LAHORE, Oct 2: Pakistan’s spin magician Saeed Ajmal has said there was no difference between Dav Whatmore and a local coach — apart from his pay packet and the language barrier.

Whatmore, who played seven Tests for Australia, has regularly come under fire in Pakistan from former stars who say a local would do a better job of coaching the misfiring national side.

The pressure grew on the 59-year-old after Pakistan’s humiliating defeat against Zimbabwe last month, with the daunting prospect of a series against world number one Test team South Africa just around the corner.

Saeed, while speaking during a talk show on a private sports channel on Tuesday night, commented Whatmore “doesn’t know our language much”.

Asked what he thought the differences were between a local and a foreign coach, Saeed replied: “There is no difference; just that we are paying more to him, otherwise there is no difference.

“Dav is a foreign coach, he doesn’t know our language much, but he has done coaching for various countries and has helped them win,” Saeed remarked.

Incensed at Saeed’s remarks, Whatmore tweeted on Wednesday he was hurt with what the off-spinner had to say about him.

“Just read Ajmal’s quotes. Deeply upset and hurt by his remarks,” Whatmore tweeted. “Just when you think you know someone.”

In a later tweet, Whatmore said Saeed has apologised.

“Ajmal has personally come to apologise to me and explained the context of what he ment (sic) and I have accepted,” he wrote.

Saeed said previous coaches Waqar Younis and Mohsin Khan handled the team well.

“Waqar handled us better. He used to emphasise the fitness of the players,” he said of former Pakistan paceman Waqar who was coach from March 2010 to September 2011.

Ex-Test opening batsman Mohsin then took over and guided Pakistan to a 3-0 win over then-world number one England in the UAE early last year.

But Saeed insisted he was not unhappy with Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to a famous World Cup victory in 1996.

“I am not saying that I am not satisfied; he [Whatmore] is a good coach and helped Sri Lanka lift the World Cup,” Saeed said.

Whatmore’s two-year contract ends in February next year and the chances of his deal being renewed are remote. Saeed said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should consult players when they appoint a replacement.

Saeed’s spin partner Abdur Rehman said he also felt there was a language barrier between players and the coach.

Meanwhile, Saeed urged the PCB to start paying its players more money for Test appearances and said that the Pakistan cricketers were getting less money than their international rivals.

“Players now want to just play One-day Internationals and Twenty20 matches because they are earning more from these formats,” he said. “We don’t get the same financial rewards for playing Tests.

“The problem is that in our country there is little difference in the fees paid out for all three formats and we are not playing as many Tests compared to most other countries.

“I have played just 28 Tests in six years so the opportunities to earn well from this format are less compared to ODIs or T20s,” added Saeed.

Pakistan play fewer Tests than most because the other teams do not want to tour the country due to security concerns.

“I would advise our board to not only raise Test match fees ... but also create a big difference in the fees paid for all three formats,” he said.

“Test cricket should form the basis for our doing well in the other formats. Unless we excel in the longer form we will face a crisis. There is too much Twenty20 cricket and that is hurting Test cricket.”

Pakistan host a two-Test series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates later this month. The first game in Abu Dhabi starts on Oct 14.—Agencies