Younis is an ideal foil to Inzy says Woolmer

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

CRICKET: All cricket coaches look at coaching in different environments and at different levels. It is that search for something different that saw Bob Woolmer take on one of the toughest jobs in the game when he took charge of the Pakistan cricket team.

Woolmer, 57, is regarded as one of the world's leading tutors having been in charge of South Africa from 1994-99 and also English county side Warwickshire.

The former England batsman has been in charge of the Pakistan team for 18 months and in that time he has not only made them a strong competitive unit but knitted them together so that they are playing as a cohesive side.

Woolmer brushed aside the notion that the Pakistan team is not united saying that it was 'an international perception'.

"Deep down they want that security of the team. Most cricketers understand that. There are a very few selfish cricketers who just think it's all about them. You need each other always on a cricket field.

"The players really want to learn so it wasn't that hard," said Woolmer.

What Woolmer has brought into the Pakistan side is discipline.

"We worked on team ethics building up team spirit, how to win matches at this level etc. All sides have the top best cricketers in their country in a team. You have to be one unit in order to win," said Woolmer.

"The team dynamics can change so easily. If you lose you get criticized.

"Things happen which can really knock the belief out of you. You have to maintain that belief, the work ethic, fitness levels and improve the fitness. What I am trying to do is bring those disciplines into the Pakistan arena."

Other areas Woolmer is concentrating on is discipline in the bowling and an aspect of fielding of getting players to dive for the ball.

In Woolmer's book a captain has to grow into the job and Inzamam-ul-Haq fits the bill perfectly.

"Inzy took over when I became coach. He is a very experienced cricketer.

"It doesn't matter who you are, you've got to grow into the captaincy. It is not something that you are brilliant from the word 'go'," said Woolmer. "Anyone in the world has to grow into his team to grow into the captaincy. Inzy's performed magnificently as a batsman. It's been the highlight of his captaincy.

The team adores him and loves him." "He's nurtured my vision and built that with the team. The team belongs to the captain and the country, not to the coach. The coach is just there to try and facilitate the needs of the team," he said.

Woolmer said that vice-captain Younis Khan is a wonderful foil for Inzamam.

"Here we have a captain who thinks about the game, who is undemonstrative, who is calm, cool, collected and almost laid back.

Then you have Younis Khan who is the complete opposite. You got the dynamic bouncy individual and the calmness of Inzamam," said Woolmer. Having coached the South Africans, Woolmer comparing the work ethics of South Africa and Asia said that under Hansie Cronje it was ridiculously high.

"The Asian culture is more of a natural flair for the game and the actual hard work is not generally their forte. There is a difference in the culture. The important thing is to really try and marry their culture with modern advanced technology," said Woolmer.

"To a certain extent the Asian countries have been reticent to come into the digital age. There is a move to modernise the cricket society in Pakistan and in Asia where the players are getting far more information, far more technology to become better cricketers," he said.

Woolmer described the Pakistan cricket public as 'fantastic' and said: "We had very good crowds coming to watch the game and that is always the sign that people are happy with what's going on." "What people passionate about the game fail to understand is that you have no right to win all the time.

You have to earn that right. You have to work hard all the time," said Woolmer. "We went off the boil against India in the one-day series. We lost important tosses and weren't able to force our way into winning situations. India was a good side and they were difficult to beat. But it was a good wake up call for the Pakistan team," continued Woolmer.

"The attitude since that defeat has been fantastic. They have been trying hard and worked very hard. Sometimes defeat can be a good thing.

"You win all the time you tend to get blase and over confident. You need to keep fighting and working. All the teams now are getting very much close together. The top eight certainly are pretty much able to beat each other at any time. It's becoming far more exciting in terms of world cricket," he said.

Criticism, Woolmer stated was part and parcel of the game.

"You've actually got to read it and accept it if it is worthwhile and if it is constructive. If it is destructive criticism you just crumple the paper up and throw it into the newspaper bin.

"If the team lets criticism affect them they won't be able to perform," said Woolmer.

"No one likes to be criticised. The important thing is to see that cricket is promoted correctly and the players give as much as they take on the field.

"You should publicise the game the right way and in the right spirit. The media is sometimes supposed to reflect the public opinion. I think the media dictates public opinion in many ways," he said.