Full time fielding coach would hardly make any difference: Yousuf, Alam

Sydney, Jan.3 (ANI): Pakistan captain Mohammed Yousuf and coach Intikhab Alam are not too keen over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt's idea of appointing a full time fielding coach for the national team, as they believe that such a move would hardly make any difference.

Talking to media person here, Yousuf said Pakistan had hired South African Jonty Rhodes, one of the world's best fielder of all times, in 2006, but nothing changed.

"Fielding is an area where individual hard work matters a lot and some players are born outstanding fielders. We are already practicing lot of fielding drills all the time. In the past also we have hired fielding coaches like Jonty Rhodes in 2006, but nothing much came from it," The Daily Times quoted Yousuf, as saying.

Alam pointed out that unless the players are passionate about fielding from their early days, it would be difficult to push them when they play at the international level.

"We need to change the way we approach fielding drills and catching practice sessions at the domestic level. Players need to understand how costly one dropped catch can be in a match. We dropped both the Australian openers in Melbourne and they went onto score nineties," Alam said.

It may be noted that the PCB had recently appointed former fast bowler Waqar Younis as the bowling and fielding coach of the team for the Australian tour, but now the PCB chief has said that the team needs a permanent fielding coach. (ANI)