Javed Miandad feels no Pakistan batsman capable enough to represent SENA countries or India; slams Ahmed Shahzad

Former Pakistan captain and coach, Javed Miandad hit out at his country's batsmen for failing to make a mark on international cricket through their performances. Talking about the state of Pakistan cricket on his YouTube channel, Miandad questioned the skills-set of the nation's batsmen, commenting that none would qualify to bat for teams like Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and India.

Miandad, who scored 8832 runs in 124 Tests and 7381 runs in 233 ODIs for Pakistan, was quite vocal about his criticism of the current crop of Pakistan batsmen while comparing it with well-established world figures of the cricketing community.

“I want to ask them is there anyone from Pakistan who can replace players in teams like Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and India?... None of our batsmen can play in these teams. We have bowlers but none in the batting line-up."

According to Miandad, the Pakistan Cricket Board's job was to make sure that no player took the national team spot for granted and demanded more professionalism and consistency. Miandad suggested that instead of selecting players on their past performances, the Board should concentrate on players who were in-form and were scoring heavily consistently.

“This world runs on a daily basis and wages. Score runs today, take the money and go. Score runs tomorrow then we will again pay you money. You are a professional, if you don’t work or score runs then why take money? This is the job of the Pakistan Cricket Board. They need to ensure that nobody takes the cricket team for granted."

Javed Miandad versus England in 1992

Also see – CSK squad

Comparing the selection criteria between the Pakistan team and other powerhouses of world cricket, Miandad pointed out the shortcomings prevalent in the national selection policies. He gave an example of how players were forgotten despite scoring 500 runs in a series in countries like England and Australia, as they emphasized more on consistency than reputation. He also praised the Indian batsmen for stepping up when their team needed the most and scored runs consistently throughout the season.

“Countries like England and Australia pick squads on a series to series to basis. They forget even if you have scored 500 runs in the previous series. Pakistan is the only team where you get 10 innings after scoring hundred. People keep failing but there is no concern, which is why the team has so many problems."

“Take India for example. They score 70, 80, 100 and 200 that’s called performance but none from our team can play in top-class sides of the world.”

Miandad slammed Ahmed Shahzad's comments of wanting to play for 12 more years, suggesting him to perform with the bat on a consistent basis rather just depending on good fitness to increase the number of playing years.

Ahmed Shahzad's comments:

"Bearing in mind my fitness and skills, I think I can represent Pakistan for another 12 years and that is not an exaggeration,” Shahzad had told Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview."

Miandad replied:

“Why 12 years? You can play for 20 years I guarantee you that but you need to perform. If you perform daily nobody will drop you from the side. Players get dropped when they don’t perform or succumb to pressure.”