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Akhtar is confident Moody will provide the spark Pakistan so desperately need
Former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has called on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to replace head coach Dav Whatmore with Australia’s Tom Moody.
Akhtar’s comments come after Pakistan had a tumultuous time at the Champions Trophy, where they lost all three of their matches.
Having worked alongside Moody in the past, Akhtar confidently stated that the Australian had all the right credentials to rejuvenate Pakistan cricket.
“Our problem is we are just not producing or grooming enough quality players,” Akhtar said. “We need to learn to respect our senior players and use their experience accordingly.
“In other countries the boards try to utilise the services of top players to build up new players but in Pakistan cricket it is vice versa. Dropping Younis Khan or Shahid Afridi for the Champions Trophy was a big mistake.
“We need someone like Tom Moody to build a new team. I know how he works and I can say for certain he is the one who can not only create a winning culture in the dressing room and groom players but also act as a father figure to them. That is how players are developed and made into world class performers under pressure.”
Akhtar also noted that it was high time the PCB changed their coaching staff as the national team’s record over the past year has been dismal at best.
“The results speak for themselves and it is time to think about changes and bring in new ideas and a will to change the dressing room culture,” he said. “You need to have senior players like Younis in the dressing room to serve as inspirations for younger players.”
The former pace bowler had volunteered to work as a bowling coach, but the PCB rejected his offer, stating that he was not a qualified coach.
“Coaching is good at the grass root level,” Akhtar said. “But when you play international cricket you need to have the quality and ability to adjust to different conditions and circumstances yourself. No coach can teach you how to react in pressure situations or in big matches.