“Our main focus at the moment is ODI cricket before the Champions Trophy,” Aaqib said. “You will see a stable team in this format. You will see changes in the T20I format. We are planning to give chances to new players in the Zimbabwe series. This is a message and an opportunity for new players to grab the chances that they have.” If you don’t give new players a chance, you will never have the opportunity to improve your bench strength.
“Australia has never been an easy tour. When the team went there, if we had said we were going to win the series, people would have thought it was impossible. Under the new captain [Mohammad Rizwan]they showed the world they could do it after 22 years [by winning 2-1]. They also had chances in all three T20Is, but if you don’t take advantage of your chances, you won’t win. »
Aaqib, however, sought to describe his selection responsibilities as a collaborative rather than hierarchical arrangement. “We always consult the coach and captain and then the selection committee announces the team,” he said. “Since Multan till now, there has been consistency in the selection. Asad Shafiq was touring Australia. His role was to discuss the selection with the coach and captain and present a final team, which would be discussed by the selection committee, who will make the final decision Now, instead of Assad, it will be me, but the final eleven will still be decided by the committee. is a panel of five people.
“I have been coaching for 20 years. The role of the coach has a limit. You can create an environment and send strong, clear messages about the type of cricket you expect from them and help them prepare. But at final, the players and the captain give the results.”
Aaqib is aware of the scrutiny and criticism that a coaching job entails; indeed, he was critical of a number of his predecessors, particularly attacking what he saw as the dual roles of Misbah-ul-Haq, when he was chief selector and head coach. With Aaqib in an uncomfortably similar position; now, however, he believes the cases cannot be directly compared.
“My case is slightly different from the cases you mentioned,” he said. “I am not the chief selector, but I am part of a panel. I don’t see it as a problem because we all want to select the players who do best for Pakistan.
“Criticism is inevitable and can be healthy. The player can control whether people praise or criticize him. This also applies to the team. Criticism and praise depend on your performance. I will be the first to accept criticism if They are deserved.
Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe will begin with ODIs on November 24, 26 and 28, followed by T20Is on December 1, 3 and 5. All matches will be played in Bulawayo.
