New Delhi, April 04: Terming the humiliating treatment meted out to former captain Mohammad Yousuf as a sad affair, legendary pacer Wasim Akram has asserted that ”whether it was he or Javed Miandad or pacer Waqar Younis, Pakistan have never respected their former stars.”
”The decision made by Yousuf has saddened me. His retirement will definitely hurt Pakistan in Test cricket. You can’t replace a man with 24 Test centuries and 7000 runs. It’s a pity the way Pakistan have treated their best players,” Akram wrote in his column for espnstar.com.
”Just like Yousuf, Pakistan have not respected many former stars. Whether it was me, Javedbhai (Miandad) or Waqar Younis, one fine day we were made to vanish from the face of the earth! There are numerous other instances too.
”I am not sure if this is the way to treat players who have served you with excellence for over two decades. At least, they deserve a testimonial game, a warm send-off and a moment that will stay forever in their hearts. I am sure Pakistan’s cricket fans will love to give their heroes one final standing ovation. Yousuf deserved one,” he noted.
The Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling coach has wished Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza a happy married life.
The former Pakistan captain, however, feels that Malik’s controversial past involving an alleged first wife Ayesha Siddiqui will do him no good.
”Many congratulations to Shoaib Malik, although the juicy news about his previous relationship will do him no good. Whatever the facts are, I will like to wish Sania Mirza and Shoaib a good life together. Marriage is sacred,” he stated.
Former Pakistan captain Mailk is currently facing the threat of a legal action from Ayesha and her family, who claim that the cricketer married her over phone in 2002 and later dumped her due to her weight problems without taking a formal divorce.
Akram further added that Younis Khan, who is planning to challenge his suspension imposed by PCB after a disastrous Australia tour, have a very strong case if he will challenge the ban in court of law.
”I have said in my previous column that the PCB had no business to slap indefinite bans on cricketers. Hence Younis will have a very strong case whenever he seeks legal help. It will be interesting to see how the PCB reacts then. Governance has never been PCB’s strong point for various reasons,” he added.
Akram, who was the part of World Cup winning squad in 1992, belives that if Pakistan shun politics and play to their potential, then they should be able to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title.
”Even if I am busy with my IPL commitments for Kolkata Knight Riders, I have been reading with interest about Shahid Afridi getting ready for the ICC T20 World Cup. It is important for Afridi and Waqar to strike a chord in the West Indies. Afridi must learn from his mistakes and lead with sense and responsibility.
”Having been part of IPL, I now realise the margin for error in T20 cricket is very little. Afridi has to choose his best combination every time he goes out in the middle. If Pakistan can shun politics in team selection, we should be able to defend the world title. Class and capability have never been in short supply in Pakistan cricket,” he said.
——–Agencies