Alam calls for change in Ranji format

Intikhab Alam hinted on Saturday that he would continue as coach of the Punjab cricket team for the next season, after Punjab suffered a 36-run defeat by Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-finals of the Ranji one-day tournament in Mumbai.

The former Pakistan captain's contract with the Punjab Cricket Association, which is due to end next month, is likely to be extended by a year.

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The Punjab players hailed the effort of the 65-year-old in taking them to the Ranji final for the first time in ten years.

"He has been great with the guys. He knows how to tackle different players differently and gets the best out of them," Yuvraj Singh had said after the semi-final.

They are optimistic of Alam being retained for the next season.

"He will mostly stay on. Alam's done a great job with this team. The amount of knowledge and cricket experience he brings to the team is phenomenal," said left-arm seamer Amit Uniyal.

Alam was satisfied with the performance of his side in the Ranji Trophy but said the sudden non-availability of three experienced players for the final affected the team's morale.

"It's not easy when three key players from your side are not playing. Of course, if your team is doing well there's always the risk of losing your players to the national side and that's where you need to improve your bench strength. But the youngsters are not confident enough to take on the big teams."

Alam was critical of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's domestic schedule as the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy are clashing with the India-Pakistan series.

Dinesh Mongia, who led Punjab to the Ranji final, was given a call from the national team only a day before the final at Mohali.

"Mongia was never going to make it into the playing eleven. I think the BCCI should sit down and chalk out the programme so that the Indian players don't miss out on playing important matches for the state.

"Also there was a huge gap between the league and the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy. It is difficult for teams to regroup after such a long break."

The final rounds ended on January 3, while the semi-finals were played more than two months later, on March 18.

Though Alam believes that the general structure of India's domestic cricket is good, he is in favour of doing away with the first-innings lead and making all Ranji games five-day fixtures.

"The first-innings lead makes no sense at all. That means the teams are not playing for a win. The batsmen are also not being tested. They need to scrap it to make the league more competitive.

"Also, all Ranji Trophy games should be played over five days. This will help the spinners come into the game on the last two days. It will help the batsmen to pace their innings and also help the captains to tune their game plans to sporting declarations."

Alam was impressed with the young talent in the country but said fitness and fielding are the two areas of concern.

"The fielding has been okay. Fitness needs a lot of improvement. That's again where five-day cricket will help," he concluded.