Anwar-ul-Haq lauds CCA, desires coaching role for Jalaluddin at national level

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Anwar-ul-Haq, a former opening batsman, has lauded the services of the Customs Cricket Academy (CCA), having hit headlines lately by annexing the Rajiv Gandhi Under-15 Trophy Cricket Tournament in Chennai, India.

�The CCA, founded by Jalaluddin, the highest qualified coach of the country, has been doing a fabulous job over the years and the recent triumph of their Under-15 outfit in India is just another feather in their cap,� the former first-class cricketer turned analyst remarked in an interview. 

�The manner in which the CCA teenagers performed in India recently very clearly brought to light the virtues of modern coaching and training. They were able to outsmart their opponents because they possessed talent as well as the desired grooming,� Anwar-ul-Haq thought.

�It�s quite an accomplishment on part of the CCA Under-15 outfit to have overwhelmed Tamil Nadu by 47 runs at Marina Cricket Ground in Chennai. After winning and losing a game in pool stage against Chennai and Haryana respectively, CCA remained undefeated in three knockout matches. It�s never easy to perform well in the alien conditions so the boys deserved to be hailed for doing it there,� he reckoned. 

�Besides their cricketers the entire support staff and the management of the CCA deserved accolades for this victory in India. There were some brilliant individual performances alright like that of opener Saim Ayub, who clinched a couple of Man of the Match awards besides winning Man of the Tournament trophy, but it was the teamwork that led to success in challenging environment,� Anwar-ul-Haq pointed out. 

�The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should also lay greater emphasis on training and coaching in addition to running its academies. They should engage the trainers all over the country in a proactive manner to let them coach the talented youngsters to let them unfold their skills,� he suggested. 

Anwar-ul-Haq felt that Jalaluddin, a former Test fast bowler and one of his contemporaries, on account of his accomplishments as founder head coach of the CCA, should be provided an opportunity to be a part of the coaching setup of the national team or the national academies.

Consistent policies, eagle-eyed selection vital for Pakistan cricket: Anwar-ul-Haq

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Anwar-ul-Haq, a former opening batsman, has underscored the importance of consistent policies and professional management in order to revive the Pakistan cricket and put it on solid footing. 

�I have no doubt in mind that Pakistan has been blessed with outstanding cricket talent. All we need is the consistent policy at every level to make the most of it and be counted as as one of the top sides of world cricket,� he remarked in a recent chat. 

�I am saying this with total conviction because I have remained a part of the set-up which got hold of the raw talent and groomed them into stars. The colt scheme at the Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) worked wonders and we were able to produce high-quality cricketers from the bunch of youngsters whom we had spotted from the grassroots level,� Anwar-ul-Haq, who became the coach of the bank after quitting first-class cricket, recalled. 

�Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Asim Kamal, Atiq-uz-Zaman, Mohammad Zahid, Shahid Nazir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, all of whom have played for Pakistan, were the proud products of MCB Colts. They possessed enormous talent but we provided them the platform and the opportunity to unfold their skills and move up the ladder,� he added. 

�There�s a long list of successful first-class players who began the journey with us. We were able to do it because of our consistent policies. Our bank�s President, Hussain Lawai, was a great supporter of inducting young blood. Our sports department�s chief, Mohammad Iqbal, also shared the same philosophy and we were able to execute the plans to perfection with the blessings of our management,� Anwar-ul-Haq, who scored 13 centuries in 108 first-class matches while scoring 5,854 runs, stated. 

�The Pakistan cricket also needs to adopt similar kind of policies for long-term benefit. Talented youngsters, if groomed and taken care of nicely, could prove to be assets. We need eagle-eyed selectors who can continue backing the players who have the spark and the guts to succeed at the higher level,� he suggested. 

�The regional or the national selectors can only be encouraged to do so if they have the backing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). That�s where the issue of consistent policies comes up. The Board should look at the larger picture and merit should never be compromised. Otherwise the desired results might not be achieved,� Anwar-ul-Haq, who played against the visiting Australian and Indian teams in the 1980s, cautioned. 

�Once the induction of the youngsters starts taking place there were be a larger pool of cricketers and there will be more flexibility in selecting different outfits for different formats. We can also have T20 specialists or Test specialists as some other countries do have at the moment,� he pointed out. 

�In modern cricket, professional approach holds the key. The coaches need to be on their toes all the time. Gone are the days of the laidback thinkers or doers. Now we need proactive personnel to do the business. Cricket is played differently now but Pakistan has the talent to compete. It�s just a matter of better management in order to extract the best of the boys,� he concluded.

Saad-ul-Haq: Shane Warne in the making?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As they say one should aim high. Saad-ul-Haq is only 11 years old and imagining him to become a leg-spinning wizard in future may look too ambitious at this stage but you never know.

This Florida-born lad has cricket in blood. His father, Naeem-ul-Haq, played first-class cricket in Pakistan. His uncle, Anwar-ul-Haq, who was a prolific opening batsman, came very close to representing Pakistan at the international level. 

Not surprisingly Saad has had the passion for cricket since childhood even though he has been brought up in the United States of America (USA) where the sport doesn�t enjoy the kind of popularity it has in Pakistan. 

Saad, a natural leg-spinner, who turns the ball quite a bit, seems to be having a burning desire to succeed in cricket.

In order to fulfill his dream into reality he is a regular visitor to the Florida Cricket Academy over the weekends when the enthusiastic learners are provided the much-needed lessons by qualified coaches.

He was barely four years old when Shane Warne, the legendary Australian leg-spinner, had decided to his hang boots but he heard and read so many stories about the champion which fascinated him endlessly. 

Well Warnie was quite a character and we many never witness another version of Shane Warne ever but there�s always an incentive to model yourself on his lines because even if you achieve even a few of his traits you could still be making big. 

Naeem-ul-Haq, who is a qualified coach, believes that his son has the potential to grow and he can blossom into a real good spin bowler in future. 

With the Florida Cricket Academy planning a tour of Pakistan early next year, it would be interesting to see if Saad also accompanies the squad.