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| March 25, 2007 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1428 |
Ex-Pakistan coach fears backlash
LONDON, March 24: People should not 'throw stones' at Pakistani cricket following coach Bob Woolmer's murder, says their former coach Richard Pybus.
Pybus, who was in charge from 1999 to 2001 and again in 2003, said: “People must be very sensitive about this not becoming anti-Pakistani. That's way too soft a target and I don't think Bob would have wanted that.
“It must not become an issue about Pakistan people or cricket. There are fabulous people involved out there.”
The 42-year-old, who takes over as Middlesex county coach this summer, added: “People must be very careful about this becoming a stone-throwing exercise at Pakistani cricket.
“I learnt a tremendous amount about the game and Pakistani culture during my time in charge. I gained a great deal from it.”
Pybus, first foreign coach of Pakistan, says he saw no evidence of fixing during his time in charge.
“I wasn't privy to anything with regards to sides underperforming or guys being influenced.
“I would hate to think it happened while I was coach. If it had been, I'm sure I would have known about it as manager would have brought it to my attention. But on other hand I would be naive to presume that world cricket was completely squeaky clean,” he said.
He believes job of Pakistan coach is arguably more demanding than any other role in the game.
“There are a lot of challenges, with logistics, administration and things outside the sport.
“There's a tremendous capacity to sabotage goals from within team. It makes it difficult to do consistent planning. As a coach you want to be strategising, not dealing with outside matters. It's an incredibly volatile environment.”
But he added: “It can be a very rewarding job. There are some fabulous cricketers and administrators in Pakistan.”
Pybus says he believes Woolmer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq presided over most successful period in history of Pakistan cricket. They reached third in both ODI and Test rankings and achieved rare stability.—Agencies
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