New Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur already under attack from former players

Latif said he was a surprised at the spate of statements coming from Arthur even before he had joined the team.

Karachi: Two former Pakistan captains have advised the new head coach Mickey Arthur to get rid of 'selfish' players in the team and avoid too many statements in the media.

Rashid Latif said he was a bit surprised at the spate of statements coming from Arthur even before he had joined the Pakistan team.

"Too many statements from the new coach and he is speaking on every cricket issue related to Pakistan cricket. He is an experienced international coach but he should slow down a bit with his statements and first come and see first hand the challenges he faces with the Pakistan team," Latif told PTI.

After being named Pakistan's head coach earlier this month, Arthur said he will not tolerate indiscipline and selfish players in the team. He also said he will not let external forces dictate how he goes about doing his business.

He has also said that IPL exclusion is hurting the performance of Pakistan in T20 cricket.

"There are lot of hopes from Arthur but he should not raise the expectations because he might not know this but Pakistani cricket fans and authorities can be very unforgiving if he can't turn things around," Latif said.

"I have always felt that a foreign coach who keeps a low profile is best suited for Pakistan cricket. In the end the results matter nothing else matters."
PCB sources claim that a message has already been conveyed to Arthur to slow down a bit with his statements.

Latif pointed out that already it was obvious that Arthur was not the first choice for many cricket fans, critics and the media so he would really need to work hard to become a popular choice.

Former captain turned commentator, Rameez also advised Arthur to be ready to face an entirely different cricket culture in Pakistan.

"He is a solid experienced coach who has worked with two top teams and top players but he will really have to be innovative and firm to pick up the performances of the Pakistan team," he said.

Rameez said the key would be to get rid of selfish players and encourage those who were courageous enough to play for the team not themselves.

He noted that a perfect winning cricket culture had been missing from the Pakistan dressing room for sometime due to many reasons and this would be the biggest challenge for the new coach to change this culture.

Rameez also felt that for sometime Pakistan team had been missing an inspirational leader who was not only a top performer but also good enough to motivate players.

He said identifying and grooming the right leader would be a prime responsibility for the new foreign coach.