Cricket News

‘You think a cricketer can go and say something to Babar Azam…’ – Ex-Pakistan selectors’ explosive revelation on Pakistan players’ behavior

Under the Najam Sethi regime, Pakistan have seen Waqar Younis step down from the role of the bowling coach. There are also reports that Mickey Arthur would come back and join as the online head coach of the National side. The way the Pakistan players look at Pakistan coaches and foreign coaches are chalk and cheese.

There have been a lot of disturbing episodes that have sprung up between the players and the coaches which have come out in the public domain and are very discomforting. Speaking more on this, Ex selector Sikander Bakht recalled an incident with a player and himself and he said how coaches are looked down upon by players in Pakistan.

I pray in every Namaz that I don’t have to work with the PCB – Sikander Bakht

“I had once tried to tell a Pakistan player when I was involved with the Pakistan team. He said, ‘You have just played 26 Tests for Pakistan. I have played 40. You are trying to teach me? I am saying this on oath’. This is the approach of players. You think a cricketer can go and say something to Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan? The players behave well with foreign coaches. Take Mickey Arthur, he hasn’t played a single international game but he is good with man management. Because he’s a foreigner, they are scared of him,” Bakht told Geo news

“We have had a lot of coaches from Pakistan. Be it Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohammad Yousuf – but they couldn’t handle. I will take an example of a player without taking his name, who works with me on Geo. He told me that he prays every day that he is not given any role with PCB. There are so many difficulties and pressure there that I pray in every Namaz that I won’t be given a job with PCB,” he added. Wasim Akram echoed the same sentiments and said he would not like to work at the PCB.

Akram said he is not at all interested to work with the PCB as he is unhappy with how Pakistan coaches are treated as compared to foreigners the stint of coaches in Pakistan have been very short and have not been long like Ravi Shastri or Justin Langer.