By IANS,
Karachi : Within weeks of taking over as Pakistan coach and national chief selector respectively, Intikhab Alam and Abdul Qadir have let out differences in their approach to select and prepare the team for the series against Sri Lanka, lined up for January-February next year.
According to Pakistani daily ‘The News’ , while Qadir wants to hold a series of Test-style and one-day trial matches between teams consisting of the country’s leading players ahead of the Sri Lanka assignment, Intikhab is advocating the idea of featuring the top cricketers in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the country’s premier first-class tournament that got underway in various centres Sunday.
“I personally believe that the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be the perfect platform for the players to show us their form, fitness and temperament,” Intikhab, a former Pakistan captain, was quoted as saying in the daily.
“The four-day games would also help our players to get used to the longer version of the game, something that they desperately need considering they haven’t played a Test in more than a year,” he said.
But Qadir, a former Pakistan Test spinner, disagrees.
“I think it would be good if we had four different teams playing in a couple of Test-style trial matches before the start of the Sri Lanka series,” Qadir said. “This way we will have our top cricketers and second and third string players competing against each other. That will provide us an excellent opportunity to see them in action at one venue.”
Qadir has, however, assured that the differences between them will be sorted. “For Intikhab I have a lot of respect. I intend to sit down with him (Intikhab) tomorrow and will explain it to him the logic behind my recommendations for trial matches.”
Sri Lanka is expected to arrive in Pakistan Jan 20 to play three Tests and five One-day Internationals. The series has been lined up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after India cancelled their tour of Pakistan because of strained relations between the two countries.