Keeping cool under fire

BRISBANE: Sitting in the chic breakfast area at the Sofitel hotel in the heart of this laidback Queensland city, Pakistani players and officials came across as any other World Cup team — a group of focussed players waiting for their next game.
You could see most of them engrossed in discussions with coach Waqar Younis doing most of the talking. It seemed that they were making plans for their do-or-die game against Zimbabwe at the Gabba here on Sunday.
But looks can be deceptive.
To say that Pakistan’s World Cup squad is mired in controversy would be an understatement.
Eight of their players were fined for breaking team curfew in Sydney before a World Cup warm-up game.
Their chief selector has been expelled for visiting a casino and is now facing the axe.
Their captain has been branded as a coward by an ex-colleague while many other critics are calling for his head.
Perhaps the worst part is that such is their position in Pool B after just two matches that there is clear and present danger that they could be heading back home before the quarter-finals.
After suffering back-to-back defeats against India and West Indies and that too by big margins, Pakistan are now under extreme pressure to revive their fading World Cup fortunes.
But the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis seemed their usual selves. There were chitchats and a few similing faces here and there.
What were they talking about?
According to a source privy to the conversation taking place over breakfast, the focal point of the discussion was the role of ex-players in demoralising the team.
“Mostly it was Waqar who spoke and the topic, among other issues, was the negative role that some of the former Pakistan stalwarts play especially during an important event like the World Cup,” the source said.
Pakistan’s team and especially Misbah and Waqar have come under scathing criticism in the wake of their twin World Cup defeats.
The outspoken Shoaib Akhtar went to the extent of labeling Misbah as a selfish cricketer and a coward.
“I have not seen a more coward and selfish captain than Misbah,” the former Test pacer, who is a former team-mate of Misbah, said in an interview after Pakistan’s humiliating loss against the West Indies in Christchurch last week.
Shoaib also targetted Waqar and stressed that the coach has failed in the past and was bound to fail again.
“He is happy with his own runs and I don’t know what coach Waqar Younis wants. He has no game plan or direction for the team.”
Shoaib is not the only one ranting against an under-performing Pakistan team. Other former players have also been firing salvos at the Pakistan team.
“Waqar stressed that while the team deserved to be criticised for its poor performance there was no justification for the ex-players to take out their personal grudges,” the source said.
“The coach said that such behaviour is not constructive,” he added.
According to the source, Waqar told his players to shun all sorts of criticism and just keep their eyes on the ball.
“He told the players that the task to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals might have become harder but it was still a task and the players should be completely confident,” the source said.
“He also told them that the best way to shun critics is to prove them wrong”.