Pakistan's cricket future is bright, says Aaqib

Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Kandy

KANDY, Monday - Aaqib Javed, coach of the Pakistan 'A' team currently touring Sri Lanka is of the opinion that in another two years his country will be in a position to challenge the awesome Australians who have been dominating world cricket for the past decade or so.

Aaqib's comments are not an idle boast. For a right-arm fast-medium bowler who represented his country in 22 Tests and 163 one-day internationals between 1988-89 and 1998-99 he has been the key figure behind setting up a strong domestic tournament for Pakistan.

"We have three 'A' teams at the moment and there is not much difference among them. This was possible after our regional cricket was adopted," said Aaqib.

He explained: "We used to play promotion-relegation among 107 districts. We marked nine regions in Pakistan with each region having a population of about 10 million.

There are more than 800 cricket clubs. First they play club cricket and there are 10-12 districts in one region. They play inter-district cricket in their region and then select the regional team.

We have four teams in the series one in the under 16, under 19, 2nd XI and first team. We adopted this system about two years back and I am the one who gave this regional concept."

"We have played only two season so far but believe me in another 2-3 years I tell you, Pakistan will be as good as Australia if not, much better than them," said the 32-year-old Aaqib who spent much of his career in the shadow of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis despite being a key member of Pakistan's World Cup winning side in 1992.

"This is because we have the nursery going at the moment. At junior level we have nine regional academies and one national academy.

We've won all the junior championships like the under 15 Asia Cup, under 17 Asia Cup, under 19 World Cup and now the 'A' team's performance in Sri Lanka. In two years time I believe we will have a good 100 first-class players. The future of Pakistan looks very bright to me," he said.

Referring to the squad that is currently touring Sri Lanka, Aaqib said: "If you take these 16 players and give them four tours a year, after two years you will know where they stand. It is the only thing we need at this stage. After one year this 'A' team can beat any team in the world."

"We have 16 players and everyone has to be tried out giving them the opportunity to improve their abilities and impress the selectors. They are as good as what you have in your national side. All 16 have played and all of them have performed. This is a very positive sign," he said.

Aaqib was of the opinion that having a nucleus of 20 players is a good idea for all national teams to adopt.

"If you play 40 one-day games and about 20 Test matches a year with a pool of 20, every senior player should get rested after two-three consecutive games. That gives the other players a chance and if somebody gets injured you won't have a problem," said Aaqib.

"Cricket boards are interested to have such events or tours for the 'A' team because these are the shadow players of their respective national teams and they have to be exposed in all kinds of conditions. Adaptability is what makes a player outstanding from the others, the one who manages himself to adjust himself in any kind of condition," he said.