Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif asks Mickey Arthur not to speak often with the media

Even when the national team is not in action, there is no shortage of drama when it comes to Pakistan cricket. It is now the turn of former wicket-keeper batsman Rashid Latif to add fuel to the fire.

Pakistan Tribune reported the 47-year-old from Karachi asking the newly appointed coach Mickey Arthur to reduce his interactions with the media. He also warned the South African of the consequences if expectations are not fulfilled.

Latif asserted, “Too many statements from the new coach and he is speaking on every issue related to Pakistan cricket. He is an experienced international coach but he should slow down a bit with his statements and first come and see first-hand the challenges he faces with the Pakistan team.“

The right-hander who had also briefly captained Pakistan added, “There are lot of hopes from Arthur but he should not raise everyone’s expectations. He might not know this but Pakistani cricket fans and authorities can be very unforgiving if he can’t turn things around.”

Arthur was appointed Head Coach of the Pakistan team earlier this month. After arriving in the country, he has been regularly interacting with the press about his future plans and the issues in the system.

The Johannesburg-born veteran had blamed Pakistan’s limited-overs woes on lack of IPL experience. Mickey had also promised to be tough on disciplinary problems and remove selfish cricketers from the team.

Cricketer-turned-commentator Rameez Raja expressed his desire to see Arthur living up to his pledge. Rameez reckoned, “The key would be to get rid of selfish players and encourage those who were courageous enough to play for the team not themselves.”

He backed the hard task-master to draw upon his experiences of coaching Australia and South Africa in dealing with the Pakistan squad. Rameez opined, “He is a solid experienced coach who has worked with two top teams and top players but he will really have to be innovative and firm to pick up the performances of the Pakistan team.”

Pakistan face a challenging schedule with tours to England, New Zealand and Australia in the upcoming season. They have a chance to get acclimatized to English conditions with a couple of practice matches before the 4-Test series starts on July 14.