KARACHI: Pakistan cricket greats, including Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, will hold online sessions with emerging players to help them remain focused and make optimum use of their time during COVID-19 lockdown.
The sessions have been arranged by the Pakistan team management in collaboration with the International Cricket Operations Department as they are looking at novel and innovative ideas to ensure its elite players and future prospects remain connected with the game in these difficult times.
Apart from Javed and Wasim, Mohammad Yousuf, Moin Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan will also share their insights about the game as well as strategies, preparations and thought processes in the lead up to and during a series or an event.
The sessions will run category-wise with Javed, Yousuf and Younis speaking with around 21 batsmen in three different sessions. Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar will be giving lectures to 13 fast bowlers. Six spinners will attend the session to be run by Mushtaq, while Moin Khan and Rashid Latif will hold sessions for five wicketkeepers.
Javed, an ICC Hall of Famer who scored 16,213 runs in 357 international matches from 1975 to 1996, will set the ball rolling when he delivers his lecture on Monday (today) afternoon, followed by sessions of Yousuf and Younis.
Wasim, widely regarded as the best left-arm pacer of all time, will connect with the fast bowlers on Tuesday, followed by the sessions of Rashid and Moin with the wicketkeepers and spinners on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said: “I am grateful to these distinguished cricketers who have agreed to share their experiences with our young and emerging stars. These stalwarts have many inspirational and motivational stories to share with the young group and I want the current players to absorb what they hear and learn from these world-class performers.”
Themes discussed will include work ethics, approach to the game, plans, practices and methods to perform under pressure, and dealing with challenges that come from being high profile players.
“The online lectures will not be limited to these cricketers and we’ll hopefully be requesting a few more, depending on their availability and our requirements.”
Javed, who was a member of the 1987 and 1992 Test series winning sides in England, said: “I have always loved sharing my thoughts on the way I have seen and played my cricket. I have not always played text book cricket, but I have researched the game and modified it according to my requirements, and that has been my key to success. I look forward to engaging with these players and hope I will be able to give them another perspective which can enhance their individual and team performance.”
Young Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah welcomed the initiative and said it will provide him with an opportunity to learn new things.
“This is an exciting initiative. I can spend whole week listening to these greats of Pakistan cricket. They are the ones who have been role models for most of us and them sharing with us their success stories, is brilliant. Of course, the added incentive of the sessions is listening to Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar. It will be an opportunity to hear from them how they assessed their opponents and out-thought them with their pace and skill.”
