Job required

[Zainub]

Aamer Sohail is out of his mind yet again (read this story). Can some one please give him a decent job (not commentary please). Seems to me that every time he is bored he comes out and says something completely illogical and daft to get some cheap coverage in the press. If he has a job on his hand, may be that will leep him busy, and consequentially spare the public of his nonsense. I will greatly appreciate any help. So will many others. Also, can I please request journalists to not venture up to him to ask him what he thinks, we're not interested. Not at all.

[acker]

I'm a little bit confused Zainub, not about the post but with the reluctence to play "Shaoib Akhtar" who I consider is improving with age.

Maybe your ex - great has something in his thinking.

I dont think much of ex pommie has been coaches , Bob Woolmer was never much of a player ; how can you expect him to be much of a coach ?

[Zainub]

No body ever said we were "reluctant" to play Shoaib, what Bob said was that he was no longer "an integral part" of the side, which he isn't. He also said that to get back his place in the side he will have to work hard. Which is not wrong either. In fact, even Shoaib has admitted (to the local press) that he will work hard. In my local urdu paper today he states "I'll bowl as well as I can in the Twenty 20 Cup (starts today in Pakistan) and make it impossible for the selectors to not pick me". I think that clearly reflects that he understands he can no longer take his selection for granted, which I don't think has always been the case in the past. I don't think any body doubts that Shoaib when on song is a very good bowler, and Pakistan want to use him too, but only when he's fully committed. There have been questions marks over that bit throughout his career.

Now on that bit about Bob Woolmer. For your kind information, Bob Woolmer is widely thought of as being one of the best coaches around, he's (successfully) coached Durban University, Stellenbosch University, Avendale, Boland, Kent, Warwickshire, South Africa and for two and a half years also joined the ICC as the High Performance manager looking after Namibia, Kenya, Canada, Holland, United Arab Emirates and Scotland. That's quite a resume if you ask me. He's also coached other sports such as hockey, soccer, table tennis and basketball; albeit at a much lower level. At his website he tells "However, this experience (i.e. coaching other sports) introduced me to the science of sport and into contact with Professor Tim Noakes and Professor Bruce Elliot from whom I have learnt an immense amount about Bio Mechanics and Physiology as well as much more."

And that bit about him not having been much of a player, I actually believe that explayers with not so successful careers often make better coaches then ones with very successful careers. The likes of Buchanan, Dyson, Whatmore and Woolmer all have had limited success as players, especially comapared to the likes of Miandad and Kapil Dev, but the former are all better coaches. More than anything what Bob Woolmer brings to Pakistan cricket is professionalism, which sadly previous coaches have not managed to do. Also, Aamer Soahail is not an ex "great", he's just an ex "player" , a pretty good one but still not "great".

[Zainub]

I don't beleive you necessarily have to be a great player to be a great coach. Simple as that.

[Teatime FatCat]

I'm with Zainub here I'm afraid Acker. He's a great coach and many countries would be crying out for his expertise. Am I right in thinking that Buchanan, Cooley, Dyson, Whatmore and Rixon were all extremely average Aussie players who have gone on to be highly respected coaches?

Maybe it was the reference to 'ex-pommie has been coaches' that I take issue with - are there a lot of ex pommie has been coaches out there, messing up world cricket and getting your gander up Acker?

By the way, have you ben onto the Hampshire CCC website and looked at their bowling coach? It's Bruce Reid - and he's well fat!!!! HOwever, I'll bet Hants are glad they've got him, and hope that he'll do a bit of a 'Cooley'.

[Shaka]

Most people involved with Pakistani cricket over the last few years know very well about Shoaib's lack of fitness at international level. Woolmer is absolutely right when he claims that Shoaib isn't an integral part of the Pakistan line up. Once he gets himself in shape to last an entire series and commits fully to the team ethic I'm sure he will be very integral. To his credit he has been trying very hard to prove his fitness recently and if that's a result of not being able to take his place in the side for granted, Woolmer is spot on.

Aamir Sohail makes a good commentator as he doesn't pull any punches, but frankly the guy is a bit of a nut. It's priceless that he of all people should be complaining about Woolmer's language. Sohail must be one of the rudest, obnoxious ex-cricketers to have ever held a mic. I doubt anyone will take this too seriously.

[Zainub]

I don't like Aamer as a commentator either. He's another certified loser from the Bob Willis Academy of Negative Thinking.

[Teatime FatCat]

LOL - I think I'll gather my thoughts before answering this - but if I understand correctly, one poor performance, 20 odd years ago have made all pommies associated with this game poor coaches?

[Zainub]

i don't think Bob Woolmer regrets the decesions he made with refrence to his playing career.

[Maranello]

Acker your recent obsession with the Centenary Test is somewhat mystifying. However, take it from me that this Test, and performances in it, are not the most pressing issue at the fore-front of every cricket player, coach, pundit and follower in 2005. Not in England, certainly not in Pakistan, and I doubt if that is the case in Australia either.

Now that we have moved aside this annoying red herring, let's talk about the real issues. What exactly is the issue here? Shoaib Akhtar has been told he is not an integral part of the team. So, what is wrong with that? He has probably played less than half the matches we have been involved in the past few years, due to being perenially injured, or rushing off in a huff, handbag n all. Hence, this is a statement of fact - he has not been an integral part of the team in the past, and is not in the team currently. To get back in, he needs to perform better than one of the guys currently in there, ie bowl better, take more wickets and be more of a team player. It is as simple as that. His fitness is so bad that he has never completed a Test series in living memory; how can he be integral? He has been, and remains, peripheral in the actual number of matches he has influenced.

Sure, Aamir Sohail got confused by it all, but then he is not the brightest tool in the box; few others would be so befuddled.