'Young Pak should be ready'

I have often wondered if Pakistan has enough batsmen who can bat whole day long, writes Javed Miandad.

I have often wondered if Pakistan has enough batsmen who can bat whole day long and a regular score of 500 is possible. Or bowlers who would not spoil two good balls with two full-tosses and long-hops.

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Is there enough quality at the top? Is there an all-rounder who is willing to make number seven all his own? What about the balance in bowling? There are questions, far too many questions.

Sadly, in search for these answers, we are barking up the wrong tree. Too often we quote that the team is young and inexperienced. It drives me mad.

Test cricket is not a classroom where you get admission to learn. Learning must end at domestic level. Once you are representing your country, you are believed to be ready. You are deemed good enough to pull your weight.

And by the way, who are the youngsters we are talking about? Yasser Hameed has been around for two years. So is Taufeeq Umar. Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi are not greenhorns. And Mohammad Sami? Or Arshad Khan? What about Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt? But for Mohammad Khalil everyone has been around for at least two good years.

Under the new regime of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer, five or six series have been played. I am not sure if there has emerged a single pattern which could indicate the team has pursued a line of action passionately. Either individuals have not been assigned their roles, or they have not fulfilled it. Most of the time you do not see individuals buckling themselves down towards the team goal.

Whenever a team fails, a captain is hauled over the coals. But a captain is as good as his team. He is run by his players.

During my time, West Indies had players who had talent and understanding of their roles. Clive Lloyd earned a reputation because of them.