ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captains Rashid Latif and Rameez Raja believe that newly appointed head coach of the national team Mickey Arthur faces a demanding task.

“Arthur is an experienced international coach but he should slow down a bit with his statements and first come and observe challenges he faces with the Pakistan team,” Rashid told a news agency.

“There are a lot of hopes from Arthur but he should not raise the expectations of fans because the Pakistani fans and authorities can be unforgiving if he can’t turn things around,” added Rashid.

Commenting on Arthur’s selection as Pakistan head coach, Rashid said: “Arthur was not the first choice for many fans, critics and media, so he would really need to work hard. In the end, the results will matter, and nothing else.”

Meanwhile, Rameez also cautioned Arthur to be ready to face an entirely different cricket culture.

“He is a solidly experienced coach who has worked with two top teams [Australia and South Africa] but he will really have to be innovative and firm to pick up the top performances [while working for Pakistan] and the key would be to get rid of selfish players and encourage courageous and talented players,” he reckoned.

While discussing the recent performances of Pakistan’s limited-overs teams who failed miserably, the former opener said: “A perfect winning cricket culture has been missing from Pakistan team’s dressing room for sometime and changing this culture would be the biggest challenge for the new coach.”

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2016