The fine victory against South Africa last week has brought Pakistan back into contention for the World Cup quarter-finals.

The timely win, more than anything else, proved that the decisions taken by the team management in the earlier matches were not based on logical grounds and the team clearly suffered by putting up a poor show in the first three games which include the scrappy win over Zimbabwe.

It was evident at the time that the team composition in those lost games were made either on personal likes or dislikes or by men who have poor insight and knowledge of the game. Needless to say, the defeats had plunged the entire nation into deep depression since cricket holds such a massive appeal in the region. However, the win over Proteas has made amends at every front and the team combination should now be kept in tact to achieve further success in the mega event.

Here, I would like to recall how in 2007 World Cup, the then coach Bob Woolmer had made an ego issue about the opening pair and over the upgradation in batting order of skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq. All the cricket experts including Imran Khan criticised the coach for his stance, but Woolmer remained adamant about the team combination and eventually paid the price with his life as Pakistan were sent crashing out by a lowly-ranked Ireland in the first round.

The nation cannot afford such shocking news anymore. While the scenario is pretty much the same, as we are going to play Ireland in a must win situation on Sunday, the captain, the coach and other tour selectors must make logical and bold decisions to avoid a repeat of 2007.

I am a qualified coach myself and would like to tell Waqar Younis that it is written in all authentic manuals that the coach should have no ego. Waqar must realise the sentiments of the Pakistani people and, using his cricketing wisdom, should field the best playing XI against Ireland at Adelaide on Sunday.

However, it is sad to note that he is still trying to justify and defend his earlier decisions which by no means were intelligent ones. In the first place, it was unwise of the tour selection committee to call-up Nasir Jamshed since he neither have the technique nor the fitness to be an opener. His repeated inclusion despite the failures, coupled with the glaring omission of Sarfraz Ahmed, were blunders committed by both captain and the coach which jeopardised Pakistan’s place in the quarters.

Besides, playing with four bowlers was simply ridiculous. Waqar’s improper conduct at the media briefings only added fuel to the fire. For a seasoned cricketer and coach, it was unbecoming of Waqar to act the way he did.

As far as I understand, Waqar has not been able to come to terms with the fact that he is no more a senior player in the team but a coach and mentor of the players who needs to rise above ego issues and petty things in order to bring the best out of the players.

In my opinion, a good coach is one who works hard and sincerely towards inculcating a team spirit among the players, especially when the chips are down. He should also work closely with the captain to select the best playing XI for respective games, should be competent enough to understand the behavior of the pitch, should have the capacity to workout a decent game plan by doing a thorough analysis of his own team as well as the opposition, and lastly, must know the psyche of the players to treat and groom each one of them accordingly.

Thankfully, owing to the fabulous win over Proteas, the players are now in the groove, and in a positive frame of mind to tackle the opposition. They are motivated and ready to deliver. For a sensible coach, this is a perfect situation to boost the players’ morale for challenges ahead.

Once the players are rejuvenated, they naturally gear up to play their respective roles in each game.

Our nation is crazy about cricket, and God forbid, an ouster from the World Cup at this stage could be a huge setback for them as well as for Pakistan cricket.

So in order to avoid such a mishap, let’s unite and play as a team to once again bring the cup home.

The writer is a former Test & ODI cricketer and coach

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2015

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