PCB should utilise Wasim Akram more: Waqar Younis

ISLAMABAD: Former head coach Waqar Younis in an interview with PakPassion.net revealed he has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to utilise Wasim Akram more as he believes the former cricketer’s suggestions and ideas can help Pakistani cricket move forward.

Waqar said key decision-makers advising the PCB chairman should be former cricketers. “I have stated this fact in my recommendation reports to the Pakistan Cricket Board,” he said.

“You need a cricket committee who make the cricketing decisions. What’s happening is that all of the decisions are coming from the board of governors and there are no cricketers amongst them,” he said.

“Our cricket committee needs to have eight to ten top quality cricketers as their ideas can be beneficial to the PCB and Pakistan cricket’s future.”

“I gave PCB the names of people who should be on the cricket committee, but instead they have brought in Iqbal Qasim and Nadeem Khan who played cricket so long ago and are not really in touch with modern day cricket.

“I have nothing against these people but we need to move forward,” he said, adding that cricketers like Wasim Akram, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Ramiz Raja should be given more responsibility.

“Wasim needs to be utilised more by the PCB for suggestions and ideas, and to help Pakistan cricket move forward,” the former skipper said.

“Things are moving forward. Mudassar Nazar is there now and he will do a good job with the academies and we have to be patient,” he said.

Pakistan’s former head coach stressed the need for improvement in the standard of Pakistani cricket’s domestic structure.

“Look at the example of South Africa which was out of international cricket for many years. I remember going to South Africa for the first time in 1994 and when playing against them I felt like this nation had never been away from international cricket. This was due to a strong domestic cricket structure that produced excellent cricketers,” Waqar said.

Speaking about new head coach Mickey Arthur, Waqar advised Arthur to be patient and honest. “He is an experienced coach, he has coached around the world and that will be beneficial. I think the Pakistan team will blossom under Mickey.

“Everyone has to give Mickey some time and not expect too much, too soon,” he said.