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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | Woolmer describes Pakistan as ‘sleeping giants’ of cricket world 22.20 IST 03rd July 2004 By IndiaExpress Bureau Calling Pakistani cricket team as "sleeping giants" of international cricket, new coach Bob Woolmer today said he would not hesitate to seek the help of his predecessor Javed Miandad and other cricketers to bring the team back on track. "Pakistan cricket team is a top team of the cricket world which has won the World Cup and other titles and given outstanding performances. Players are the sleeping giants and have all the potential to beat any top side of the world," Woolmer said at his first press conference in Lahore. "I have been open minded and would surely have the point of view of other cricketers including Javed Miandad to benefit myself," he said. "It is the nicest challenge of my life and I accept it and look forward to my exciting job with optimism," said Woolmer, who formally took over as coach yesterday at the fitness camp being held for 25 probables for Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. Woolmer asked the cricket fans in Pakistan to be patient saying no coach could produce results overnight. He dispelled the impression that fear of sacking would be on his mind as Pakistan changed 13 coaches in past eight years after failing to raise the performance of the team. "It's not on my mind, I don't care what happened in the past, for me the important thing is to concentrate on improving the Pakistani team and I am fully up to that task," he said. He said one of the reasons of taking up the job with the Pakistan team was that PCB provided him all the required facilities of a foreign trainer and analyst. Woolmer, who transformed South Africa into a world beating team during his tenure as coach differed with Miandad's perception that Pakistani players were not learning. "It is a wrong perception, what I know about them (players) is that they are fully talented and they are eager to learn. But you have to find the right way to teach them and if I don't find one way I would try another," he said. Asked to identify the problems of the team, he said "the main weaknesses of my team are fielding and fitness and to achieve perfection in these two departments certainly requires some time but I am confident to overcome them to mould the team into a winning combination." Another shortcoming was lack of experience in the team as the team comprises young players. "It is not a big issue they would learn with passage of time and we will help them in the process of learning and telling them right things to do," he said. Asked about skipper Inzamam ul-Haq's preference that the team for Asia Cup should have been selected by now, Woolmer said, he believed that selection of the team should be made after a thorough consultation with the selectors, team captain and the coach. "But what I would say who matters most in the process of selection is the team captain," he said. |
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