'Having a coach is a waste of money': Abdul Qadir urges PCB to utilise funds on improving domestic circuit

Karachi: Pakistan’s spin legend Abdul Qadir has ridiculed the need to have a head coach for the national team in any format and blamed the ICC for trying to sell this idea to all cricket playing nations. “Having a coach is a waste of money and nothing else. In cricket there is no need for a coach. The captain is the leader and the main driving force behind everything,” Qadir said in an interview. [caption id=“attachment_2746054” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image. Reuters[/caption] He advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to stop wasting its energy and money on appointing a new coach in place of Waqar Younis, who resigned after the team’s poor performance in the Asia Cup and World T20. “Tell me, do players who have played international cricket need any coaching? As far as motivating players or planning strategies is concerned in cricket, the captain is the right man to do this,” he added. He said the PCB should utilise the money it spends on coaches on improving its domestic cricket structure and giving domestic players more benefits. “I would also urge the ICC to stop this practice of sending coaches or promoting coaching concepts in other countries as it achieves nothing,” he said. Qadir said Pakistan cricket had experimented with foreign coaches for years with no success. “Between 1999 and 2014, we had several foreign coaches and they achieved nothing. The only time we won the 1992 World Cup or the 2009 World T20 title, Intikhab Alam was in charge of the team.” Qadir advised the PCB to give total powers to the captain and appoint a manager with him who has a strong cricket background and knowledge to help the captain. “Whenever we lose a series or tournament, the captain and coach blame each other for the results. To put an end to this practice it is best the captain is made wholly responsible for everything in the team,” he said. Qadir said that no coach can ever make an average player great. “At the end of the day it is the player’s own personal passion, willpower, determination and hunger to improve his skills and become a top professional which makes him a better player,” he said.