‘We will be consistent’

DUBAI: Imad Wasim, the Pakistan allrounder, wants the team to rid itself of the label of being an inconsistent side.

While accepting that inconsistency has been a feature of the team of late, Imad said it was now time for change, and hoped the nine-wicket T20 win at Old Trafford against England two weeks ago pointed to a brighter future in limited-overs cricket.

“We have decided now, as a group, that we will be consistent,” Imad said in an interview at Dubai Sports City, where the team has been training in the build-up to the T20 series against West Indies. “The label, people say that we are inconsistent, which is true, basically, so I think now things have to change, it has to change for the betterment of Pakistan cricket, and we’re trying to show some skill level and the intensity that we did in Manchester. We’re just changing the trend now.”

Imad hailed Mickey Arthur, calling him a “brilliant coach”, but said his role extended only as far as planning, and that the players would need to take greater responsibility in the push towards greater consistency.

“I worked with [Arthur] in PSL also, with Karachi Kings, and he’s a brilliant coach,” Imad said. “He’s really one of the best coaches. I think he’s a brilliant coach, he gave us a lot of confidence, which Waqar [Younis] bhai also did, so what I think is, it’s up to the players as well, because the players are going to be inside the ground, we’re going to implement what the coach has told us, what plans should be executed. Obviously the coach, he’s a nice guy, and he just supports us in our good and bad days.” Pakistan and West Indies will meet in the first T20I in Dubai on Friday.