Former Pakistan spinner Abdul Qadir launches scathing attack on Mickey Arthur and PCB

Abdul Qadir has always been an entertaining character – be it on the field or amongst media personnel. Not the one to mince any words, the former leg-spinner slammed Pakistan Cricket Board for the non-participation of recently appointed Head Coach Mickey Arthur in the military boot camp for preparing the national players.

Speaking to PTI, the 60-year old also termed the training camp as useless and wondered how it would improve Pakistan’s performance in the upcoming England tour. The veteran pointed out that organizing practice matches could have been more purposeful in determining the quality of the cricketers.

Qadir claimed, “What is the purpose of this boot camp? It has been organized to improve fitness of the players but to me the most important area in which our players need to work on and improve for the England tour is in the batting or skills department,“

He added, “It would have been a far more sensible to prepare four to five seaming pitches in Lahore or any other venue and have the probables for the tour play proper four-day matches among themselves.”

The firebrand cricket felt, “If the board had organized matches in Lahore, the selectors could have got a better idea of which players make the team for the tough tour and also to judge their fitness in match environment.”

Further targeting Mickey Arthur for not overseeing the camp, Qadir questioned, “Only our board can agree to such contracts. I don't know when Arthur will be able to take charge. May be just few days before the team leaves for England.”

The Chief Selector of Pakistan’s 2009 World T20 winning squad asserted, “What can one expect him to deliver? It was necessary for him to attend the camp to assess each and every player's abilities and skills. I don't know what was the purpose of having this boot camp and so much focus on fitness. Priorities need to be sorted out.”

Not happy with PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan declaration that lack of education was responsible for Pakistan’s slump in performance, Qadir noted, “If this was the case then I must ask Shaharyar sahib what he has to say about performers like myself, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Inzamam, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq to name a few.”

Pakistan’s trip to England comprises of 4 Tests, 5 ODIs and a T20I for which a couple of practice matches are scheduled to serve as preparation.