Now, traditional Pak coach-selector differences bug hits Intikhab, Qadir

From ANI

Karachi, Dec. 29: Even before their first big assignment against Sri Lanka, differences between Pakistan coach, Intikhab Alam and national selector, Abdul Qadir, have started appearing.

Both the former Test cricketers want to employ a different method to select and prepare the home team for the series against Sri Lanka, The News reported.

While, Qadir wants to hold a Test-style series and some one-day matches between teams consisting of the country's top players ahead of the Sri Lanka assignment, Intikhab is advocating the idea of playing top cricketers in the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's first-class cricket tournament.

Pakistan coach Intikhab was quoted by the News, as saying "I personally believe that the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be the perfect platform for the players to show us their form, fitness and temperament."

"The four-day games would also help our players get used to the longer version of the game, something that they desperately need considering the fact that they haven't played a Test in more than a year," the former Pakistan captain added.

However, the former Test leg-spinner, Quadir believes otherwise.

"I think it would be really useful if we had four different teams playing in a couple of Test-style trial matches before the start of the Sri Lanka series," Qadir said.

"We will have our top cricketers and second and third string players competing against each other. That will help Pakistan to get ready for the Sri Lankans" he stressed.

The chief selector argued that the proposal would help the Pakistani side to get used to the ground conditions "I want two five-day trial matches at the very venues that would host the Tests matches against Sri Lanka."

The recent disparity between the coach and selector is only the latest in Pakistan's long history of the chief selectors and the national team coaches seldom getting along.

To list a few, Bob Woolmer, the late Pakistani coach never got along with the ex-chief selector, Wasim Bari, where Geoff Lawson had major differences with the ex-chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed.

However, rejecting the possibility of any tiff with Intikhab, Quadir said, "Intikhab is one person for whom I have a lot of respect and I intend to sit down with him tomorrow and explain it to him the logic behind my recommendations for trials matches."

Qadir also said that a final decision on how to select and prepare the home team for the series would be taken after reaching on a consensus on the issue.

The Sri Lankan team will arrive in Pakistan on January 20 to play three Tests and five One-day Internationals.


Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com