In his latest blog on PakPassion.net, renowned fast-bowling coach Ian Pont looks forward to the much awaited Pakistan Super League (PSL) and based upon his own experience of coaching in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), sheds light on some beneficial outcomes for the local players and Pakistan cricket.
The excitement is growing for the PSL as players and coaches increasingly commit to the newest franchised cricket extravaganza.
And for this, full credit to the PSL organising committee and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It’s never easy to run successful tournaments but the truth of how the world sees the event is judged on who wants to be a part of it. In recent weeks, more high profile players & coaches have gone onto the roster to make themselves available when the franchises finally sit down to decide their coaching staffs and squads.
The PSL will give local players a massive stage to showcase their talents. Players like Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and Imad Wasim will be really chomping at the bit to get going and prove themselves as they play alongside some of the world’s best talent.
From a personal viewpoint, I am particularly looking forward to the PSL, having worked with Pakistan players before very successfully in the BPL.
In year one during 2012, the Dhaka Gladiators squad featured no less than six Pakistani players in Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Rana Naved, Imran Nazir, Awais Zia and Azhar Mahmood. We lifted the title after taking a calculated gamble on threading through those talents with local and other overseas T20 specialists and it proved a winning formula.
It was particularly satisfying to work with Imran Nazir and help him turn around a poor start into becoming a game changing opening batsman in that competition – a fact he was gracious enough to acknowledge. Working alongside Rana and Azhar was a genuine pleasure. Their input and experience was invaluable and it proved that you need specialists who understand the game, rather than simply massive names, if you are going to create a successful game plan to be a champion.
It doesn’t require a coach to have favourites or a history with specific players. The nature of a franchise is that it is totally different to World Cups, where all the players are from one country. This is more about understanding how to bring together different cultures in a hot bed of quick action, where one mistake can change the game.
The role of a coach is about blending and developing local talent with overseas, proven match winners. But the key is how you get the best out of that. Runs and wickets you took as a player count for nothing when you are a coach and in the twenty over format, it is a highly specialised position requiring fast thinking and flexible creative plans.
That’s why I am proud to have won two out of two titles, back-to-back as a Head Coach in franchised Twenty20 tournaments.
During February in Dubai, we will hopefully witness one of the finest T20 events. The heat will be on for all involved but the winners will surely be Pakistan fans who can at last have a competition to be proud of. It might also unearth a few new heroes of Pakistan Cricket – and that will be great for everyone.
(Ian Pont is a former English cricketer who has played for county sides like Nottinghamshire and Essex. He is a renowned bowling coach and a cricket columnist. The above article first appeared in PakPassion)
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