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Pakistan’s former Test captain and fast bowling icon Imran Khan on Wednesday criticised national cricket team’s coach Bob Woolmer for his failure in making strategies before the Inzamam-ul-Haq-led squad left for the important tour of England.

Talking to media here at the Peshawar Press Club, Imran termed Woolmer a total failure in making any strategy and planning which resulted in team’s poor show against the England side in the Test series.

“No homework was done as to how to confront England because unfortunately, Pakistan openers’ problem has been far from being resolved,” Imran maintained, adding that all of them (openers) tested so far have failed in showing positive results whether they were regular openers or the makeshift ones.

Imran stated a coach has to prepare a strategy for the team before such tours, adding that there was much room for Pakistan team to improve.

There were more things to be planned because facing England on their own soil with no homework done is an awful approach, he insisted.

The 88-Test veteran also described young Yasir Hamid as a potential opener for Pakistan but added all current openers — including Salman Butt, Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar — are habitual in chasing ball outside the off-stump.

“All of them should have been taught how to face such deliveries before the England tour and I must say it was the job to be done by the coach,” Imran said, referring to Woolmer.

Still, Imran opined that Yasir, a talented right-handed opener, has great potential provided he is given consistent chances. Imran also expressed his satisfaction over the inclusion of Yasir Hamid in the 30-member provisional squad the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named recently for the ICC Championships Trophy

The credit of Pakistan team’s resistance against England bowlers goes to the middle-order batsmen, he said, highlighting that Younis Khan has come up with great energy and the role of Mohammad Yousuf was also vital as technically both of them are among world’s top batsmen.

While terming the England’s victory unpredictable, Imran emphasised if openers of a team failed time and again it increases the worries of the team’s middle-order batsmen because they have to take the burden along with the responsibility of their own batting, saying, “I think the batsmen, in that sort of pressure, rarely succeed and mostly they fail to cope with such situations.”

Source:The News