"We have to produce well-rounded players" Aamir Sohail

February 9, 2014

Soon after taking over as Pakistan’s chief selector last week, Aamir Sohail held a series of important meetings with top cricket officials and leading players in a bid to complete his homework before beginning to march towards his goals. And rest assured, the former Pakistan skipper has set for himself a number of short and long-term targets.

In his second stint as a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, Aamir is going to wear two hats. In addition to being chief selector, the former Test opener will also serve as PCB’s Director Game Development. Aamir believes that the two jobs "go hand in glove". He is gung-ho about bringing necessary changes in the system that would "help Pakistan produce well-rounded cricketers".

Aamir had similar plans when he assumed the role of Director Game Development when Ijaz Butt was at the helm of national cricket affairs but decided to quit after falling out with the former PCB boss.

In an exclusive interview with ‘The News on Sunday’, Aamir spoke about the reasons why he has decided to return to the PCB apart from revealing his plans both as the man who has been chosen to help groom young players and as the man who will supervise the process through which they will be picked to represent Pakistan in various formats of the game.

TNS: What made you change your mind about working for the PCB?

Aamir Sohail: The thing is that the state of Pakistan cricket is really bad. It was a huge challenge (to take up the PCB jobs) but I told myself that if I can contribute towards a positive change then I should. I told myself that I can help put a proper system in place for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

TNS: What is your primary goal as PCB’s development chief?

AS: I believe that to bring about a positive change as far as the quality of our cricket is concerned, you will have to invest in the local coaches. You have to build the capacity of your coaches. If you watch our players both in international and domestic cricket, you can see that most of them are not technically sound. For that I blame our faulty coaching system. I believe that we have to train our coaches so that they can impart proper training and help us produce technically correct players. Coaches with sound abilities and credentials will also make sure that our players learn how to stay physically fit right from their salad days as cricketers.

TNS: In your previous stint with the PCB, you weren’t given full support by the Board to implement your plans. Have you received assurances from PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf that a similar story won’t be repeated this time?

AS: I’ve met with the chairman and have received complete support from him. In fact the chairman has recently made his plans public about reviving club and schools cricket, something that is very close to my heart. So he is very much on board in the plans to reshape our grassroots cricket along modern lines.

TNS: So are you talking about changing the entire system to make sure that PCB achieves better results in future?

AS: I’m not thinking about changing the entire system, in fact, far from it. We are talking about putting the system in place. Do you know that there are clauses in the PCB constitution which if properly implemented have the potential to bring about a world of a difference? What I’m saying is that we have to take steps to implement plans and ideas that exist on paper but are missing on the ground.

TNS: So what steps have you taken so far?

AS: We have already asked our IT department to create software that will give us extensive data on the players all over the country. We will have the figures soon and on the basis of that we would start taking measures aimed at improving the quality of cricket that is being played in the country. Then we have a regional academy in Multan which will soon be reactivated. The next step would be to set up an academy in Karachi. We have a bio-mechanics lab that needs to be kick-started.

TNS: What sort of objectives are you aiming at?

AS: The main target is to make sure that our cricket nurseries start producing well-groomed and well-rounded players. At the moment, players who are supposed to be ready to play for Pakistan are mostly under-prepared in many ways. They lack game awareness. They get overawed when they get their first taste of international cricket. It should change. We should prepare young players who are at par with youngsters from countries like Australia, South Africa or India.

TNS: Do you think that our system is well-equipped to achieve such targets?

AS: We have much of what is needed to bring about such change. We have raw talent, we have coaches, we have the necessary facilities and if need be we can get foreign support both in terms of coaching expertise and equipment.

TNS: So your entire focus is on changing the way we prepare our young players?

AS: It has to be. I see PCB as a company whose sole product is the cricketer. Currently you are producing flawed products. So the focus has to be on improving the product. To achieve that you will have to concentrate on the cricketers. You will have to understand that the coaches, managers, officials, trainers and other support staff are there to facilitate the players. You will have to invest heavily on young and raw blood and the investment will pay off. It has happened for other countries. Take India’s example. Their board is not strong and influential just because it is rich. Today it yields influence also because it can showcase some of the brightest young talent in the world of cricket. The Kohlis and the Jadejas are a reflection of India’s cricket system that is much better now than it was in the past.

TNS: Don’t you think that keeping two jobs at the same might prove to be a hindrance in the way of achieving your targets?

AS: Not at all. I think the two assignments go hand in glove. I mean while working on the development side I’ll be able to make sure that our system focuses on producing technically sound players. (As chief selector) I’ll try to make sure that such players are rewarded instead of the ones who are short on technique.

TNS: With you in the saddle as chief selector, can we expect sweeping changes in our various line-ups for upcoming assignments?

AS: I don’t think so. I mean now is not the time for sweeping changes, at least not in the short-term. We have two important assignments -- Asia Cup and the World Twenty20 -- coming up in the next few weeks which is why making sweeping changes (in the team) would be counter-productive. We are going to announce the two teams next week. I’ve already consulted the two captains (Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez) because their views are important and will make sure that we come out with the best possible line-ups. In a slightly longer-term, we have next year’s World Cup for which we will start working soon after naming the teams for the two events. We will work religiously to make sure that Pakistan fields a strong and balanced squad at World Cup 2015.

Our long-term goal is to have at least four world class players in each position. That is going to enhance our player pool. To achieve this goal we will launch a country-wide talent-hunt campaign soon. It would be an open opportunity for any talented player living in any part of the country. There would be no age bars because we believe that if any player has the required talent, form and fitness he can play for Pakistan.

I’m going to stress here that if any boy believes he is talented enough to play for his country he should come to the NCA. Our doors are always open for them.

"We have to produce well-rounded players" Aamir Sohail