Pakistan scissorhands at it again

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar are likely to be the 8216;8216;fall guys8217;8217; for Pakistan8217;s embarr...

Pakistan coach Javed Miandad and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar are likely to be the 8216;8216;fall guys8217;8217; for Pakistan8217;s embarrassing one-day and Test series defeat to India. Well placed sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board PCB told 8216;The News8217; on Wednesday that while the Board is thinking about replacing Miandad with Australian Dav Whatmore, Shoaib is expected to be banned for a high number of matches.

8216;8216;Basically, the situation with Miandad is that there is a feeling he has been given enough time to prove that team has developed and improved under him. Secondly, the feeling is also that he is not willing to accept responsibility for any shortcomings against India and is opposed to introduction of modern technology,8217;8217; a source said.

He said during the meeting Miandad and Haroon Rasheed had with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan in Karachi on Tuesday, Miandad kept on insisting that he was not to blame for the debacle and that he had tried his best with the players.

8216;8216;When Shaharyar spoke about making more use of computer technology in the team, Miandad opposed the idea and felt having a computer analyst was serving no purpose as the players were not willing to listen and improve,8217;8217; the source disclosed.

He said generally the feeling in the board was that efforts should be made to induce former Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore who is now with the Bangladesh team.

8216;8216;Whatmore is regarded with great respect in Pakistan cricket circles and the talk is that he should be approached to end his contract with Bangladesh and take over the Pakistan team in the next few months. But everything depends on whether he makes himself available,8217;8217; the source disclosed.

Under Whatmore Sri Lanka emerged as a strong cricket nation winning the 1996 World Cup and also improving their Test rankings. The source said consensus on some decisions would be formed during an internal meeting of the Board officials in Lahore on Thursday.

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8216;8216;The PCB chief also believes that the team needs to have a full time bowling coach and a fitness trainer and for this purpose the board might seek the help of Australian bowling coach Daryl Foster and Australian trainer Dennis Waight who was attached with the team during the World Cup when no major injury problem occurred in the seven-week tournament,8217;8217; the source disclosed.

He said since Foster was a busy man the board might ask him to recommend someone else. The source also said that the writing on the wall for Shoaib was not very good. 8216;8216;There is pressure from people in the government to take action against him. As they feel for too long he has been given a free reign but it was the final straw when he let the team down in the series against India because of problems with Inzamam-ul-Haq,8217;8217; the source said.

He said even if Shoaib didn8217;t appear before the medical commission formed by the board for some reason, action would be taken against him.

8216;8216;The idea is to ban him for a number of matches that would make him unavailable for a long period for Pakistan cricket. But to do this obviously the board and medical commission will have to tell the people his injury was not so serious he couldn8217;t bowl at all in the third and final Test in Rawalpindi,8217;8217; the source added.

The News