In an older post, I had talked about the importance of taking a professional approach to the training of the squad. It appears that now that Geoff Lawson has some ideas, after being let go as coach.
He speaks the importance of having a team psychologist to help the players. It can't hurt. The shenanigans of Shoaib Akhtar (I'm injured, I'll hit team mates with a bat), the travails of Mohammad Asif (steroids or opium, name your poison), and even the hare brained things Mohammad Yousuf (ICL or IPL? Should I see or should I pee) and Younis Khan (Don't make me captain, PLEASE CAN I BE CAPTAIN!) have been upto all scream for some kind of psychological intervention. Whether its egos run rampant, or just confusion after coming face to face with the trappings of success in sports, the happenings of the last two years speak to the importance of some kind of help for the players. Even after the sudden and shocking death of Bob Woolmer, there was no help for the players. I can see for Geoff Lawson is coming from. Trainers, physios, position specific coaches and team counselors are a must in the modern game.
Showing posts with label geoff lawson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geoff lawson. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Shoaib Akhtar: Man of Drama!
So, this is the story that is coming out of Lahore, now that Shoaib Akhtar has returned to Pakistan in disgrace, yet again. Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi were going at it, joking it appears, when things went one "Yo Mama" joke too far, Shoaib Akhtar started swinging a bat, and somehow Asif ended up getting whacked a couple of times. That's Shoaib Akhtar's story anyhow.
Shahid Afridi followed up with a prompt denial, even going so far as calling Shoaib Akhtar "a liar" outright! Who knows what part of the story is true or not, and who is telling the real story, but this has to mean the end of the road here for Shoaib Akhtar. I mean, he is beyond poison in the dressing room, and despite all the positives he brings on the field, and all his currently apparent sincerity, how can he step into a dressing room now, after he has accused one colleague of insulting his family, and taken potshots at the other with a cricket bat? This must be the end of the road for Shoaib Akhtar, and it is here that Geoff Lawson must cement his mark on this squad, and call for an outright exclusion of Shoaib Akhtar from all further contention for selection.
Shahid Afridi followed up with a prompt denial, even going so far as calling Shoaib Akhtar "a liar" outright! Who knows what part of the story is true or not, and who is telling the real story, but this has to mean the end of the road here for Shoaib Akhtar. I mean, he is beyond poison in the dressing room, and despite all the positives he brings on the field, and all his currently apparent sincerity, how can he step into a dressing room now, after he has accused one colleague of insulting his family, and taken potshots at the other with a cricket bat? This must be the end of the road for Shoaib Akhtar, and it is here that Geoff Lawson must cement his mark on this squad, and call for an outright exclusion of Shoaib Akhtar from all further contention for selection.
Monday, August 20, 2007
What the heck is going on?!
On the day Geoff Lawson was supposed to arrive in Pakistan to take over the reins of the team, it seems that the entire enterprise of international Pakistani cricket is threatening to fall apart.
For the last few days, there has been a reasonable amount of drama, with Shoaib Akhtar and his fines, and then the supposed threat by Shoaib Malik and a few other players to not participate in the Twenty20 cup. While these have been fairly concerning, not much has made it into the media since the first rumours came out. Yet, todays news turns all of those shenanigans into minor brew hahas.
First came the news that Razzaq had announced his retirement from international cricket, due to his unhappiness over being dropped for the Twenty20 cup, followed very shortly by his signing a County Cricket contract. Then came the ICL announcement of the players signed to date, and within that list were Razzaq and Farhat, which we knew about before. Yet, the list also included Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf.
While reactions from various cricketing forums is still awaited, these developments were probably not what Geoff Lawson had in mind for his first day. Yousuf has been the lynch pin of the Pakistani batting lineup, and one must wonder if there is something more deep seated here, than just not being selected for the Twenty20 cup. Rumours have been rampant that the PCB has been trying to rid the team of any links with Inzamam and the overt religiosity on display during his tenure as captain. Yousuf was a large part of that, and Razzaq was also fairly close to Inzamam. Has there been more going on behind the scenes? Only time will tell.
The Razzaq decision to retire, to be honest, smacks a lot of Shahid Afridi's surprise announcement a while ago. Ticked off, and perhaps feeling disrespected, Razzaq has taken the sour grapes approach, and said I didn't want to play anymore anyhow. It will probably get reversed sooner or later by Razzaq. Yet, what will the PCB do with Inzy, Yousuf and Razzaq after they have already said they will ban on all players signing with the ICL? What does it say about theses players' commitment to the Pakistani cricket team, if they were willing to risk their place in the team for the ICL?
The next few days should be interesting, in how the PCB chooses to respond to the newest fiasco in Pakistani cricket. One really gets the feeling that Nasim Ashraf and the PCB will have to do more than fiasco creation to try to fix this situation.
For the last few days, there has been a reasonable amount of drama, with Shoaib Akhtar and his fines, and then the supposed threat by Shoaib Malik and a few other players to not participate in the Twenty20 cup. While these have been fairly concerning, not much has made it into the media since the first rumours came out. Yet, todays news turns all of those shenanigans into minor brew hahas.
First came the news that Razzaq had announced his retirement from international cricket, due to his unhappiness over being dropped for the Twenty20 cup, followed very shortly by his signing a County Cricket contract. Then came the ICL announcement of the players signed to date, and within that list were Razzaq and Farhat, which we knew about before. Yet, the list also included Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf.
While reactions from various cricketing forums is still awaited, these developments were probably not what Geoff Lawson had in mind for his first day. Yousuf has been the lynch pin of the Pakistani batting lineup, and one must wonder if there is something more deep seated here, than just not being selected for the Twenty20 cup. Rumours have been rampant that the PCB has been trying to rid the team of any links with Inzamam and the overt religiosity on display during his tenure as captain. Yousuf was a large part of that, and Razzaq was also fairly close to Inzamam. Has there been more going on behind the scenes? Only time will tell.
The Razzaq decision to retire, to be honest, smacks a lot of Shahid Afridi's surprise announcement a while ago. Ticked off, and perhaps feeling disrespected, Razzaq has taken the sour grapes approach, and said I didn't want to play anymore anyhow. It will probably get reversed sooner or later by Razzaq. Yet, what will the PCB do with Inzy, Yousuf and Razzaq after they have already said they will ban on all players signing with the ICL? What does it say about theses players' commitment to the Pakistani cricket team, if they were willing to risk their place in the team for the ICL?
The next few days should be interesting, in how the PCB chooses to respond to the newest fiasco in Pakistani cricket. One really gets the feeling that Nasim Ashraf and the PCB will have to do more than fiasco creation to try to fix this situation.
Friday, August 17, 2007
The Soap Opera that is Pakistan Cricket
It never ceases to amaze me that Pakistani cricket is truly an amazing soap opera. One had thought that with the appointment of Shoaib Malik, and the selection of Geoff Lawson as the coach of the squad, things for at least some time would have atleast a veneer of stability. Yet, all it took was a training camp, a new league, and it seems everything has fallen apart.
First, whether or not its true, Cricinfo and a few Indian papers have been talking over the last few days about a possible rebellion in the squad, lead by no other than Shoaib Malik. It appears that there was some altercation between Shoaib Malik and the management of the team over whether Shoaib Akhtar talked to someone before he left the camp early, leading to his suspension. While Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have both denied any altercation, the rumours refuse to die down. The reports even point to a potential boycott of the upcoming Twenty20 cup by atleast 6 to 7 players.
While all this drama continues, the ICL has been active through Rashid Latif in trying to recruit Pakistani players. Imran Farhat has signed, Asim Kamal is close to signing, and rumours refuse to die that Inzamam, Yousuf and Razzaq are days away from signing. Asif was also offered an amount reaching USD 600,000 per year to play for two months / year for the ICL. The PCB and Nasim Ashraf in all their wisdom, are choosing to take an ostrich approach to the whole thing, and are threatening to suspend anyone who "dares" to sign with the ICL. Well, I have news for them. Pretty soon, it won't just be Imran Farhat calling their bluff. Imran Farhat they can do without, but Yousuf? Asif? I don't think so.
A few people raise the issue that if the players are patriotic enough, they will not choose the ICL, but play for the PCB regardless of the financial cost. Well, that may be all fine and dandy, but you cannot expect players to simply walk away from the types of figures the ICL is throwing around. If the PCB wants their players to remain under contract to the PCB, and not sign on with the ICL, they are going to have to pony up some serious sums of money to match ICL dollars. Further, what is going on at the PCB? Along with the ICL issue, the issue with the team's potential boycott, even if false, opens up a can of worms which after the World Cup debacle is the last thing the PCB needs.
While there appears to be a serious lack of foresight and leadership in the PCB, what I am starting to wonder about, as is Intikhab Alam, is where is Geoff Lawson? Its been over three weeks since his appointment, and I really haven't heard much from him to date. When is he coming to Pakistan? Who will be on his staff? Will it be an all foreign group, or will there atleast be some Pakistani representation? Serious questions remain.
First, whether or not its true, Cricinfo and a few Indian papers have been talking over the last few days about a possible rebellion in the squad, lead by no other than Shoaib Malik. It appears that there was some altercation between Shoaib Malik and the management of the team over whether Shoaib Akhtar talked to someone before he left the camp early, leading to his suspension. While Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have both denied any altercation, the rumours refuse to die down. The reports even point to a potential boycott of the upcoming Twenty20 cup by atleast 6 to 7 players.
While all this drama continues, the ICL has been active through Rashid Latif in trying to recruit Pakistani players. Imran Farhat has signed, Asim Kamal is close to signing, and rumours refuse to die that Inzamam, Yousuf and Razzaq are days away from signing. Asif was also offered an amount reaching USD 600,000 per year to play for two months / year for the ICL. The PCB and Nasim Ashraf in all their wisdom, are choosing to take an ostrich approach to the whole thing, and are threatening to suspend anyone who "dares" to sign with the ICL. Well, I have news for them. Pretty soon, it won't just be Imran Farhat calling their bluff. Imran Farhat they can do without, but Yousuf? Asif? I don't think so.
A few people raise the issue that if the players are patriotic enough, they will not choose the ICL, but play for the PCB regardless of the financial cost. Well, that may be all fine and dandy, but you cannot expect players to simply walk away from the types of figures the ICL is throwing around. If the PCB wants their players to remain under contract to the PCB, and not sign on with the ICL, they are going to have to pony up some serious sums of money to match ICL dollars. Further, what is going on at the PCB? Along with the ICL issue, the issue with the team's potential boycott, even if false, opens up a can of worms which after the World Cup debacle is the last thing the PCB needs.
While there appears to be a serious lack of foresight and leadership in the PCB, what I am starting to wonder about, as is Intikhab Alam, is where is Geoff Lawson? Its been over three weeks since his appointment, and I really haven't heard much from him to date. When is he coming to Pakistan? Who will be on his staff? Will it be an all foreign group, or will there atleast be some Pakistani representation? Serious questions remain.
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