Helping Pakistan become a reliable batting unit is almost as demanding as climbing Everest that too in tricky weather conditions.

But Zaheer Abbas believes that he is up to the task.

Pakistan’s former Test captain is also one of their most accomplished batsmen of all time. In his prime, Zaheer was counted among the best and most prolific batters in the world. He was technically sound and used to be almost always in his element in testing conditions and against the world’s best bowlers.

Ahead of Pakistan’s twin international assignments -- Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20 Championship -- Zaheer has been roped in as Pakistan’s chief cricket consultant by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

In his capacity as PCB’s cricket consultant, Zaheer will try to make his presence felt in various key areas that include helping the Board in raising the standard of the game in the country.

But Zaheer is well aware that his prime responsibility is to help Pakistan combat what has long been their team’s Achilles heals: the fragile batting line.

In an interview with ‘The News on Sunday’ before leaving with the national team for Bangladesh which will host the Asia Cup from February 25, Zaheer talked about his various goals and targets and also why Pakistan have the potential to become a world class batting side. Following are the excerpts:

TNS: What do you think are the prime reasons why Pakistan are regarded as a weak batting side?

Zaheer Abbas: When I speak about the Pakistan team I’m referring to the current squad. Now you see, barring a few batsmen most of the players in the team are relatively young and inexperienced. Their technique, in most cases, is far from being sound. Their biggest problem is their weakness to tackle good bowlers in difficult conditions. They are not used to the moving ball. They are uneasy against rising deliveries. They can’t cope with it. And I don’t blame them. They are used to batting on Asian wickets at home or in the UAE. On such wickets, the ball comes on to the bat which makes stroke-making easier. But on faster and bouncier wickets things are different. You have to have a good, solid technique to cope with a bowler like Dale Steyn on a fast and bouncy South African wicket.

TNS: So how do you plan to help out the team’s talented yet under-performing batsmen like Umar Akmal and several others?

ZA: Firstly, I would try not to name names. The thing is that if I start talking about the various flaws in our batsmen’s technique publicly it might put extra pressure on the boys. So without naming names, I would say that some of the batsmen plan their shot before actually facing the delivery. Now that’s a huge mistake. It increases the margin of error. Then they don’t have the concept of putting bat to ball. Instead they allow the ball to hit their pads unnecessarily. That’s another major weakness. Now coming to limited-overs cricket, they play too many dot balls though it’s better to keep rotating the strike. Another problem is that most of them are not really good at running between the wickets and that’s something that needs to improve.

TNS: There was a brief camp in Lahore ahead of the Asia Cup. Did you do any special drills to help bring an improvement in the team’s batting?

ZA: Firstly, let me be clear. A few days of training before a major tournament cannot bring a world of a difference. Bringing substantial improvement in our batting would be a slow and steady process. We cannot change things overnight. But that said, I would add that I’ve tried my best to make sure that our batsmen curb whatever minor mistakes they’ve been making in the past. I’ve been telling them that they have to play for the team and know how to read situations and bat accordingly. I’ve been stressing the importance that the batsmen, especially at the top of the order, have to exude confidence. They have to show heart because their body language makes a big difference. If they get intimidated while facing the new ball then the opposition is bound to become more aggressive. It would send all the wrong signals back to the dressing room. That’s why it is very important for the batsmen, especially the ones batting on the top four positions, to be technically correct and confident.

TNS: So how can Pakistan produce technically solid and mentally strong batsmen?

ZA: We will have to take one step at a time. It is going to take time before we root out core problems like technical weaknesses. We are going to keep working on them. We would underline the individual strengths and weaknesses of our batsmen. We would help them enhance their strengths and curb their weaknesses. In due course of time, we will help them transform into world class batsmen.

TNS: You sound quite optimistic even though other coaches have, in the past, failed to bring any lasting improvement in the team’s batting?

ZA: I’m always positive and optimistic because that’s the first step towards achieving success. I’ve just spent a few days with these boys and am pleased to know that they are responding well to whatever I’m trying to teach them. That’s an encouraging sign. They are good cricketers who need help to erase any shortcomings from their technique to become better. It’s a bit tough and time consuming job but it’s not impossible to turn this batting line in to a world class one.

TNS: Talking about the upcoming Asia Cup in Bangladesh, there is a lot of excitement about playing against India. But don’t you think that with a solid batting line-up they are going to be tough to beat?

ZA: India are no doubt a very strong batting side. There is a big reason why they are a better batting side than us. In the past 15-20 years, most of their cricketing heroes have been technically sound batsmen. Players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have inspired a generation of Indians and that is why their team is getting a lot of solid batters.

In recent times, India have been going through a slump especially in their recent series against New Zealand. But that is no reason for us to underestimate them. The Asia Cup in Bangladesh is going to be a different story altogether. The conditions are going to be different which is why we will have to give our best to beat the Indians.

TNS: How do you rate Pakistan’s chances in the Asia Cup?

ZA: I’ve always said that Pakistan are a talented side and if we can somehow bring more reliability in our batting line, I’m sure we are going to be strong contenders for the title not just in the Asia Cup but in other major events as well.