LAHORE: Pakistan former captain Javed Miandad has turned down a request from the national team’s one-day captain Shahid Afridi to accompany the team to New Zealand.
Miandad, who has been appointed as batting consultant by the Pakistan Cricket Board, is working with the players in the national camp in Lahore but has declined to accompany the players to New Zealand. “Shahid Afridi had a talk with me and he asked me to reconsider my decision not to go to New Zealand.
He said that my presence would be of great help to the players in New Zealand,” Miandad said. “But I have told him it is not possible for me to go to New Zealand because of a number of reasons,” the former great said. Miandad said he wanted to give the head coach Waqar Younis complete space to get things done his way. “I don’t think it would be fair on Waqar if I am with the team because if I am there then I obviously I will have my say,” he added.
He said it would be confusing for the players to respond to former captains and coach. “I think personally it is good for the players if Waqar has complete say in team matters. You can’t have too many people calling the shots that only create a confusing situation in the team,” he said. Miandad also made it clear that he was doing a lot in the camp working with the boys and didn’t agree with assertions that a batting consultant could not change the techniques of senior players.
“It is not about changing the technique of any player it is about giving those important tips. Even a great batsman like Sachin Tendulkar has never hesitated in talking to me. There are numerous instances where other players have helped out other players with some little detail about their technique,” Miandad said.
