IMAGINE the off the field blunders of our cricket team management, pertaining to coaching, training and guiding tips, more rampant in the on-going Asia Cup in the UAE. Winning or losing is part of the game but it has been horrendous for our team not being counseled off the field for their blunders on the field.
Fakhr Zaman, gem of a batsman, a match-winner, known for his flamboyance and fireworks, got out in matches against Afghanistan and India when he was not out. Why did he panic amid doubt of being not out rather than unilaterally seeking a review instead of returning to the pavilion as cameras visibly showed him not out?
When even trend-setting and hope-pinning batsmen like Shoaib Malik, Iman ul Haq and Baber Azam got puzzled, confused and bamboozled to be run out in crucial matches against India and Afghanistan, what to talk of the followers of team mates and what to comment on the level of rectifying coaching and training off the field!
As we rest on the cricketing laurels of our recent past, the very recent or the most current scenario is simply pathetic for the batting fitness and form of our captain Sarfaraz, who in earlier matches tried to hit sixes and played cross shots exposing stumps and getting out leading by negative example and leaving the team in a larch!
No matter how wonderful our cricketers are, seldom would they count on the field unless and until they learn from and do not repeat mistakes, concerned management guide and rectify their faults and failings, instill confidence in them to be calm and composed and prepare them to be mentally alert and alive to pressure situations.
PARVEZ JAMIL
CBM, Institute of Business Management
Korangi Creek, Karachi.
