JEDDAH, 23 October 2003 — Pakistan cricket team is back on the winning track with the addition of new faces to the team. The young breed of Pakistan cricket has the potential to take the country to the next World Cup, former Pakistan cricket team captain and veteran wicketkeepr Rashid Latif said.
In an interview to Arab News, Latif, who is here to perform Umrah, said he had not yet decided to quit international cricket but his chances of return to the team are remote.
“I will continue to play cricket at the national level,” he said.
Answering a question, Latif said: “After 2003 Cricket World Cup I was assigned the responsibility of team captainship and I put in my best efforts.
“But a captain should be appointed for a long period. A captain for a short time cannot take long-term decisions. Unfortunately there’s a tendency of appointing captains for short terms, which causes team’s decline.”
Changing a captain after every series is detrimental to the team. Now the practice is that selectors announce teams without consulting the captain. I think since a captain is held responsible for every defeat, he should be given a chance to choose his team.
Referring to his catch during a Test match against Bangladesh that stirred a lot of controversy, Latif said: “I accept my mistake but I must say I was handed down a very harsh punishment, which is unjust.”
Regarding existence of groups in Pakistan team, Latif said it was incorrect.
“People give too much publicity to petty issues. Instead of putting out the fire, they pour oil on it.”
He said he gave up captaincy because of too much pressure and fatigue. But I enjoyed it a lot.
Commenting on the performance of the new cricketers, he said: “They are very talented. But their talents need to be upgraded. They should be groomed in a way that their talents are properly utilized.”
Pakistan and India must play cricket at every level, but on their own soils, Latif said. In fact, if they start playing cricket their differences will be narrowed down and the standard of cricket in Asia will be upgraded.
There is no security problem in Pakistan. The recent visit of the South African team testifies to the fact that there is no security problem in the country, Latif said.
Commenting on the steps taken by ICC and other cricket organizations against match-fixing, Latif said: “I won’t say anything now. I have all records and when the time comes I will say everything.”
Latif has remained a crusader against match-fixing. He had resigned to protest match-fixing during Pakistan’s tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1994-95. But his action left him alone in the fight against match-fixing.
