Abdul Qadir critical of 'foreigner coach' Mickey Arthur's control over Pakistan team

Karachi, June 13: Former leg-spinner, Abdul Qadir has warned that Pakistan could face more problems in future if the cricket board kept on giving the national head coach, Mickey Arthur complete control of team matters.

"I don't know who is responsible for giving this foreign coach so much power that he has decided to wreck the careers of Sohail Khan and Umar Akmal," Qadir said in an interview.

"But I am really also very disappointed with the chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq who appears powerless in front of the coach," he added.

Qadir said while Pakistan has managed to make the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy but the real issues with the team still remained in place.

"How does reaching the semis justify the treatment meted out to Sohail and Umar. The coach has his own blue-eyed players in the team and Muhammad Aamir is one of them.

"Aamir took a fiver in a Test match recently after nearly one and half years. In contrast, Sohail twice took fivers in the test series in England and has even otherwise performed consistently and yet he is out of the team," Qadir said.

The former chief selector said if the coach had any issues with the fitness or attitude of Sohail and Umar it was his job to sort them out with them and not just drop them as they deserved to be in the team.

"Less deserving players are in the team. The way Umar was treated and sent back from England is something the cricket board should investigate not just give Mickey Arthur a free hand to do what he wants," Qadir said.

He said Pakistan's batting remained unsteady and Umar was the ideal choice to pair with Sarfraz Ahmed down the order and provide some firepower to the batting which is struggling all the time.

Qadir said it was amazing that the cricket board had appointed Mickey Arthur knowing well he had called the Pakistani players match fixers and the board also sent him a legal notice because of it.

"I don't know who is responsible for these decisions. It is sad that despite having such legends in the country we are turning to a foreigner who called our players fixers and who is clearly being unjust with some players."

He said the tragedy of Pakistan cricket was that there was no accountability of any official (s) or the decisions they took in Pakistan. Pakistan's former captain and top batsman, Muhammad Yousuf said he always remained scared how the Pakistan batting would perform.

"To me, the bowling is not a concern. But the batting is a big worry and clearly, a lot of hard work needs to be done in the middle order. If it remains this way we will face a lot of problems in the 2019 World Cup," Yousuf said.

Pakistan's former fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar suggested that instead of Babar Azam, the team management should send Shoaib Malik to bat higher in the order.

"He is a busy player and can rotate the strike well. While Babar and even Muhammad Hafeez take a lot of time to settle in and that adds to the pressure on the team," Akhtar said.

Pakistan's former captain and fast bowling great, Wasim Akram was skeptical about the role of left-arm spinner, Imad Wasim in the team.

"To be honest I don't think Imad warrants an automatic place in the side because neither is he a complete bowler nor a proper batsman. The management needs to rethink his role in the team."

Wasim, however, said the people should celebrate Pakistan's qualification for the semi-finals as what mattered, in the end, was the result.

PTI