‘Fast bowlers in our country aren’t afraid of failure’

How do Pakistan’s quicks withstand the test of time?
In Pakistan,we insulate the youngsters from unwanted advice. I think the big downfall for Indian fast bowlers is that they are given a lot of free advice from the so called experts at a very young age. Everybody who is anybody starts giving them advice on what to do and what not to do. This only clutters the mind of the fast bowlers,who then begin to question themselves.

Who then should a fast bowler consult during a rough patch?
I believe that only the coach should have the right to tell his players what to do. If a fast bowler is facing problems,he should seek corrective measures from his coach. Once every Tom,Dick and Harry chips in with their input,it’s all downhill from there on.

What is the secret to Pakistan’s successful strategy of producing fast bowlers on a conveyor belt?
I believe that you could have all the talent in the world but it could still go unnoticed. The selectors and the coach need to have the ability to spot potential. One needs to have an eye that can find them early. That is the single most important factor.

Where has India gone wrong?
Far too much attention is focused on a bowler’s pace in India. A fast bowler cannot just be a tear-away quick and hope to get plenty of wickets. If a pacer cannot get the ball to seam and swing,the wickets tend to dry up rapidly. Bowling at 140+ is not sustainable. Along with the numbers on the speed gun,the bowler must also have the knack of making the ball talk. That could be a problem with the young Indian bowlers who promise much initially.

Who was India’s most talented pacer in the last few years?
Irfan Pathan. When Irfan first arrived on the scene,he was not an out and out quick bowler. His most lethal weapon was that he could bring the ball into the right-hander. That got him a lot of wickets and made him an absolutely deadly left-arm seamer. But somewhere down the line,he started believing that he should just bowl fast.

You were the coach when Mohammad Aamer burst onto the international scene. How do you rate his development?
When Aamer traveled with the team to the World T20s in England,he was just a blurry-eyed lad,who did not know much. But his body language told us that he wanted to succeed at the highest level,so we picked him. He has blossomed into a fine paceman. To pick someone so young is common practice in the sub-continent,but it works out only for some. Umar Gul was also a case study. He was flown directly from Australia,where he was playing with the A side to join the senior Pakistan team in Sri Lanka. Gul too,like Aamer,has never looked back since.