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Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad does not believe any pep talk at this point in time would benefit the national team ahead of next month’s World Cup in the West Indies.

“It is too late to give any kind of tips because I don’t think there is time for the players to work on any new strategy or technique,” Miandad told ‘The News’ in an interview on Tuesday.

Miandad, one of the architects of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup triumph, is among a list of former Pakistan great invited by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf to give tips to the World Cup-bound players at a conditioning camp getting underway in Lahore on February 23. Former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Wasim Akram were also invited by the Board.

Miandad said that he doesn’t even know what the PCB wants from him. “The PCB chairman just invited me to come and give tips to the players without specifying as to whether any suggestions were needed in some targeted area of the game,” he said.

He said that there were also no assurances whether the players would be willing to listen to him and the other experts invited by the Board.

“I’ve played for a long, long time for Pakistan and command respect from the players. I wouldn’t like to just go out there and say things that nobody is willing to listen,” he expressed.

He also did not agree with the timing of the invitation. “This is not the time for any pep talks,” said Miandad. “The team has been decided and would be leaving for the West Indies in a few days. If the Board wanted our input it should have asked for it earlier,” he added.

Miandad, who has coached Pakistan in the past, was quick to add that if any player wanted his advise individually, he would be welcomed.

“I have always been available for the players and they all have my cell number. They just need to call me and I would try to give them all possible help,” he explained.

He said that the invitation to give tips to the players should have come from the team management and not the PCB. “It is the team coach or captain who should decide whether any pep talk or tips are needed from the outside,” he pointed out.

Miandad said that the performance of the national team has been down for quite some time adding that the Board should have tried to take steps to improve it well ahead of the World Cup.

However, the former star said he welcomed the initiative taken by the PCB chief.

Miandad said that he would still be backing Pakistan for World Cup glory. “I believe that a few days of rest would help the players,” he said. “And then you can’t just rule out Pakistan, they have always been unpredictable. We won the World Cup with a team that had bits and pieces players and failed to reach the second round of the 2003 event even with a very strong outfit,” he added.
Source:The News