Fielding let us down, says Mohsin Khan

The Interim coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Mohsin Hasan Khan, has blamed his team’s fielding for not being able to produce a result in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi and said that his team would have taken a 1-0 lead in the series had the fielders held on to their chances.

Pakistan was in a commanding position till the first three days of the first Test after they bowled out the visitors for a mere 197 runs on the opening day of the match. The Green Shirts bowled pretty well in the second innings as well on a very flat track; however, their fielders never responded and dropped some very straight-forward catches to give the Islanders a hope of drawing the match, which they eventually did.

A number of cricket analysts in the world have slammed the management of Pakistan cricket team for playing defensive cricket because they batted a touch slowly in their first innings and decided not to go for a reachable target in the second innings.

However, Mohsin is not ready to accept that the strategy was negative and said that it is only because of poor fielding that the Green Shirts failed to make a match of it.

“Our fielding let us down in the end. Catches are not dropped on purpose but we dropped some crucial catches at crucial times in the match and we suffered in the end due to those dropped catches,” the interim coach feels.

The former opening batsman is satisfied with his team’s performance in batting and bowling and just like many cricket fans from Pakistan, Mohsin is disappointed with the outcome of this match.

Mohsin said, “We played some good cricket and it’s disappointing not to be coming away from the first test match in Abu Dhabi with a victory under our belts. We were particularly good with both bat and ball in the first three days of the match.”

The second match of the three-match series is going to start from October 26, 2011, in Dubai. Let us hope that the pitch there is more supportive for the bowlers.

Read More

Abdul Qadir not amused by Mohsin Khan’s recent actions

Pakistan’s retired spin sensation and former chief selector, Abdul Qadir, has come down hard on the current chief selector, Moshin Khan, regarding his recent feud with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the selection of Pakistan’s squad for the two-match Test series in the West Indies, set to begin May 12, 2011.

Talking to newsmen, Qadir said, “He must have first chosen a proper way to talk to the PCB chief Ijaz Butt and discuss with him the reservations he had. There should not be any media talk or threats of resignations.” 

Qadir questioned the logic behind making the issue public and calling a press conference when later Mohsin cancelled the press conference and mended ties with PCB.

In Qadir’s opinion, the matter should never have been brought into the limelight and the chief selector should have resolved all outstanding differences behind closed door.

He went on to back the other members of the selection committee by stating that the members have the right to give their opinion and can take a stand against wrongful selection of any player.

Qadir also clarified that it was within limits to oppose the chief selector if other members of the selection committee felt that the chief selector was favouring players who did not deserve to play in the national team due to lack of commendable performances.

Recalling his time as the chief selector of Pakistan, Qadir said, “I had told the PCB chief about my terms and conditions before taking over as chief selector. I had asked him to allow me to work independently and without any interruption and that I should be given free hand to select the team and only then I would be responsible for any result.”

Earlier this week, Pakistan cricket was caught in a controversy yet again when the chief selector Mohsin Khan threatened to resign from his post after he expressed dissatisfaction over the selection of the test squad.

According to insiders, Khan is at odds with the other members of the selection committee over the inclusion of Mohammad Salman as a wicketkeeper in place of Adnan Akmal, the youngest brother of Kamran Akmal. Khan is also believed to be against retaining Hammad Azam in the test squad.

On Friday, however, the PCB announced that all matters had been resolved between the board and the chief selector, clarifying that Khan will not be stepping down from his post.

Apart from the PCB and chief selector feud, there are reports that head coach Waqar Younis and One Day International (ODI) skipper Shahid Afridi have also had a spat of words and the two are at odds these days. Waqar is said to be uncomfortable with Afridi’s methods of selection and leadership.

Read More

PCB CHIEF SELECTOR MOHSIN KHAN PRAISES TEAM PERFORMANCE IN WEST INDIES

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector, Mohsin Khan, has praised the way the national team is performing during its ongoing tour to West Indies.

After 2 matches, the Men in Green are leading the series 2-0 and look set to clinch the five-match One Day International (ODI) series by winning the third one on April 28, 2011.

The former cricketer said that Pakistan has been performing exceptionally well in the ongoing West Indies tour.

He said that Pakistan has shown great confidence and momentum, even after their defeat in the semi-final of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011. He is hopeful that the entire team will play consistently in the remainder of the series.

While addressing the media, Mohsin stated, “It is great pleasure to see that the team played the first two ODIs with a game-plan, showing improvement in batting, bowling and fielding departments”.

The PCB Chief Selector is of the view that the current Windies series has given a platform to the young players to prove themselves in the field of cricket. It will also benefit them in their future career, he added.

While talking about the players, Mohsin appreciated the young middle-order batsman, Asad Shafiq, and opening batsman, Ahmad Shehzad, for their performances in the first two One Day Internationals (ODI).

Mohsin exclaimed, “Asad is showing improvement every passing day, as far as maturity is concerned, and Ahmed, after his failure in the World Cup, got another chance, and his century in the second ODI was a responsible knock. He will be very useful for the team if he continues his good performance”.

Former batsman also praised senior players such as captain, Shahid Afridi, vice captain Misbah ul Haq and opener, Mohammad Hafeez, for their performances in the series. He hoped that the same work would continue until the end.

Meanwhile, Mohsin also praised the spinners of the team and said they were doing a fantastic job on the slow wickets of West Indies.

The third and fourth matches of the series will be played on April 28 and May 2 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. The last and final match of the series will be played on May 5 at the Guyana National Stadium.

Read More

MOHSIN KHAN SAYS PRESENT SELECTION COMMITTEE THE FIRST ONE TO GIVE PROPER CHANCES TO YOUNGSTERS

Chief Selector of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Hassan Khan, has claimed that his is the first selection committee which has given the proper opportunities to younger players.

PCB has decided to draft fresh blood after the ICC World Cup 2011 and five uncapped players were named for the limited overs series in the Caribbean. Prior to that, the current selection committee has given chances to many upcoming players like Wahab Riaz, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin and Asad Shafiq. Mohsin’s claim seems to have a lot of weight in it, considering the fact that apart from Amin, all of them have established themselves at the international level.

He said that the current selectors are the first to give appropriate chances to the new players as previously young players were dropped from the team after a limited number of opportunities. Mohsin added that senior players were rested for the West Indies tour in order to try out fresh blood and it was done with the mutual consent of the captain and coach.

Mohsin said, "I think the present selection committee is the first one to properly work on a plan to blood new players and build a new team. We have already taken this bold step of resting some senior players and sending some new players to the West Indies with the consultation of the captain and coach.”

The former opening batsman added that he himself is a Test cricketer and wants the young batsmen to start building their innings rather than scoring little cameos.

"I have played Test cricket and I know that if one wants to play cricket for a long time, 30s and 40s are not enough to keep you going. These new players need to learn to convert good starts into big scores," the Chief Selector said.

He also wanted young Pakistani batsmen to learn from the greats of the game like Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq and Mohammad Yousaf. Mohsin feels that those great players used to construct their innings in an artistic fashion and the upcoming batsmen need to learn this art because batting is all about scoring big runs. This in the end could be the difference between winning or losing a game. 

Read More

PAKISTAN CHIEF SELECTOR MOHSIN KHAN CLAIMS TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO RECOGNISE YOUNG TALENT

The Pakistan Cricket Board selection committee chief, Mohsin Khan on Thursday claimed to be the first-ever chief selector to give opportunities to young talent and select a new-look national team.

The former Pakistan batsman said that the former PCB selectors made claims about injecting fresh blood in the side but failed to do so properly.

“I think the present selection committee is the first one to properly work on a plan to blood new players and build a new team,” said Mohsin while talking to media reporters. “We have already taken this bold step of resting some senior players and sending some new players to the West Indies with the consultation of the captain and coach.”

The 56-year-old former batsman expressed satisfaction over the performance of youngsters in the ongoing tour of West Indies. He however, urged the players to learn how to build innings after getting starts stressing that 30s and 40s are not enough to keep a batsman going.

“I have played Test cricket and I know that if one wants to play cricket for a long time, 30s and 40s are not enough to keep you going. These new players need to learn to convert good starts into big scores,” insisted the former Test opener.

He asked the youngsters to get inspiration from legendary Pakistan batsmen like Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and learn how they used to convert good starts into big scores.

The selection committee chairman also dismissed the perception that he is a yes man to the PCB. He said that Pakistan were not the only country to have the system of paid selectors. He refused to believe that the selection decisions were not taken on merit. Mohsin further explained that all the teams had to be approved by the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Mohsin said he himself had struggled hard to earn a place in the national team and as a selection committee chief, he would never think of ignoring merit. He said that he always tried to reward the potential performers.

Read More

Mohsin Khan cites West Indies tour as an opportunity for Pakistan youngsters

Pakistan team chief selector, Mohsin Khan, cited the West Indies tour as an opportunity for the young players on the team to display their cricketing prowess and prove their mettle. He advised the youngsters to fully avail the chance as they are the future assets of Pakistan cricket.

“I hope every youngster whether he is a batsman or a bowler will get full advantage of the chance he is given as it will be very useful for the future of Pakistan cricket,” Mohsin maintained.

Lauding the squad’s performance against the West Indies in the ongoing One Day International series, he said that the boys are expected to perform brilliantly throughout the series. The former cricketer however said that the Caribbean side should not be taken lightly as they have the potential for a comeback in the series.

Praising the middle-order batsman, Asad Shafiq, he said that the youngs batsman’s performance curve has shown significant improvement. He further went on to appreciate opener Ahmed Shehzad who failed to make an impact on the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 but sealed a scintillating century in the second One Day International match.

“Asad is showing improvement every passing day as far as maturity is concerned, and Ahmed, after his failure in the World Cup, got another chance and his century in the second ODI was a responsible knock. He will be very useful for the team if he continues his good performance,” Mohsin Khan claimed.

The chief selector noted a positive development in the team’s progress as far as unity amongst the players is concerned. He also showered praise on the captain and the team’s management.

He acknowledged the team’s efforts of playing strictly according to a game plan in the first two One-Dayers. He cited significant improvement in the side’s batting, bowling and fielding line ups. Mohsin maintained that the fast bowlers are having a tough time on the slow Gros Islet wicket which does not have much to offer to the pacers.

Admiring the senior members, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, he said that the cricket champions are fulfilling their responsibilities. The cricket veteran hopes that they will continue to display a promising performance throughout the series.

Pakistan is leading the five-match ODI series 2-0 after winning the first two fixtures by considerable margins. The tourists won the first One-Day by eight wickets with 51 balls remaining and prevailed in the second ODI by seven wickets, with 12 balls remaining.

Mohsin informed that the roster for the first two games of the three-match Test series will be announced during the next week.

Read More

PCB's selection committee demands monetary rewards for team's performance in 2011 ICC World Cup

The Chief Selector of the Pakistan cricket team, Mohsin Khan, is of the view that the selectors should be rewarded with cash prizes. The management helped the team in reaching the semi-final of the 2011 ICC World Cup which ended earlier this month.
The Chief Selector said that the Indian national selectors were also awarded with cash bonus after India victory in the World Cup, similarly Pakistan should also treat their selectors in the same manner and they should be credited for their efforts.
Mohsin Khan said, “When you consider the problems Pakistan cricket has faced in the last few months and the fact that we had lost some of our leading players to a ban, the selectors did a good job in picking a balanced side that made it to the World Cup semi-final against all odds.”
Mohsin also said that the efforts made by the selectors should be acknowledged as they are the one who have to face criticism when the team fails to perform in any match. He added that in the same manner they should be given credit if the team performed well in any game.
Mohsin, the Test opener, stated, “When the team does well, the selectors should be rewarded in the same matter as the players and the team officials.”
Following their exit from the 2011 ICC World Cup, Pakistan team's head coach, Waqar Younis, has said that the team officials should be given monetary rewards for the playing a big part in preparing the players for the mega event. Recently, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani announced cash prizes of PKR 1 million for every team member and PKR 0.5 million for every team official.
The Pakistan cricket team tried their level best to reach the grand finale of the recently ended World Cup. Shahid Afridi along with his team performed well in the tournament as they won 6 out of their 8 matches and reached the semi-final after 1999. Afridi was hopeful that he would be able to win the coveted title, however they failed to prove themselves in the semi-final, when they played against old time rivals India.

Read More