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The Rediff Cricket Interview / Javed Miandad

"On the field we are like tigers..."

In a country whose cricket has been dominated by the aristocratic Khans, Javed Miandad was the antithesis.

The gritty street fighter, scrappy, boisterous, belligerent -- at times literally so, as witness his charging at Dennis Lillee with upraised bat -- and, above all, the ultimate team man.

There have been times in his career when he has been at outs with the establishment, or even with his captain of the moment -- but put Miandad on the cricket field and he rose above all other considerations, flying his flag high, and playing his heart out for his team.

His spectacular career came to a rather sad end, on March 9, 1996 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore when he struggled to turn time back in course of his farewell innings against India, in the quarterfinal of the World Cup.

And now he is back -- as coach of the national side. Perfect timing, believe pundits, because the virtues that made Miandad what he was, are precisely what seems lacking in Pakistan cricket today.

Faisal Shariff spoke to the coach-designate, now holidaying in London with his family, over the telephone. Excerpts from the exclusive:

You've played for Pakistan, led Pakistan, now you are coaching Pakistan. So how does it feel, how do you see yourself in that role?

Actually, it is too premature for me to make any statement on my appointment as coach of the Pakistan team. I am absolutely new to the job, and I need to get back to the game. Its been a real long time since I have been away, and it will definitely take some time for me to acquaint myself with the demands of the job, to find my feet.

But do you have the time? The Sahara Cup is less than a month away, and the expectations must be high for Pakistan to reclaim it after a dismal show last year...

Yes, the Sahara Cup is of great importance to us, just as much as any match against India is. There is a lot at stake -- pride, and the will to win against all odds. Even the boys, I am told are doing pretty well at the conditioning camp. I will be fully aware of the scenario once I get back to Pakistan in two or three days time. Like I said, I haven't been part of the game for a couple of years now, but I am looking forward to my return.

There seems to be so much infighting within the ranks just now -- how do you propose to solve that problem?

Well, for one thing there are no serious problems within the team -- and even if there are some problems, once we are on the field we Pakis are a cohesive lot who only focus on one thing, victory at all costs. Do you see anything else when a Pakistan side is on the field, any strange behaviour, distance between the players?

You say all's well, but Inzamam, Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan had all represented to the board that they would not like to play under Sohail. Given that, how can there be no problems, no personality clashes?

Look here, let me make a statement and please quote me on this one very clearly -- this is a rumour!

There are some elements who are trying to malign the names of players so as to cause rifts between them and create a cloud over the entire issue. But their games will not be allowed to continue, or to affect the team. I know Saeed and Inzy, together with Aamir they have played some great innings and they get along pretty well. The press has been maligning the Pak team for too long. Garam khoon bol kar ladvane ki koshish karte hai.

But you should know that despite whatever differences we may have, we are tigers on the field who give it our all. Remember the the World Cup of 1992, when we were written off completely and like cornered tigers, we came back. Inshallah we will repeat our performance again. And once we get our act right, I'll show you what a great side we are.

Another problem seems to be that Sohail does not see eye to eye with PCB CEO Majid Khan. Won't this be detrimental to the side, where the head of the cricket body is dead set against the captain of the side?

Sohail and Majid did have their differences and things did go from bad to worse, but I don't see this jeopardizing Pakistan cricket. Majid is in charge of his post and will abide by it, he will do his duty honestly, putting his personal differences in the back seat.

Aamir too has stated that he has no problem at all with Majid or anyone else, and that the past is to be forgotten. Since the board has decided that Sohail will be captain, well, so be it.

We also hear that you might actually take the field again, as a player...

See, this was a decision of the Pakistan board, and the selectors, who asked me to take the field as a player as and when the situation demands. And since the selectors were keen on this idea, I subscribed to it as well, and might wield the willow if the occasion calls for it.

Your last international outing was two years and five months ago, you are now 41, wouldn't you say that you are past the prime of fitness needed to play international cricket?

Can a player who has played for over two decades (Miandad has appeared in 233 ODIs and 124 Tests for Pakistan) forget how to drive the ball?

A player might get old, he might lose his agility, but he can still guide his team through with his experience. Right now, everyone might speculate on my ability but when the occasion arises, you will see those same people stand up and applaud. Waqt ane do sab pata chal jayega.

But would your reappearance signal that Pakistan, which not so long ago was famous for blooding youngsters, is suddenly facing a dearth of real talent?

No, Pakistan has never faced, and will never face, a dearth of talent in cricket. It is just that one never knows when a situation will arise that needs an experienced player to pull the team through. That's the time I will enter and rescue the youngsters.

You have 7381 ODI runs, 8832 Test runs, 31 centuries in both forms of the game -- is there still some lurking ambition left, something you would like to achieve, is that one reason you plan to take the field again?

What more could I want to achieve, that I have not already achieved? I have played more World Cups than any one else, in both forms of the game I have more runs than most others, I have been part of one winning World Cup squad... no, as far as my playing career is concerned, I do not have any unfulfilled dreams, no lurking ambition. But yes, I would like to see my team lift the World Cup again -- with me as its coach. We are an amazingly talented bunch of players -- its just a matter of time before we get our act right.

Why is Pakistan facing this injury problem, especially to youngsters? Is there something the management is not doing right, to preserve the young talent?

Well, this is not any fault of the management. The Pakistan squad has many new players, and in today's times of endless tours and one-day games, it is natural for the excess play to take its toll on the players, especially bowlers.

And it is not restricted to Pakistan, all other teams face injury problems, take the classic example of Australia, Shane Warne is out of action, the Australian board overplayed him and hence he is in danger of never bowling again.

Or take your Srinath for example, didn't he have injury problems? It's part of the game, no one is free from them, though sports medicine is very advanced. Only players who have played for many years are able to take care of themselves, because their bodies are better conditioned to take the stress.

But I will work on the fitness of the players, and the board has also taken the necessary steps to preserve the fitness of key players, considering the forthcoming tournaments.

Can you throw some light on the Wasim Akram situation?

Well, Wasim is fit and is currently playing for Lancashire. We will know in a couple of days whether or not he is available to play for the team in the Sahara Cup.

See, the board sends a letter to the players after they are selected, to confirm their participation in the squad. Now it is up to Akram to decide whether he will be available to play for the country or not.

But why should the question even arise, wouldn't national interest be greater than county commitments?

Of course, I agree with you, but then if all overseas players start doing this then what will the counties do? Even they have endorsements, and expenses to cover, they pay good money to the overseas professionals and would expect them to be available. It is actually upto the player to determine these things, and work out a way where he can fulfill his national duty.

Lastly, you had reportedly issued a fatwa saying you will be very harsh, unforgiving, on players found guilty of betting and match fixing. Could you elaborate?

I think the Pakistan board and the selectors have chalked out a very neat strategy to keep tabs on the players, and to take severe action if any one is found guilty of these things. So I needn't bother too much about those matters, I can concentrate on the cricket. And by the way, I have not issued any fatwa as such, this is merely a figment of some journalist's imagination.