THROUGH THE COVERS: Too hi-tech to do simple things
By Zaheer Abbas
MOIN Khan, the latest Test discard, recently called me to discuss his lack of batting form which put him out of the national equation even though there were little complaints about his wicketkeeping, which happens to be his basic job. This was naturally a clear sign of his serious intent to regain his lost place in the national squad.
Having made it to the top after spending a lot of time in the wilderness, it was Moin’s misfortune that he became part of a team which on the whole was low on confidence and struggling to put its act together. The top order was struggling to put enough runs on the board, and there was little backup in the lower order. Moin himself had to make substantial adjustments since he was returning to the international scene where immediate performance matters, as it should. However, it is fair to say that had the top and the middle order, whose basic job it is to score runs, been delivering the goods, Moin would have got some time to get back into his strides with a little more ease and comfort, especially when he had little problems, if any, with his main assignment behind the wickets.
Anyone who has known Moin for some time would know that he has a great heart and is a tough customer on the field of play, willing to take the fight to the rival camp. For such a soul, it is always hard to bear a lean patch because it demands a lot of patience and understanding of the situation. One has to grind, and not fight, his way out of the morass. For headstrong individuals, it becomes a vicious cycle, for the harder you try to hit the cricketing ball in a lean phase, the lower get the chances of success. It has to be more about timing, than hitting.
Moin, who was known for his big-hitting exploits in his prime, tried to do it all over again even when it was clear to all, including himself, that his batting form had deserted him during his time out of contention. This was a folly, but Moin can’t be blamed for that because he is not a regular batsman.
When he came to me, I discussed these very obvious points with him, and took him to the golf course to make him realize the gravity of the problem one faces while being out of form. Of the 70-odd balls that he hit on the course that day, he could make a clean contact with hardly ten per cent of the balls. When that was the case with a stationary golf ball, just imagine how difficult it would have been for him to make a decent contact with a moving cricket ball. It was evidence enough for Moin, and, the professional cricketer that he is, he realized that it was a mistake on his part to attempt a repeat of his prime form as soon as he got the second chance on the international stage.
On our way back from the golf course, all that we discussed was the importance of staying at the wicket, and not making an early commitment either on the front or the back foot for at least the next few innings. This naturally gives a little more time to cover the moving ball and allows it to hit the bat rather than the bat hitting the ball.
I was indeed happy for Moin when I read in the papers a few days later that he had scored a huge century in a domestic encounter. Frankly, what I discussed with him was nothing great. It was just a few things that are considered routine in international cricket. Someone in the team management should have had a comforting word with him and guided him through the phase. It is a pity that it was not done. Perhaps the PCB has gone too hi-tech to worry about simple things in life. As a consequence, Moin lost his place in the side. With the team already in Australia, I wonder who will turn out to be the bigger of the two losers; Moin Khan or the national squad.
MOIN Khan, the latest Test discard, recently called me to discuss his lack of batting form which put him out of the national equation even though there were little complaints about his wicketkeeping, which happens to be his basic job. This was naturally a clear sign of his serious intent to regain his lost place in the national squad.
