MOHALI, March 11: The criticism of Pakistan’s imported coach Bob Woolmer is growing and the latest to join the list is former opener Aamir Sohail who said on Friday that the Englishman had exposed himself and knew nothing about the game.
“He might have done well with South Africa but one has to understand that there were too many good players in that team,” Aamir said of the man who played 19 Tests for England and coached South Africa between 1994 and 1999.
“Bringing in a foreign coach does not mean that he is going to solve all our problems; our cultures are different and Woolmer was a poor choice.”
“Whosoever appointed him shows that he does not know anything about the game and has no idea what should be done,” said Aamir who represented Pakistan between 1992 and 1999. “Woolmer is not doing well and hasn’t contributed a lot, only a bit.”
Under Woolmer, who replaced Javed Miandad to take over the command of the team in June 2004, Pakistan have lost four Tests out of five.
Aamir, 38, questioned the logic of hiring a foreign coach.
“Why have him when the players cannot understand his language; why not spend money on your own coaches, send them abroad and let them come back and contribute.”
As the Pakistan attack got flogged on the second and third day of the first Test against India in Mohali, Aamir noted that the balance of the team was not right and that Inzamamul Haq’s captaincy was disappointing.
“The players are not under his control and his handling of them on the ground is not too good.”
He felt that losing out on a key player as paceman Shoaib Akhtar for whatever reason did not reflect too well on the captain.
“As a skipper you have to be selfish and admit that you cannot do without him.”
Shoaib, nicknamed the “Rawalpindi Express” for his searing pace, is nursing a hamstring injury back home and reports on Friday said that it was unlikely he would be available for the third Test starting in Bangalore from March 24 and may also miss the one-dayers.
“In Australia recently, Inzamam came out with a statement that the team had done well without Shoaib.
“I think being the captain you are not supposed to say such things. He hasn’t done a good job for Pakistan cricket at all.”
Pakistan were drubbed 3-0 in the Test series and were also beaten in the final of a tri-series competition that followed.
He stressed that when playing against a side like India, going into the match with three bowlers did not make sense.
“One of them is (Abdul) Razzaq, who is basically a medium pacer and he is not what he used to be, so how can you pick up 20 wickets and win a Test.”
“All this shows that they (the team management) have no thinking and do not know the game too well.
“There is no planning and no imagination and haven’t worked out the opposition, the performance, I think has been very poor.”
As India put on 516 runs in the first innings replying to Pakistan’s 312 to lead by 204 runs, Aamir said that if a bowler like Waqar Younis had been in Mohali to give tips, it would have helped.
“He could have advised them session by session.”
Waqar was offered a contract by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to be the team’s bowling coach but things did not work out as he had wanted an extended contract.
But Aamir said that although a bowling coach would have “definitely helped,” before hiring one, the PCB would do well to gauge his abilities and performance.
“Waqar, no doubt is a great bowler but coaching is a totally different thing; if he had been appointed the coach last year he would have been ready to deliver now.”
Aamir also took a swipe at the PCB’s decision to replace Yousaf Youhana as the vice captain.
“This was again a bad decision; since this new management of the Board has taken over, they have made so many blunders and that is the reason why Pakistan cricket is struggling and it is getting embarrassing.”
