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The Rediff Cricket Interview / Wasim Akram

'Suddenly, if you have five changes in the cricket board, you can't expect your team to do well'

It was an off day for the teams in the just-concluded Sharjah tri-series, featuring India, Pakistan and South Africa. So all the players spent the day either shopping or attending to some chores. But not Wasim Akram. He was busy running on the lawns of the hotel, chasing his son, Taimur, as wife Huma watched in glee.

After playing cricket for almost 15 years on the trot, and relinquishing captaincy for good, Akram has finally found time for his family. Indeed, he looks relaxed and is enjoying himself more than ever. No more does he have to decide as he runs in to bowl, who the next bowler will be or whether his third man is standing fine enough. He's a satisfied man. His wife says: "Wasim wants to enjoy his cricket now that he has achieved so much as a cricketer."

Faisal Shariff caught up with the Pakistani ace by the hotel poolside. After injecting himself with a dose of insulin for his diabetes, Wasim spoke about his experiences as captain and his reasons for stepping down. He also dwelled upon the Qayyum Commission report into match-fixing, and claimed that his name does not figure in the list of cricketers found guilty.

Walsh has broken Kapil Dev's record. One is happy, the other a touch sad, you are in between. What are the feelings going through your mind? You are the person who is closest to breaking that record also?

The feeling is... I am happy for Courtney Walsh. To achieve such a feat is always very special for any sportsman. And doing a World record at the age of 37, I think, all the credit goes to him. He's been the best bowler in Test cricket and one-day cricket for West Indies. And he is a great human being as well. I am very happy. I mean the emotion I was going though. It gave me a bit more motivation -- when I saw him getting the 435th wicket -- that hopefully, inshallah, I can reach that milestone at some stage.

What do you think of Walsh as a bowler? I mean you must have seen him bowl; you've played with him.

The guy has got 435 wickets. So he is definitely, like I have said, one of the best bowlers cricket has seen in last 20-odd years or more. I mean he is consistently good and that's the beauty about him; and he is a great human being. He is a very nice guy and everybody likes him. He is a very likeable character. So, for all the hard work he has done, I think in the end he has done extremely well for himself and his country, because of the patch the West Indies are going through -- I mean they won the series 2-0 -- that is very important for their cricket at the moment.

What exactly are your feelings now that you have given up your captaincy and playing as a player in the side? How is it for you?

I am very relaxed. I can spend time with my family. I just wanted to concentrate on cricket. I think Moin is the right choice at the moment; he is doing quite a good job. That's what I wanted to do before I left. That I should have some guy who can handle the team very well; and I think Moin is the right person.

But tell me, how does it feel to be captain for so many years, and then suddenly, you are playing as a player and there are so many things that you notice on the field? How easy or how difficult is it for you?

It's quite easy. I mean Moin is such a captain, he listens to me and listens to the senior players. That is very important -- to listen to the senior players at times or maybe all the time. I know Moin is getting used to the captain's experience and I have been there and done it before. So he gives me all the attention I want on the field. I think Moin is a clever guy; he will do well for Pakistan.

Why did you want to step down from captaincy?

I just wanted to spend time with my family, just wanted to relax, just wanted to enjoy my cricket; just wanted to enjoy my Test cricket and one-day cricket. I didn't want to take any more pressure of losing or winning. So I just wanted to play as a team member and enjoy cricket.

If you wanted to put your finger on one thing that went wrong in Australia, what would it be?

Nothing went wrong. We qualified for the finals of the triangular, we lost series 3-0 and everybody else and India lost 3-0; New Zealand lost 3-0. So it means nothing to do with the cricketing thing. I just thought I had enough.

You spoke a lot about the home advantage and said Pakistan, as well India, should have sporting wickets. Isn't that giving away the initiative? Australia and South Africa don't do us any favours by preparing turning tracks back home, why should the subcontinent countries do that?

I think we should do that for the sake of improving our cricket; that's all. Nothing to do with giving away the advantage to the opposition. Sporting wickets means to generate fast bowlers. India lacks fast bowlers; we don't. And they have to have sporting wickets to get the fast bowlers going.

But Pakistan still has so many fast bowlers. Where do you see is the real problem with Pakistan cricket?

I think we are going through a lean patch like everybody else is going through. India is going through a lean patch, New Zealand has been there and West Indies is. But, hopefully, our lean patch will get over soon because we have very talented young players, and at the moment the present board chief, General Zia, is quite a positive guy. So everybody is quite relaxed and eventually we will get on track.

But what do you think is the problem? There is always some controversy within the Pakistani camp, what do you attribute that to? Is it the just the media that's blowing up issues or is there something wrong with Pakistan cricket?

It's more the media, definitely. I think it's 80 per cent the media and 20 per cent the players. But I think mostly the players stick together; they want to win. And suddenly, if you have five changes in the cricket board -- the chairman goes and you have four chairmen, you can't expect your team to do well. If the chairman goes the whole management goes. Hopefully, this board will stay bit longer.

And while you were captain there were almost four or five coaches. How much of an effect did it have on you?

A lot of effect. We didn't know what to do, where to look; we didn't know whom to follow. So everything was all over the place. Nobody knew what to do. Now we have settled a bit with this coach and this board. Hopefully, this will carry on for a year or two.

I have read your autobiography, and in that you have mentioned a lot about the love-hate relationship you shared with Javed Miandad. What kind of relationship do you share with him now, and how has the whole experience been? You started off under him, he was responsible for getting you in the team and he guided you initially?

The best thing about Miandad is that he is a hardworking guy. He works hard, whatever it is; even when he was playing. And now that he is coach, he really works hard. He is the sort of a character who at times gets along fine while sometimes does something out of the normal. But at the moment, I think, he's learnt at lot; I have learnt a lot and we just want Pakistan to win. And that's why we are sticking together. He is working hard with me as far as my bowling is concerned, my batting is concerned, and he is giving extra time to every player. I think that's the plus. We have a coach who is working hard with us.

Where does the abundance of fast bowlers come from in Pakistan? What is the reason? Everything is the same in India and Pakistan, but why is Pakistan producing?

I think it is because they have role models like Imran Khan, myself and Waqar Younis. And now Shoaib Akhtar is getting bigger. So we have quite a lot of fast bowlers coming. I think it has just got to do with the role models. Imran is the one who has started it; then we picked up from him and everybody wants to be a fast bowler. More limelight, maybe that's the reason. We have in the last 3-4 years more sporting wickets in our first class infrastructure. Green wickets. That is why everybody wants to be a fast bowler instead of being a spinner or a batsman.

Do you think the domestic structure needs to be changed in Pakistan?

Yes, both in India and Pakistan. Whenever you see Indian first class cricket on television, you see only a white wicket in a four-day game. And you have after five overs your spinners bowling from both ends on all four days. So how can you improve your cricket or your fast bowlers?

Why are there so many controversies surrounding Pakistan cricket? Like ball tampering. Now it's the chucking controversy and match-fixing...

I think that as far as the Pakistan team is concerned they are a good bunch of guys. There were some guys who weren't team people; they are not in the team any more. I mean we just get dragged into controversies, that's all. Shoaib, as you can find, is now playing one-day and Test cricket. It's just that the Australians started it; we don't want to get into controversies. I think we just get dragged into it eventually.

Watch out for the second part tomorrow

Interviews