of no use.
Pakistani cricket team needs our support and we have to do it patiently.
As of now we dont have the balanced team , but it all comes overtime.
And for Younis its better to talk less and do more.He is an honest and open person and we all respect him for that.
Salam. Will the World T20 the warm up games affect the outcome of the matches during the tournament? If you lose to India in a warm up then does that mean you and team will lose later?
If the target is 300+, Afridi should be tried in the top order. This way he can get some quick runs on the board and can give Pakistan a good start. Bringing him in the lower order when the score is big does not serve the purpose. If target is around 200+ then he should be played in the lower order 6th or 7th.
When we have a number of good batsmen playing before Afridi like Salman Butt, Misbahul Haq, Shoaib Malik and myself, I don’t see a point in putting Afridi under pressure. The kind of player he is, he likes to play with freedom. By sending him up the order we will restrict him and force him to change his style of play. He shouldn’t be under pressure, it is the responsibility of the first four or five batsmen to take pressure and build a platform for batsmen coming down the order, like Afridi.