smile.
Wasim had a word of encouragement for Misbah-ul-Haq but was quick to add that the team could have done better had it spent more time in Australia ahead of the World Cup.
“He (Misbah) has done well. I’m impressed with his performance on and off the field.
“It’s just that these are different wickets altogether. You need to spend at least a month to get used to the conditions here. It helped us back in 1992 because we arrived here three to four weeks before the World Cup.”
Wasim agreed that when it comes to ODI captaincy, Pakistan will need to make a fresh start after the World Cup.
“I’ve been thinking about it that after Misbah retires who will be the captain. I can’t pick any. But you have to move on and find a new captain. Unfortunately, we don’t believe in homework in our part of the world when it comes to grooming a future captain.
“There will have to be a fresh start. After Misbah and Afridi you will need new faces. You have Sohaib Maqsood, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal but they will need to be more consistent. Also, you have to look the part but so far they don’t look the part.
It is inevitable that whenever you are interviewing Wasim, that superb over in the 1992 final is always mentioned.
Does he remember it as vividly as millions of cricket fans around the world?
“Last couple of months that I’ve been here they are showing it every day. It was a proud moment for me and for all Pakistanis,” he said
Asked whether the current Pakistan side can match the Team of 1992, Wasim said: “This team has substance. We have to support them instead of making fun of them on social media. My message to people criticising these players is ‘get a life’. I mean if you want to criticise then come out with solutions instead of using foul language.
About the expulsion of chief selector Moin Khan for over a Casino visit, Wasim said that he suspects that Moin was made a scapegoat.
“The Moin episode was unfortunate. Ex-greats ask me about it and I have no answer. Personally I think they he has been made a scapegoat.”
Wasim termed Inzamam-ul-Haq’s run out by South Africa’s Jonty Rhodes in the 1992 World Cup as the most iconic moment in the tournament’s history.
“We were all shocked when he (Rhodes) ran out Inzy. In the dressing room Imran (Khan) asked Inzi ‘why didn’t you dive?’ He replied ‘how would I know that he would jump with the ball!’ It was the most iconic moment in any World Cup.”