Durban: South Africa’s legendary speed merchant, Allan Donald, has responded in a mixed manner to the Team India decision on Irfan Pathan.

“There are two ways to look at it... On the one hand, it’s a bold move... On the other, the message conveyed is that Pathan doesn’t fit into the present scheme of things... I’m not sure to what extent his confidence has been affected,” Donald said.

Speaking to The Telegraph on Tuesday afternoon, he continued: “Of course, it’s best to be bowling in competitive matches, but the state of mind is as important... I’ve never come across anything similar to the decision made yesterday.”

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, another great, concurred with Donald on the need for bowlers to regularly bowl instead of sitting idle for almost two weeks. He added: “I also feel India should have a bowling coach... Most teams have one and Waqar (Younis) has definitely made a difference in Pakistan.”

Akram refrained from making a detailed comment owing to the speculation, after the ODIs, that he would “work” with Pathan. “He did call me once, that’s it... Nobody asked that I spend some time with him at nets...”

Pathan, for the record, has idolised Akram.

Ex-West Indies quick Ian Bishop, meanwhile, felt the decision “may not be a bad idea.” He said: “If it has been handled well, with Pathan given some kind of an assurance, then I don’t have a problem... He’d been short on confidence and does need long spells... Also, you can’t get your confidence back in international cricket, rather you take to it with confidence...”

The last, clearly, hasn’t been heard on the Pathan affair.