Wasim Bari

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain and chief selector Wasim Bari (also one of the great wicketkeepers) spoke to The Telegraph at his Clifton residence on Saturday.

The following are excerpts

Usually, in these parts, officials get removed. However, you quit as chief selector after the debacle in the 2007 World Cup...

That’s because I thought the responsibility was collective and I had to take my share of it... I got respected for doing so.

Your resignation paved the way for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to introduce the system of paid selectors. Is it working?

(Grins) That’s for the PCB and the other stakeholders to answer... I don’t have a problem with the selectors being paid... There’s a commercial culture across the world and, I guess, you’ve got to move with the times. (After a pause) I’d been the chief selector twice before too, in the late 1990s and in the early 2000s. A change in the PCB saw me being removed after the 1999 World Cup. Then, I myself quit after the 2003 edition, when I had a difference of opinion with the then PCB chief.

Pakistan’s failure to make the Asia Cup final has come in for heavy criticism. What’s the way forward?

Cricket needs to be reorganised at the grassroots level... At the level of schools and, then, clubs... We’ve won two U-19 World Cups, which shows that the talent is there. Yet, very few are making an impact at the next level... They’re getting lost, so to say, once they’re out of the colts squad... Two-three decades ago, there were at least 30-35 clubs playing a good standard of cricket in Karachi but, today, you may not find more than a handful... This, clearly, has to change... I grew up watching the Hanif Mohammeds at club nets and club matches... Back then, the standard of club cricket was better than the first-class standard of the present times. Also, nowadays, fewer cricketers are playing in Counties. In the Seventies, there would at least be a dozen or so and the experience gained in England was invaluable.

Is there a problem with policies or implementation?

The PCB can lay down what it likes, but it’s the associations which have to implement... The associations need to think like a company, be much more active.

Has Pakistan’s failure to make the final surprised you?

No... India and Sri Lanka are better teams... Look at the way the Indians bat and the way the Lankans take singles and field... Right now, we just aren’t that good.

Should Shoaib Malik be sacked as captain?

I’d give him one more chance, but I’ll say Malik should learn from (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni... Dhoni is improving in all respects with every match... Honestly, he amazes me... Dhoni’s an aggressive captain, has improved his ’keeping and bats so responsibly... Malik doesn’t put enough pressure on the opposition... He needs to think out-of-the-box... At times, he has got to be different... With bowling changes, field placements... It’s a cliche, but a captain does need to lead from the front.

Who after Malik? Younis Khan or Misbah-ul Haq?

Younis has the qualities of a natural leader, but he’s not interested... Misbah is an option, yes. He’s already the vice-captain.

Many believe that the PCB erred by appointing Geoff Lawson as coach...

If I had to choose between Lawson and Dav Whatmore (the other top contender), I would’ve gone for Whatmore, who has worked in the subcontinent. Been successful too... I have no reservations about foreigners... Having said that, as with other positions, the best man should get the job.

How did you find Bob Woolmer?

He was good, a nice person to work with... Very knowledgeable... However, he should have been more assertive instead of allowing the then captain (Inzamam-ul Haq) to call the shots.

Do you envy the Indians?

I marvel at their bench-strength... The seniors aren’t around in the ODIs, but they’re still winning.

As a ’keeper, does Dhoni have to improve?

The process of learning and improving never stops... Dhoni’s got much better, but could improve his diving... Today, he gathers cleanly and doesn’t snatch at the ball. Kumar Sangakkara and Dhoni are the best around.

Ian Healy feels that ’keepers shouldn’t be burdened with the captaincy. Do you agree?

(Grins) I do, yes... A wicketkeeper already has too much on his plate, but I see Dhoni as an exception... A ’keeper, don’t forget, is also the team’s motivator... Dhoni, obviously, fills that role well.

You worked with Inzamam, one of Pakistan’s strongest captains, for quite some time. Did he try to ride roughshod over the selection committee?

Actually, we worked well together as he respected me and I respected him... But, at times, he could get very difficult. I’d informally sound him out a day before selection committee meetings, knowing that he’d consult his kitchen-cabinet... I formally asked for his views the next day... (After a pause) I’d been a selector when we won the 1992 World Cup under Imran (Khan), another very strong captain... Indeed, the personality of a captain makes a difference.

Did you have problems with the enfant terrible of Pakistan cricket, Shoaib Akhtar?

He’s a difficult customer, but I wouldn’t say I had a problem... I’d be honest with him and had taken the big decision of leaving him out for the 2004-05 tour of India. He wasn’t fit.

Why are the selectors now having the final say in the XI for matches at home?

Because there were occasions when the composition of the XI was debatable... My view, of course, is that the captain must have a big say in the team he leads. After all, the captain is the commander-in-chief.

Finally, who’ll win this Asia Cup?

There’s little to choose between India and Lanka... I guess the team which takes wickets more regularly, the one which doesn’t allow partnerships to grow...