‘Good teams learn from mistakes and move forward’

ADELAIDE, Australia: When Pakistan crashed out of World Cup 2007 after a sensational loss against minnows Ireland in Kingston, Mushtaq Ahmed was part of the touring party as its assistant coach.
Eight years on, Mushtaq is back in the saddle and Pakistan are once again facing Ireland in a crucial World Cup game.
But the legendary leg-spinner made it clear that nobody in the Pakistan dressing room will be dogged by any bitter memories of the past. “It’s very important to keep remembering your strength. You don’t have to look back. Good teams and good sportsmen never think about that had happened in the past, they just look forward,” he said ahead of Sunday’s game here at the Adelaide Oval.
Mushtaq acknowledged that Ireland, who stunned West Indies in a World Cup game, won’t be any push-overs.
“We have respect for Ireland. We have to play very professionally. We don’t have to remember what happened in the past,” he said.
Mushtaq defended the team management despite its faulty decision-making over the Sarfraz Ahmed case.
“Whenever you play a big tournament you get variations. England couldn’t make a combination despite spending months in Australia. I believe that good teams learn from their mistakes and move forward,” he said.
Mushtaq rejected the impression that Pakistan were overlooking leggie Yasir Shah because he didn’t impress much against India.
“Yasir bowled really well against India. In this tournament, 280-290 is par score. Your bowlers did a great job. You find faults because you lose. Yasir bowled well and showed great temperament.” He said that Yasir’s World Cup is not over.
“Nobody’s world cup is over. There can be injuries in the coming games. We are always telling all boys to stay focused. Yasir and Ehsan Adil might not be playing but they are working hard and whenever they get a chance they will do well.”