The coach-captain equation

Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: It began on a promising note but ended like a bad divorce. Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis could have offered so much together as Pakistan’s captain and coach but their combination proved to be more like dynamite than glue for the national team.
Neither of them is a part of the Pakistan team any more.
Afridi, still among Pakistan’s most popular sports stars, has since retired after accusing the country’s cricket authorities of treating him shabbily while Waqar has stepped down as coach due to ‘health reasons’.
For the time being a new coach-captain combination has taken the driving seat for Pakistan — Mohsin Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq.
In recent times, Misbah has consolidated his place as Pakistan’s captain for all three formats. Mohsin, meanwhile, has temporarily vacated his position as chief selector to serve as Pakistan’s coach for the series against Sri Lanka which will begin with the first Test in Abu Dhabi from October 18.
Will the Mohsin-Misbah duo succeed where Waqar-Afridi failed? Can the two of them work together to ensure that Pakistan give their best against Sri Lanka in the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE?
Ask Mohsin and he will tell you that nothing can go wrong as far as his dealings with Misbah during the forthcoming assignment in UAE is concerned.
“Misbah is a good cricketer and a good person and I hold him in high regard,” Mohsin told ‘The News’.
“He is a thorough professional, somebody who is fully aware it’s his job to get the best out of his players.
“As coach, I’m confident that I can add to the equation and am looking forward to working with Misbah and the other boys,” added Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test player.
Waqar, the former Test pacer, and Afridi were unable to get along well as both kept pressing for more say in team matters.
Mohsin, however, doesn’t foresee himself developing any such differences with Misbah. “I believe in giving people due respect,” he said.
“As a cricketer Misbah deserves to be treated with proper respect and I believe that if I do that he will reciprocate.
“The thing is that respect has to be mutual and if two parties do that then they are bound to develop a healthy working relationship.”
Misbah is 37 years old and generally at his age international cricketers are thinking about hanging up their boots. His critics are already talking about the age factor and are suggesting that Pakistan should be looking for a younger replacement.
Mohsin doesn’t think so. “He (Misbah) may be 37 but he is one of the fittest cricketers in our country,” said Mohsin. “I personally believe that if a player is fit enough to give his hundred percent and if he is contributing sufficiently towards the team’s cause then age shouldn’t be an issue. Misbah is one such cricketer who has defied all odds and is giving his best for Pakistan.”