Former Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik said that the national cricket
team should have the former cricketing great Javed Miandad as the
batting coach if it intends to overcome its batting problems.
“I don’t think there is a better cricketer than Javed Miandad to
take over as batting coach. He has a great cricket mind and sharp
insight into the game. I think he would be great,” said Malik, who is
presently out of favour with the national selectors and under scrutiny
by the integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Miandad was offered the batting coach position by the PCB before the
team left for the West Indies tour but he rejected the offer, citing
personal reasons.
However, it is no secret that he does not want to work under head
coach Waqar Younis and want to have the supreme authority over the team.
Malik, who has not played for Pakistan since appearing in the Test
series in England last summer, said that he had submitted all related
documents and details to the integrity committee of the board and now
it was up to the PCB to decide on his future.
“I have done my part. Now it is their decision. It is up to the selectors to decide when they want me back for Pakistan.
“I have been keeping myself fit with Yoga classes and intensive
training so I am ready to make a comeback to international cricket
whenever they want me to,” Malik said.
The former captain also revealed that attending Yoga classes with
his wife, the Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza, had helped him relax
mentally and allowed him to cope with the disappointment of being out
of the national team.
“It is a great form of exercise and mediation,” Malik said.
Malik also called for resumption of cricket ties with India but
insisted that it was far more important to get foreign teams to start
playing in Pakistan.
“Definitely resuming bilateral cricket ties with India should be a
priority but I feel we must work towards not only getting India but
other teams as well to come and play in Pakistan.
“Not having international matches in the country for the last two
years has definitely hit the progress of the team and hurt the sport in
Pakistan,” he said.
Malik, who these days spends time flying around the globe to be with
his wife, whenever she is playing on the international circuit or in
Dubai, said he had not given up hope of playing for Pakistan again.
“Watching the World Cup from the sidelines was obviously hard but I have learnt to deal with the situation,” said Malik.
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