Mushtaq Ahmed - the googly expert

 

Mushtaq Ahmed Malik (Urdu: مشتاق احمد ملک) (born 28 June 1970) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who currently acts as the spin bowling coach for the Pakistan Cricket Team. A leg break googly bowler, at his peak he was described as being one of the best three wrist-spinners in the world. In an international career that spanned from 1990 until 2003, he claimed 185 wickets in Test cricket and 161 in One Day Internationals. He was at his most prolific internationally between 1995 and 1998, but his most successful years were as a domestic player for Sussex in the early 2000s.

Mushtaq was part of the Pakistan team which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup, and five years later, he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. During his time with Sussex, he was the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship for five successive seasons, and helped the county win the competition in 2003, 2006 and 2007. He is the only bowlers in the world to take man of the match in SENA.

Mushtaq Ahmed made his first-class cricket debut in January 1987, at the age of 16.[1] Playing for Multan, he claimed four wickets in the second innings of the match against Sukkur.[2] He claimed his maiden recorded five-wicket haul in the format the following season, playing for the Punjab Chief Minister's XI against the touring England cricket team.[3] Shortly thereafter, he competed in the 1988 Under-19 World Cup, where he was the joint leading wicket-taker, claiming 19 wickets at an average of 16.21.[4] Pakistan reached the final of the tournament, in which they lost to Australia by five wickets.[5] Early the following season, Mushtaq took the first ten-wicket haul of his career, collecting six wickets in the first innings and eight in the second innings of a match against Peshawar.[6] He continued to impress that season, and took 52 wickets at an average of 22.84.[7] He continued to appear for Pakistan Under-19s, and took 26 wickets in their series against India under-19s, more than double any other Pakistani player.[8] His strong performances resulted in a call-up to the Pakistan national cricket team in March 1989.[1]

International bowler

He made his full international debut on 23 March 1989, playing a One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka. He took two wickets for 33 runs in the match, which Pakistan won by 30 runs.[9] He retained his place in the Pakistan side for the subsequent tri-series with India and the West Indies, and made his Test cricket debut in January 1990 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.[1] His only wicket of the match was that of Mark Taylor.[10] A year later, took fourteen wickets in a match against Peshawar, collecting five in the first innings, followed by nine in the second, finishing the match with figures of 14 for 130.[11]

In 1992, Mushtaq was part of the Pakistan team which won the Cricket World Cup. He was joint-second amongst bowlers by wickets taken, having claimed 16 during the tournament, trailing only his compatriot Wasim Akram.[12] He struggled to make a significant impact in Test cricket for a number of years after his debut: between 1990 and 1994, he only claimed ten or more wickets in a Test series on one occasion, against England in 1992. However, between November 1995 and March 1998, he took at least ten wickets in every Test series, and claimed ten five-wicket hauls.[7] The first occasion on which he claimed five wickets in an innings in Test cricket was the second Test against Australia in November 1995.[13] He repeated the feat in the third Test of that series, and then in the only Test of the subsequent series against New Zealand, in which he recorded his best figures in a Test match, seven for 56.[14] His only five-wicket haul in ODI cricket occurred in the fifth ODI of the "Sahara 'Friendship' Cup", a series played between India and Pakistan in Toronto, Canada. He took five wickets for 36 runs to help Pakistan win the match by 52 runs, and thus clinch the series 3–2.[15]

During his most prolific years of Test cricket, he played his first spell of county cricket, appearing for Somerset between 1993 and 1998. In his book Somerset County Cricket Club (100 Greats), Eddie Lawrence describes Mushtaq as "one of Somerset's best-ever "overseas" signings."[16] He played 62 first-class matches for the county, and claimed 289 wickets at an average of 26.32.[16] In 1997, he was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year, in which he was described as being a member of "a glittering triumvirate of wrist-spinners who adorn the modern game."[17]

In the late 1990s, Mushtaq was one of a number of Pakistan cricketers who were suspected of match-fixing. Saleem Pervez alleged that he had given Mushtaq, along with Salim Malik, £100,000 to intentionally lose a match against Australia in September 1994.[18] After an inquiry, Mushtaq was fined £3,500, and banned from captaining Pakistan.[19] The judge presiding over the inquiry stated that: "There are sufficient grounds to cast strong doubt on Mushtaq Ahmed."[18]

Later career

After losing his place in the Pakistan national cricket team, Mushtaq played one season of county cricket for Surrey in 2002, having appeared in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition for Northop Hall the previous year.[1] He failed to impress for Surrey, claiming eight wickets at an average of 38.12.[20] The following season, he joined Sussex, where he became the leading county wicket taker for five seasons in a row, playing a major role in Sussex's first ever County Championship title.[21]

His form for the county prompted a recall to international duty, but it was short-lived: he played two Tests and one ODI before being dropped for the final time.[1] He helped Sussex to win the County Championship twice more before persistent knee injuries forced him to retire at the end of the 2008 season.[22] In 85 matches with Sussex, Mushtaq claimed 478 wickets at an average of 25.34.[20]

Coaching career

In late 2008, the England and Wales Cricket Board appointed Mushtaq as spin-bowling coach to the England cricket team until 2014 when lost his job in Peter Moores reshuffle. He joins batting coach Graham Gooch and Richard Halsall, the fielding coach in not retaining their roles. His major success as bowling was to install Graeme Swann as lead spin bowler for England cricket team [23]

He was bowling coach of Surrey County Cricket Club for brief period of time in 2012.[24] He was also on the verge of joining the Delhi Daredevils as a bowling coach for the 2013 IPL season.[25]

In 2014, Mushataq was named as Pakistan cricket team's bowling consultant under new coach Waqar Younis and his contract ended in May 2016.[26][27]

In April 2016, Mushtaq was named as head coach of Pakistan's National Cricket Academy.[28] In November 2018 Ahmed was appointed as the assistant coach and spin consultant of West Indies national cricket team ahead of the tour of Bangladesh.[29][30] In April 2019 Mushtaq was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Sport award at The Asian Awards.[31]

On 9 June 2020, the PCB appointed Mushtaq Ahmed as their spin-bowling coach for Pakistan's tour to England.[32][33]

Pakistan cricket team having a magnificent 2021 so far

After the disastrous tour of New Zealand and starting the year poorly with a defeat in the second test against New Zealand Pakistan has bounced back nicely this year. Credit should go to PCB for bringing in the changes like replacing Misbah ul Haq with Mohammad Wasim and his new team as head of selectors. Mohammad Wasim completely changed the team and that changes completely changed the fortunes of Pakistan cricket team.

After New Zealand tour, people in cricketing circles were saying that Pakistan can no longer win in test cricket. All that changed with Pakistan's magnificent performance at home defeating South Africa infact whitewashing South Africa 2-0 in the home series. This was Pakistan's first test series win since 2003 against South Africa. Fawad Alam and the inspired selection by Mohammad Wasim of Hasan Ali were the star performers of the test series against South Africa.

Pakistan then went on to win 2-1 in the twenty20 series against South Africa at home, then they defeated South Africa 2-1 in ODI s and 3-1 in the twenty 20 series against South Africa in their own conditions which is a remarkable feat and achievement by Pakistan. Pakistan has also defeated Zimbabwe in Twenty20 series 2-1 and looks set to whitewash Zimbabwe in the test series.

Babar Azam is a great gift for Pakistan cricket team not only as a batsman but as a captain as well. He really matches Virat Kohli in every aspect. I wish Pakistan cricket team best of luck for the remainder of the year 2021 after having a successful tour of Africa.

Aamir Sohail - One of Pakistan's best opening batsmen

 

Mohammad Aamer Sohail Ali (Urdu: محمد عامر سہیل علی‎; born 14 September 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator and former cricketer.[1] In a playing career that spanned eighteen years, Sohail played in 195 first-class and 261 List A Limited Overs matches, including 47 Test matches and 156 One Day Internationals for Pakistan.

Domestic career

Sohail made his first-class debut in 1983, a left-handed opening batsman and occasional left-arm spin bowler.

International career

Early years

An aggressive batsman, Sohail first appeared for the national team in a 1990 one-day International against Sri Lanka and enjoyed a successful international career. He was an important member of the team that won the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Captaincy

Sohail captained Pakistan in six Tests in 1998, becoming the first Pakistani captain to defeat South Africa in a Test Match.[2] He led Pakistan through 22 One Day Internationals from 1996 to 1998, winning nine and averaging 41.5 with the bat. He also acted as acting captain of Pakistan against West Indies in Sharjah.[3]

Controversies

Sohail played a big role in Pakistan's World-Cup triumph in 1992, famously telling Ian Botham that he might want to send his mother-in-law in to bat, referring to Botham's statement that he wouldn't send even his mother-in-law to Pakistan, after Botham was controversially given out for nought in the final.

In the 1996 World Cup Quarter Final in Bangalore against arch rival India, Sohail was captaining his side in pursuit of a relatively large target of 287 in 49 overs.[4] With opening partner Saeed Anwar, he got Pakistan off to a flying start. With the score at 109 for one, and Saeed Anwar (48) back in the pavilion, Sohail smashed a delivery from Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad through the covers for four. Both players exchanged words, and Sohail unnecessarily pointed his finger aggressively at Prasad. The next delivery clean-bowled him and triggered a batting collapse which ultimately lost the game and eliminated Pakistan from the competition.[4] Sohail was at the heart of the match-fixing scandal that rocked cricket in the 1990s: as captain of the national team, his whistle-blowing may have negatively affected his international career.[5]

Cricket administration

After retiring from cricket in 2001, Sohail became chief selector for the national team, his tenure ending in January 2004 when he was replaced by former national team wicketkeeper Wasim Bari. He continues to work as a cricket broadcaster. On 4 February 2014, he was again appointed as Chief Selector of the national team for the second time.[6]

Moin Khan - A Pakistani street fighting cricketer

 

Muhammad Moin Khan (Urdu: محمد معین خان‎; born 23 September 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer, primarily a wicketkeeper-batsman, who remained a member of the Pakistani national cricket team from 1990 to 2004. He has also captained the Pakistani side. He made his international debut against the West Indies at Multan. He took over 100 catches in Test cricket. He has scored over 3,000 ODI runs and taken over 200 catches in ODI cricket. He is credited with coining the name of Saqlain Mushtaq's mystery delivery that goes from leg to off, as the doosra. It means the "other one" in Urdu. In July 2013, he replaced Iqbal Qasim as the chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team.[1] Moin was appointed the head coach of the national team on 11 February 2014.[2]

Throughout his international career, Moin had to compete with another wicket-keeper, Rashid Latif. Moin kept wickets in the 1992 Cricket World Cup which Pakistan won and the 1999 Cricket World Cup where Pakistan finished runners up. Latif kept wickets in the 1996 Cricket World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

During the 1992 Cricket World Cup Semi-final against New Zealand, Pakistan needed 9 runs for 8 balls before Khan hit a six to make it 3 runs off 7 balls and then hit a boundary to help Pakistan set up a clash in the world cup final with England. In the world cup final, Pakistan were 249 from 50 overs with Khan not getting a chance to bat. However, he took three catches in the match including one of Ian Botham, who went for a duck against an inswinger bowled by Wasim Akram.[3]

Domestic career

In 2005, Moin scored the first century in Pakistan domestic Twenty20 cricket when he smashed 112 off 59 balls for Karachi Dolphins against Lahore Lions in the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup. At the end of the season, he retired from cricket finishing with 200 not out against Hyderabad, his highest first-class score.

In 2007, Moin signed with the unofficial Indian Cricket League and coached the Hyderabad Heroes. In the 2008 edition of the competition, he coached the expansion team, the Lahore Badshahs.

Coaching career

Moin was appointed the manager of the team in August 2013.[4] He was appointed as the new head coach of the national team on 11 February 2014, replacing Dav Whatmore.[5]

He was appointed chief selector for the Pakistani team in 2013. But in 2015, during the Cricket World Cup 2015 he was removed from the position after the teams poor performance during the World Cup.

Personal life

Khan's son Owais is married to television actress Mariam Ansari.[6]

Pakistan s unpredictability

 Pakistan throughout their history is an unpredictable cricket team. One day they can be world beaters and play like champions. On the other hand they might lose to minnows like Ireland and Zimbabwe.

The 1992 world Cup and 2019 world Cup performances of Pakistan cricket team are an indication of Pakistan s unpredictability. In 1992 World Cup we had a bad beginning but then went on to win four consecutive matches to win the world Cup. In 2019 World Cup we defeated strong teams including finalists England and New Zealand but lost to a weak team like West indies and that too a crushing defeat against West indies that was the main reason behind Pakistan s low net run rate at the end of the tournament.

1n 1999 World Cup we defeated a strong team like Australia and then were also defeated by at that time minnows Bangladesh. 1n 2007 World Cup we lost to again at that time only a icc associate side Ireland.

So our history is again full of ups and downs showing our unpredictability. Our recent example of unpredictability is our recent wins against strong South Africa in odi and twenty 20 series and then losing to Zimbabwe for the very first time in one match so far in the twenty20 series. 

Pakistan's African tour

 

Pakistan's last tour of South Africa wasnt a very fruitful one. In the last tour of South Africa in 2019 under Sarfraz Ahmed's leadership Pakistan lost the test series 0-3, lost the ODI series 2-3, and last but not the least lost the Twenty20 Series 1-2 to South Africa. This time we have Babar Azam leading Pakistan in all the three formats. 

Given that South Africa is  almost a formidable team at home, I dont rate Pakistan's chances very highly on South Africa leg of the tour. Pakistan doesnt have a very established opening pair. The batting is too heavily reliant on Babar Azam and there are hardly any Pakistani batsmen who score runs freely. For many years now Pakistan has been lacking in hard striking and hard hitting batsmen. This is the reason why Pakistan's run rate is so slow in ODI cricket and they hardly score runs in excess of 300 runs which is a necessity in modern day ODI cricket. Their bowling is okay but they lack penetration and consistency at times.

In Twenty 20 cricket I am pretty hopeful we will give South Africa a fight and win atleast one or two matches against them. We have a pretty good Twenty20 team and our players style of play and abilities suit Twenty20 Cricket.

In Zimbabwe leg of the tour I am pretty hopeful and I hope Pakistan doesnt prove me wrong that Pakistan will whitewash Zimbabwe in both the Tests and Twenty20 series. Corruption and politics have weakened the Zimbabwe team as can be seen in their losses recently to a lowly ranked Afghanistan team.

I wish Pakistan cricket team best of luck for their African tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe. I am not so optimistic this time as under the current management of Misbah ul Haq and Waqar Younis Pakistan cricket team has hardly won overseas and won almost every series at home but not abroad.

Sarfaraz Ahmed a great fighting Pakistani wicket keeper

 

Sarfaraz Ahmed (Urdu: سرفراز احمد‎; born 22 May 1987) is a Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman who plays for the Pakistani national cricket team. He was the former captain of the Pakistan side in all formats.

Sarfaraz was named as Pakistan's Twenty20 International captain following the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India,[1] while he was named Pakistan's ODI Captain on 9 February 2017 after Azhar Ali stepped down.[2] He took up the Test captaincy mantle for his team following the retirement of Misbah-ul-Haq and hence became the 32nd Test captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team in doing so. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in June 2017.[3] In March 2018, on Pakistan Day, Sarfraz became the youngest cricketer to be awarded with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz.[4]

In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).[5][6] In January 2019, in the second ODI against South Africa, he played in his 100th ODI match.[7] Later in the same series, he was banned for four matches after admitting making a racist remark to South African Andile Phelukwayo.

Sarfaraz Ahmed was born on 22 May 1987 in Karachi, Pakistan to a family with a printing press business.[9] His ancestors were from Uttar Pradesh, India and his father died in 2006.[9] He married Syeda Khushbakht in 2015; the couple have two children.[10][11]

International career

Early career

One Day International

Sarfaraz's notable achievement during the early days of his career was winning the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2006 when he led the Pakistani team and defeated India in the final in a low-scoring encounter.

Sarfaraz was called up by Pakistan as a cover for Kamran Akmal who had a finger injury in the one-day series between India and Pakistan in November 2007. He made his ODI debut in the final match of the series, on 18 November 2007. He didn't get a chance to bat as Pakistan had won the match before he was needed to bat.

In 2008, Sarfaraz was selected ahead of Kamran Akmal for the Asia Cup.

In 2015, Sarfaraz was selected for 2015 Cricket World Cup but did not get a chance to play in the first four matches. Due to the first frequent losses, he was selected for Pakistan's fifth match of the event against South Africa where he scored 49 runs off 49 balls and took 6 catches as wicket-keeper to equal the one day international record for most dismissals(6 dismissals).[12] Also he equalled Adam Gilchrist's record for the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in a single World Cup innings(6)[13] He was rewarded with the Man of the Match award. In his second match in the world cup he scored 101* against Ireland and he was again named the Man of the Match. The win gave Pakistan a spot in the Quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Test

He made his Test match debut in Hobart on 14 January 2010, in the third Test match against Australia, replacing Kamran Akmal who suffered an "error-ridden performance" in the second Test.[14] He was dropped again after one match.

Return to international cricket (2011)

Sarfaraz returned to the international team for the ODI series against Sri Lanka in November 2011 and for the subsequent series against Bangladesh and the Asia Cup. In the final of the tournament he scored a crucial 46 not out (the highest score from his team) as Pakistan won the match by 2 runs. He was consequently rewarded a Category C contract and selected for Pakistan's next series against Sri Lanka, again for T20s

Vice-captaincy

After Misbah retired from the ODI format of the game after 2015 Cricket World Cup, Sarfraz was emerging to be a potential successor. However the PCB went with Azhar Ali for the captaincy and considering Sarfaraz led the Pakistan U-19 team, appointed him as the vice captain of the ODI team.

Sri Lanka Test series (2015)

During the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, Sarfaraz stabilized the Pakistan innings with a knock of 96 runs in just 85 balls, falling just four runs short of a century when he was bowled by Sri Lankan pacer Dhammika Prasad. During his knock he became the 7th Pakistani wicketkeeper to reach 1000 Test runs, in 28 inns, jointly the fastest Pakistani wicket-keeper with Imtiaz Ahmed. The knock also earned him the Man of the Match award.

Sarfaraz was dropped from the T20 series that followed the Test series against Sri Lanka. Many fans back home were shocked and started to raise questions.[15] Pakistani coach Waqar Younis said on 6 August that Sarfraz is a key Pakistani player and he should be the next T20 captain of Pakistan.[16]

Zimbabawe ODI series (2015)

Due to a foot injury sustained by usual One day captain Azhar Ali, Sarfaraz became the captain for the third ODI against Zimbabwe on 5 October 2015. He recorded first win in his debut match as captain.

Captaincy

T20I captaincy

After a horrendous T20 World Cup 2016 campaign, the T20I captain Shahid Afridi resigned and the PCB appointed Sarfaraz captain of the national T20 team on 5 April 2016. He won his first match in the only T20I against England by nine wickets.[17] Later his team defeated the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 champions, West Indies with a whitewash in a 3 match series. Pakistan is Number 1 in T20 Internationals as of November 2018. Under his captaincy Pakistan won 11 consecutive T20 series. The teams included West-indies, Australia, New Zealand, England & Zimbabwe against which Pakistan won the series. Pakistan also white-washed the opponent in a bilateral series on 5 occasions under his captaincy.

ODI captaincy

On 9 February 2017 following the resignation of then captain Azhar Ali from ODI captaincy, Sarfaraz Ahmed was chosen to succeed him thus making him a full time limited overs captain of Pakistan. He was also made vice-captain for the Pakistan Test team. In his first series as ODI captain, Pakistan beat West Indies 2–1[18]

His first major tournament as the captain was 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. In the pool matches, Pakistan lost to India, but went on to win against South Africa and Sri Lanka to enter semi-finals. In the semi-final, Pakistan beat the hosts England comprehensively to enter Pakistan's first Champions Trophy final. In the final against arch-rivals India, Pakistan posted a massive total of 338 and won the match convincingly to become the champions.[19] He was also named as captain and wicket keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 Champions Trophy by the ICC[20] and Cricinfo.[21]

Test captaincy

On 28 September 2017, against Sri Lanka, he became the 32nd captain of Pakistan in Tests.[22] Sri Lanka won the Test series 2–0. It was Pakistan's first whitewash in the United Arab Emirates, and only their second whitewash in a home series, after losing 3–0 to Australia in October 2002.[23]

Suspension, dropped as captain

In January 2019, during the second ODI of the series against South Africa, Sarfaraz was caught on the stump mics using a racial slur towards Andile Phehlukwayo.[24] He played in the third ODI match, but was then suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the next four matches, missing the last two ODIs and the first two T20Is of the tour.[25] Shoaib Malik captained the Pakistan team in Sarfaraz's place.[26] The following month, the PCB confirmed Sarfaraz as the team's captain, and stated he would lead the squad at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[27][28]

In April 2019, he was named as the captain of Pakistan's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[29][30] Under his Captaincy, Pakistan managed to win five out of their nine matches, losing three and one no result. Pakistan couldn't qualify for the semi-finals as their net run rate was less than New Zealand's.[31][32]

In October 2019, ahead of Pakistan's tour to Australia, Sarfaraz was sacked as captain of Pakistan's team, following Pakistan's poor run of form.[33] Azhar Ali and Babar Azam were named as the captains of the Test and T20I squads respectively.[34] Under his leadership, Pakistan won 29 of their matches out of 37 and reached No.1 Spot in T20Is rankings.[35]In ODI's and under his leadership, Pakistan played 50 matches out of which they won 28 matches, lost 20 matches and had a winning rate of 58.33.[36]

In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic.[37][38] In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England but he was overlooked and did not play a single test.[39][40]

Domestic and franchise cricket

Sarfaraz was picked by Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) players draft on 21 December 2015. He was selected to be the franchise captain for the 2016 season. He led the Gladiators all the way through to the final, losing only two matches before it. But still his team just couldn't make it and they lost in the final to Islamabad United.[41] In the second season 2017 he once again led Quetta to the final, but Quetta lost by 58 runs against Peshawar. Which meant that Quetta had lost the PSL final for the second time in a row.[42] In the third season (2018) Quetta Gladiators not manage to qualify for the final, but instead were defeated by Peshawar Zalmi by 1 run in the first eliminator.[43] He once again captained Quetta Gladiators in fourth season of PSL leading the team to win the tournament for the first time by defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final match.

In September 2019, Sarfaraz was named as the captain of Sindh for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.[44][45] In October 2020, he was drafted by the Galle Gladiators for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League.[46]

Former Pakistan cricket coach Mickey Arthur has revealed that wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed has qualities that set him apart from other great captains like Graeme Smith, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Michael Clarke.

During an interview with Aamir Sohail on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, Arthur shared that the best part about Sarfaraz was that he was an authoritarian on-field, but he would transform into a brother off-field with the players.

“Sarfaraz is a very good leader. I was very privileged to work with Graeme Smith, Michael Clarke, and Misbah-ul-Haq. They were very good leaders but Sarfaraz had one thing that I had not seen before: He had the ability to be an authoritative voice, like a disciplinarian on the field, but when he came to the dressing room, he transformed into a brother to the guys. He had that,” the former Pakistan coach said.

Mickey cherished his outstanding relation with Sarfaraz and shared that he has always loved working with him.

“People saw what happened on the field, like his movements, but they did not see the other side of Sarfaraz in the dressing room. He was a very popular leader inside the changing room,” he said.

“Sarfraz was always ahead of the game,” he said, appreciating the batsman’s technical knowledge in Twenty20 cricket.

'Consistent policies are imperative'

He expressed satisfaction over building team structure, improving players’ fitness, and unearthing good young talent. However, one disappointment the former coach said he had when he left was that he was unable to rebuild the test team after former batting greats Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan left.

Read more: Sarfaraz Ahmed had 'deep reservations' against playing 3rd T20I against England: report

Advising his successor [Misbah], the former coach said that consistency of policy is required otherwise players will play for themselves. “I think you have got to stay consistent. Consistent with your coaching staff, consistent with your structure, consistent with your selection, and with the roles you give to players. I think that’s really important because that will allow players to flourish,” he added. 

‘I loved it. I loved every minute of it’

Speaking about his tenure as Pakistan cricket head coach, the South African said: “I loved it. I loved every minute of it.” He described his experience in the country with four words: Exhilarating, chaotic, exciting, and fulfilling.

Referring to the “chaotic” part of his experience, the former coach said that he was not a fan of Pakistani media. “Dealing with the media in the country is tough, Pakistani media is uncompromising,” he said.