November 1, 2002	Friday	Sha’aban 25,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: Former Pakistan cricket manager Yawar Saeed Thursday hit back strongly at Mudassar Nazar saying he was perhaps the first coach in the world blaming the manager for the team’s failure.

“It is not my code of conduct to be talking of cricket- related matters once I am out of it but since Mudassar has directly accused me for the team’s poor show, I would say that I am very disappointed,” Yawar told Dawn.

“I wonder why it took Mudassar so long to come up with the statement because if things were so serious he should have spoken up during the course of the tournaments.”

Mudassar was sacked as Pakistan coach last month after a string of disappointing results in tournaments in Morocco, Kenya and Sri Lanka while Yawar resigned citing his professional commitments with his employers.

Mudassar, who had been appointed last year and given charge till the World Cup in South Africa had said that Yawar and captain Waqar Younis had failed to perform their duties that led to the overall decline of the team.

But Yawar pointed out that there were formal and regular meetings between them when on tour, yet Mudassar never said there was any interference by the manager. “I would like people to tell you to your face if they feel any wrong has been done.”

“I had a 20-minute conversation on telephone with Mudassar the day before he left for Dubai but he did not blame me then, so I am disappointed with what he has said now.”

“Mudassar and I were together in Australia, Bangladesh, Morocco, Kenya and Sri Lanka, so if he felt I was interfering or making things difficult for him, he should had come up with this statement there and then.”