Dr Tauseef Razzaq was appointed as a training and rehabilitation consultant by the PCB for a period of five years around 1999. Currently based on Lahore, Dr. Razzaq spoke candidly to PakPassion.net on his views on Inzamam and his close relationship with Shoaib Akhtar.
PakPassion.net: Tell us a bit about yourself, your qualifications?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I did my MBBS in Pakistan and went to the US and obtained a license there. While in the US, I did my Level 3 in sports medicine and exercise physiology. I also taught Advanced Medical Sciences at Columbia University?s Tuoro Medical College. There after, I returned back to Pakistan and joined the PCB as a rehabilitation consultant and a training consultant.
I worked with the PCB for about five years, the time Tauqir Zia was chairman. My specialty is pulmonary medicine and secondary specialty is sports medicine. The time I worked for the PCB, I received several different assignments to work with many players, but the one that stood out was Shoaib Akhtar.
PakPassion.net: We?ve heard that you are currently involved in some voluntary work?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Players from all sports come to me and we help them with their rehabilitation and design training programs for them. All of that is free of cost ? I do not charge anyone for those services ? for players everything is free.
PakPassion.net: While you were in the US, you also worked with a baseball team. Please tell us a bit more about that.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Those were actually assignments that are required by the curriculum. You go out and work with the different teams at various levels and help design programs based on each individuals requirements and to understand each individual. As part of that, I worked with several different basketball and baseball teams.
There are no such institutes over here [in Pakistan]. In the last 4-5 years there has been some progress on sports medicine and rehabilitation from institutes such as Punjab University, but it is currently at a premature stage and we just do what we can.
PakPassion.net: You earlier mentioned that you worked with the PCB for about five years. How would you describe your experience? Did you face interference from the PCB management?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Interference is present at all levels, and happens in accordance with the level of understanding. If you don?t have the required knowledge about something then questions will be asked of you and people will object to you. As you may know, objection in Pakistan is fi sabilillah.
The fact of the matter is that those who play cricket are not educated and those who are in charge of disciplining the cricketers are educated. The former cricketers feel they know more about cricket as they have played the game. On the other hand, people, like me, who are educated, have also played cricket. I have played at the university-level for Punjab University and FC College and captained at Allama Iqbal. Having played cricket at various institutions, I obviously had a decent understanding of the game. The reality is that there will always be objections.
If you try and educate a player about eating parathas maintaining a nutritional diet and advise them as to what and what not to eat at certain times, whether it is advisable to lift weights or go for a run, there will be objections to that as well. Interference was the reason why I resigned from my position.
PakPassion.net: It?s very difficult to stop players parathas ? it?s in our culture!
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Certainly eat them, but on the day the test match ends, not while the game is ongoing.
PakPassion.net: Back in 2004 when you were with the team, you resigned because of differences with the then captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. What were the underlying reasons for that?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Emotions are always running high whenever we play India. During the series, Javed Miandad was trying to improve the fitness of our players. Let me start off by giving you a reference: What good is it to start revising minutes before an exam is about to begin? It all started in the series against India. We lost the first test. The wicket was flat and India scored heavily. In response to that, they [Miandad and Inzamam] put up extra net sessions for the bowlers in which they made them bowl for two hours, which led to the bowlers being injured.
I was never consulted me regarding this even though it was clearly stated in my contract that I would be in charge of how long the players would train for. As a result, the selection committee called me to inquire about those injuries. I made it very clear to them that those bowlers were clearly over-bowled during training and they [Miandad and Inzamam] have clearly misused the privileges of training and they do not know how to handle their players. Inzamam then took me on in front of the team and we had a heated exchange of words. That was the end of it all. In my view, any position is worthy only as long as you?re respected and honoured.
PakPassion.net: Is it true that after the Rawalpindi Test, which Pakistan lost and ended up losing the series as well, you advised the captain and coach (Miandad and Inzamam) not to over bowl Shoaib Akhtar?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, that is correct and he did get injured didn't he? If you take a look at Shoaib?s top performances, you will find that most of them were during my time. A lot of the battles with people resulted directly the way I would manage Shoaib in a very calculated manner, because he wasn?t made for cricket. It was his willpower and determination that kept him going. (Laughs) My whole tussle was because of the Shoaib Akhtar issue.
PakPassion.net: You mentioned a very important point about Shoaib not being made for cricket and that it was his willpower and determination that allowed him to reach this far. Isn?t it extremely difficult for someone to bowl at 150-160 km/h when he isn?t made for this?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, absolutely. The willpower, determination, and absolute love and craze for cricket allowed him to get this far. This is all part of Allah?s glory. If you look at Shoaib individually ? he is flatfooted, has a hyper extensible built, and some of the muscles in his body are missing, but he still managed to attain speeds of 150+ km/h. During the West Indies tour at Sharjah, we had planned to break the 160 km/h barrier. We made an adjusted training and diet plan specifically for this, and we were able to successful achieve this feat ? a record that is still intact today.
PakPassion.net: You mentioned Shoaib was flatfooted. Was this also a reason why he was more injury prone?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Any person whose joints dislocate half inch from their original position, medically they are declared injured and unfit. Shoaib?s joints over-extend more than that established limit. Therefore, medically he was always unfit and injured. However, we would train him in such a way that he would his body would be able to cope with that. All these misunderstandings about him being always injured and not able to run were simply because no one from the PCB ever bothered to understand the biomechanics of Shoaib?s body. The only exception to this was General Tauqir Zia. He was the probably the greatest thing that happened to Shoaib and me. Tauqir Zia was the only one who was able to understand what I meant and what I wanted to achieve.
Right before the ICC were going issue Shoaib a lifetime ban, I mentioned that we can use the issue of biomechanics to our advantage and get Shoaib out of this. At that time, Tauqir Zia was the only person who was supporting me, the rest of the board were busy trying to get him to change his bowling action. When we came back from New Zealand, PCB had formed a committee that consisted of Mudassar Nazar, Rameez Raja, Mohsin Kamal who wanted to change Shoaib?s bowling action. I presented this case to General Tauqir Zia and he told me to present it to another committee. That committee consisted of Jalaluddin and Iqbal Sikander. Surprisingly, both of them provided tremendous amount of support and backed my idea. Alhumdulillah, we fought Shoaib?s case and his action was cleared. Not only was his lifetime ban lifted, but he played the remainder of his career without anyone pointing a finger at him.
PakPassion.net: Did Inzamam want Shoaib Akhtar to bowl long spells? Was this the reason for differences between you two?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib Akhtar was a strike bowler and whenever he was on song, he would run through the opposition. Whenever Shoaib has won a match, it?s always been in a spell of five to ten overs. They thought that the longer he would practice bowling, the better he would get. For someone to have played for Pakistan, being the fastest bowler in the world, and achieved what he had, it wasn?t simply a fluke. Both Shoaib and I knew what his limits were and how long he needed to train so that he could play the next match. If I were to make him bowl ten overs in the nets there would be no way he?d play the next match. That was the only misunderstanding between Inzamam and me. Apart from that we never had a clash, except for that one incident over which I resigned. Other than that, Inzamam?s attitude towards me was always pretty good.
PakPassion.net: It?s often been said that Inzamam was a very ?strong? captain and one who often got his way. An example of this would be the selection of Shabbir Ahmed (who at the time was injured) despite everyone else being against the idea.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, that is incorrect. Inzamam was not a strong captain even though he kept Shoaib out of the team for two years. The point being that every person who gets a position of authority becomes strong. Shoaib being a superstar, expected to be pampered but they [captain, PCB] were jealous of him and so they treated him the way they did. Let me tell you that Shoaib never bothered anyone. He is like a little brother to me and he never said no to me even if I woke up him at 2 am in the morning to come and train.
PakPassion.net: Are all of these rumors about Shoaib being a party boy who wasn?t really interested in cricket false?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: All of the cricketers are party boys. Every team in the world that goes on a foreign tour ? their players party. Being a superstar, he was always under the scrutiny of our media and even a little thing was always blown out of proportion, even though other players on the team were a lot more into these types of things.
PakPassion.net: When you took Shoaib Akhtar under your wings, what were his injuries like?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: When Shoaib came to me, he had just had a checkup from Australia he had a broken rib and issues with his left ankle, knee joints, and a tear in his right shoulder. The report from the medical firm in Australia stated that even if they were to rehabilitate Shoaib he will never be able to achieve his original pace and performance. The PCB called a meeting with the firm in Australia and asked for my thoughts on the matter. At that time I had only recently joined the PCB. I told them that I believe I can get him back on track and work on this. The PCB then called Shoaib back from Australia. The funny part is that as soon as this happened, I started getting phone calls from various players warning me about Shoaib?s attitude and disciplinary issues. The same players also called Shoaib to tell him that I was a very arrogant individual and they advised him not to listen to what I had to say. We both found about this later on, but initially both of us were very wary of one another because of this. However, Allah had other plans.
During our first meeting, the first question Shoaib asked me was: What makes you think that you will be able to do what the Australians weren?t able to do? I told him to give me four weeks whereby I can work with you on a plan that I feel will get you back. Then I started explaining in detail to him about the flaws in his body. The plan was that we were going to reconstruct and start from scratch ? we were going change his muscle shape and everything else. The case of Shoaib was very similar to principle of a slingshot. In a slingshot, you check the tension to achieve the maximum distance, and that is proportional to the weight. The heavier object you want to throw, the more tension you require. I explained this principle to Shoaib because he would hyper flex and his arms functioned like a whip. Once that principle was actually put in to work, not only did Shoaib play three or four series on the trot, but he also gave match winning performances in those series.
PakPassion.net: Would you like to tells us the names of those senior players?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, I don't want to get into all that as I have good relations with all of them.
PakPassion.net: Do you think that Shoaib Akhtar could have played a lot more than he actually did?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Definitely. Should have played a lot more if he didn't have everybody going after him. I'll say that if I had been allowed to work with Shoaib his career could have been longer. He wouldn't have missed those critical 2-3 years that he did. When Shehryar Khan brought in Bob Woolmer as the coach it was made clear that I would be kept away from Shoaib. They did not let me work with him. I was also working with Shabbir Ahmed at the time as he was rehabbing after being reported for his bowling action. I also trained with him. Shabbir was a great bowler. Wasim Akram called him the greatest one day bowler ever but he was never handled properly.
PakPassion.net: Who would you played the biggest hand in mishandling Shoaib? Was it Bob Woolmer?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I think we look up to foreigners a bit too much. If I'm settled in Pakistan and am living a successful life; why would I leave Pakistan to go settle elsewhere? It's the same for those who come to Pakistan. They only come here because they've failed at home. People that are coming here to work from their countries only come here because they were unsuccessful there. You can't bring the best from other countries. Shabbir was also mishandled by them. I knew he would be called for chucking if he went with the team on the West Indies tour. He was sent before he was rehabbed and ended up being reported for a suspect action. His career was done after that.
One thing Shoaib had in his favor was when General Tauqeer Zia became the head of the PCB. He was hell bent on fixing Shoaib Akhtar. I don't think anyone came close to General Zia when it came to caring for Shoaib Akhtar. He was willing to take on the world to defend Shoaib. He truly cared about the team and the country. I've never seen anyone with the guts and will power of General Zia.
PakPassion.net: Tell us a bit about the 2006 drug tests which Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif failed.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib and Asif left for England before the rest of the team. They were working with an English trainer at the time and he provided them with all the supplements they were taking. When they came back from England they underwent the dope tests. Both of them tested positive for the same supplement and the levels of the supplement were the same. That can't be a coincidence. Shoaib's name was connected with me and many people said I was giving him those drugs.
But what about Asif? I wasn't associated with him. They unknowingly took the banned supplements. I think the trainer was also unaware of those supplements being banned. Some of these supplements are tainted with banned products so you can never be sure. I'm not blaming the trainer because I don't think he would knowingly do such a thing. I was the one who defended Shoaib in front of the judge when he was banned for 2 years. I gave evidence from studies conducted by 70 universities that proved certain supplements could raise the levels of some chemicals in the body. Shoaib underwent 3 dope Tests during the time I was working with him. One was before the 2003 World Cup, one after the World Cup, and one before the 2004/5 Champions Trophy. He was cleared in all of them. He failed the first dope test that was done since I left.
PakPassion.net: How come we never heard about the trainer and his name was never mentioned in any reports?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I don't know. I'm not even sure if he was involved in the case or not. This was all my opinion of the case because that's the only possible explanation. People threw mud at me during the time. But I was able to defend Shoaib and get him cleared.
PakPassion.net: There are reports out there that suggest Shoaib Akhtar underwent liposuction surgery against you advice. Is that true? If so, why were you against it?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I don?t know where all that came from. Shoaib did not have any liposuction done. He just had some hair implant done and when he came out of the room he jokingly said to a friend that I had liposuction. This is a fact. The doctor that did the hair implant doesn?t even do liposuction. I have no reason to lie to lie to you. Shoaib has retired and I?m running a successful practice. I?ve said it before and I?ll say it again, Shoaib never had the liposuction done. The media ran it as a big story and my name was also dragged into it.
PakPassion.net: Shoaib made a dramatic come back to cricket over the past few months. He even made it to the World Cup. It must have been difficult to prepare him for the matches.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: We started planning for this World Cup over a year ago. He told me that he wanted to play and we started getting him ready for cricket. We knew what his strengths were and worked on his weaknesses. He also consulted with me when it came to his retirement. There was a lot going on in the background and this was the best option.
PakPassion.net: Do you think he should have played in the World Cup matches against Australia and India? Should he have been given a farewell match?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Why not? He was Pakistan?s best bowler. He is still the quickest bowler in the world and the decision to sit him out in those matches is mind boggling. I?ve never understood why he was left out. When you?re going up against a team like India you have to go in with your best players. Shoaib has done very well against the Indians and the Indian batsmen are clearly intimidated by him. Sachin struggled in his inning against Pakistan and he would have been a lot worse had Shoaib been playing.
PakPassion.net: Shoaib?s overall performance in the World Cup was very good. It would have great if not for that one over against New Zealand. If Kamran had held onto those chances then it would have been a different story.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Exactly. If the catches had been held then it would have completely changed things. The bowlers job is to create the opportunities for wickets.
PakPassion.net: But his overall performance in the World Cup was outstanding. Every bowler has a bad over every now and then - but if you look past that over then you?ll see he did a very good job.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I feel he did an outstanding job even with the limited run he got. But when certain people are hell bent on ruining a player then nothing can be done to stop them.
PakPassion.net: Waqar Younis himself was an outstanding fast bowler. If he couldn?t understand what Shoaib was going through then who will?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Waqar Younis is a physically normal person. He could not understand everything that Shoaib went through because Shoaib is not physically normal. I?ve been saying it all my life that Shoaib is physically handicapped. I don?t think that there is any player around that could have played through all the pain that Shoaib played with. I know him very well from the inside and out.
PakPassion.net: We recently spoke to Mohammad Zahid and he was very complimentary about you - he even went as far as to say Shoaib Akhtar owes his career to you. Let?s move on to another fast bowler who was wasted by the board. Mohammed Zahid?s career ended very early due to injuries. Could you tell us a bit about him?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, I was also responsible for Zahid's comeback. In my opinion Zahid was the greatest fast bowler to have ever played cricket. He was not only the greatest, but the quickest ever.
PakPassion.net: Do you think he was a faster bowler than Shoaib?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I?ve spoken to various players that have played against both Zahid and Shoaib. They all say that they were pretty much even but Zahid at his peak was faster than Shoaib. Brian Lara has also said that Zahid was the fastest bowler when he was at his peak. After Shoaib Akhtar was back on track and playing again for Pakistan, I asked General Zia to start focusing on Zahid. We went looking for him and found him in some village. When Zahid came to us he did not even have spikes to wear. He had to borrow spikes from Shabbir Ahmed to bowl in the nets. Majid Khan was the CEO and I cannot remember who the chairman was when Zahid got injured. In those 5 years they never gave any money to Zahid so he could go for treatment. That was why his career was ruined. General Zia was a great man. He was up to the challenge of putting Zahid?s career back on track. He spent just as much time and effort on Zahid that he did on Shoaib.
In 2002/2003, Zahid made a comeback and was bowling long spells at around 140 km/h. After that series, two bowlers from the team actually apologized to Zahid because they felt he had been kept out because of them. They realized how great a bowler he was. But he never got to play international cricket after that.
PakPassion.net: Why didn?t he play?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: We were in Sharjah and Zahid went to obtain a visa for England, but on his return he got stuck in traffic so he was late to nets, him and Naveed. Javed [Miandad] became angry because of this and didn?t play them. Next day there was a match, but that was the end of his international career.
PakPassion.net: It?s a sad story, to lose such as quality bowler.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He was more than a quality bowler, he was amazing. I?d never seen anything like Mohammad Zahid before ? it looked like he was born to be a runner. When he went swimming, he looked like he was born to swim. When you saw him run, it looked like poetry in motion, it was an amazing sight.
These two boys, Shoaib and Zahid, Alhamdulillah, all of Pakistan?s fast bowlers have trained with me. On tours, I even had the opportunity to work with opposition bowlers, and ours like Sami, Shabbir and Gul. Wahab Riaz, he has grown up in my very hands and I?ve made a big contribution to his cricketing career. But these two guys, Mohammad Zahid and Shoaib Akhtar, they were from another plant. Of course I?m not discounting Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis, I?m not looking to slight them, of course they are legends in their own field. But in express bowling, there is no match for Shoaib and Zahid.
PakPassion.net: When Mohammad Zahid returned after the incident, did no one push, whether that be General Tauqir Zia or yourself, that he should be given another chance?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: General Zia is the one that initially picked him, but the problem was that no one was told he wasn?t to be picked for the next match [for being late]. He wasn?t selected, the tournament was concluded, hype was created and he was dropped in the next series and that was it.
PakPassion.net: Moving on, with respect to Pakistani players? diets, how difficult did you find it to make the players understand what they should and shouldn?t be eating and when?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Very very difficult. Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, these guys were very receptive, to learn new information and understand it. Azhar Mahood is another player who has been treated unfairly. He was very talented and had a lot of potential.
When you talk about diets, to make someone understand, it's difficult and I?ll tell you a story. Once, the team was sitting around and I was explaining why eating bananas was important, their nutritional value and what they contain. One player said ?Dr Sahib, look who is sitting around you?. I replied ?Pakistan?s top stars?. He said ?I?ll tell you who is sitting here ? one is the son of a builder, one is the son of a gardener, one is the son of a welder, one?s father works donkey. You are trying to explain to these guys the benefits of bananas? Just tell them to eat bananas and stop there!? This was the situation so of course it was difficult, but even then the boys never discouraged me ? they cooperated a lot.
PakPassion.net: You are not involved with the team, but are you aware of the Pakistani players following a diet? Do they know how many calories they are consuming in the food they eat and the importance of managing their diet?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No ? they know nothing. The trainers that have come in are B-category, they aren?t certified. I?m not playing politics and trying to pull down the guys who are in, but even now I have the data I compiled in 1999 on the Pakistani cricket. To this day, no one has collated data like that ? I used to speak to individual players for hours long at home so I know individually what their levels are and what they?ve shown.
PakPassion.net: How do Pakistani players compare to those in the rest of the world?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Pakistani players have the most talent. They compete against the world based on sheer willpower. Their training and coaching doesn't compare yet they are their equals, in fact they are better.
There is no equal to Pakistani players and they are pure thoroughbreds. They rely on hard work and willpower, without any facilities. Players from outside countries have but these guys have no access to facilities. General Tauqir Zia built the cricket academy, but before that there was very little.
PakPassion.net: Pakistan offers the potential to train in high peak mountains, at altitude and some quality training can be completed in the northern areas. Why aren?t the players trained in those types of locations?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: The point is, if you do any type of training, it?s effects will last at most two to three weeks. If you complete high altitude training in the northern areas, your red blood cells increase, your stamina and lung capacity increases and you improve. However, when you go and play in another location, your body immediately adapts and within three to four weeks, you come back to square one. So it doesn?t make a big difference ? it does make some, but it?s not the case that you can?t achieve anything if you don?t do it.
PakPassion.net: Quite a few Pakistani players, in particular the fast bowlers, like to smoke. What are your thoughts on this ? have you discussed it with them?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Lots of times. I?m on the panel for the six or seven smoking cessation clinics that have been set up in Pakistan and my hospital is also running a smoking cessation clinic. I fought with Shoaib [Akhtar] many times but these guys have gotten into this habit from a very young age. It?s not the case that it?s just our boys that do it either, other fast bowlers from around the world also smoke.
PakPassion.net: It?s a big achievement for Shoaib to be an express bowler despite being a chain smoker.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib isn?t a chain smoker, he?s an occasional smoker.
PakPassion.net: You?ve worked with Shahid Afridi and they say he?s very strong. Tell us about him.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He?s strong physically, but his willpower is also very strong. He?s a very good individual, very lively and his approach is very positive. He doesn't believe he can lose and his aim is always to win. In fact, all of the Pathan boys, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, these three are very hard working. Younis Khan is one of the most hard working guys to have played. Umar Gul is very disciplined and very honest. Younis and Gul are both very honest and down to earth boys. Salman Butt too.
PakPassion.net: Salman Butt too?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: It was a conspiracy against Salman Butt. He has been with me since 16 years old and he has grown up in my hands. I will am prepared to swear that he has been wronged and it was a conspiracy against him. He didn?t take any money. The allegation is that ?you were was captain so how could you not know what was going on?. There is no direct charge against him; the charge was that ?you are captain so you must have known?.
PakPassion.net: So what you are saying is that Amir and Asif took the money but Salman Butt didn?t?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No ? that?s not what I?m saying. What I?m saying is that there was a conspiracy against our boys, it is a conspiracy theory. This was to get our boys out of the World Cup.
PakPassion.net: So you are saying it was a conspiracy against the three ? so do you think that the Indian cricket board is involved?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, I won?t say that, but in my opinion, they were definitely involved.
PakPassion.net: So you are quite sure the three boys didn?t do anything and it?s a conspiracy.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Absolutely. I am willing to swear on it. I know the boys. Butt and Asif are children, like children. If an individual had that much money you would be able to see it.
When Suresh Raina was caught talking on the video tape, where did it go? Why didn?t the ICC discuss it? When Shane Warne predicted before the India [vs. England] match would be a draw, then why didn?t the ICC speak? Don?t they see that? Has anyone ever predicted a draw two days before?
Watch the programme by Mubashir Lucman which he presented on gambling and watch that programme and you will understand what is going on and how they got our boys involved.
PakPassion.net: Do you think they will ever return?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Definitely they will return and I hope and pray for Butt, Asif and Amir to return to play cricket for Pakistan. They are our boys and the life of our Pakistan team.
PakPassion.net: You have worked with fast bowlers ? does Aamir have the potential to bowl greater than 90 miles per hour?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He won?t bowl above 90 miles per hour, but he will be in line with the greatest bowlers the world. When Aamir?s name is mentioned, his name will be in with the greatest bowlers.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I did my MBBS in Pakistan and went to the US and obtained a license there. While in the US, I did my Level 3 in sports medicine and exercise physiology. I also taught Advanced Medical Sciences at Columbia University?s Tuoro Medical College. There after, I returned back to Pakistan and joined the PCB as a rehabilitation consultant and a training consultant.
I worked with the PCB for about five years, the time Tauqir Zia was chairman. My specialty is pulmonary medicine and secondary specialty is sports medicine. The time I worked for the PCB, I received several different assignments to work with many players, but the one that stood out was Shoaib Akhtar.
PakPassion.net: We?ve heard that you are currently involved in some voluntary work?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Players from all sports come to me and we help them with their rehabilitation and design training programs for them. All of that is free of cost ? I do not charge anyone for those services ? for players everything is free.
PakPassion.net: While you were in the US, you also worked with a baseball team. Please tell us a bit more about that.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Those were actually assignments that are required by the curriculum. You go out and work with the different teams at various levels and help design programs based on each individuals requirements and to understand each individual. As part of that, I worked with several different basketball and baseball teams.
There are no such institutes over here [in Pakistan]. In the last 4-5 years there has been some progress on sports medicine and rehabilitation from institutes such as Punjab University, but it is currently at a premature stage and we just do what we can.
PakPassion.net: You earlier mentioned that you worked with the PCB for about five years. How would you describe your experience? Did you face interference from the PCB management?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Interference is present at all levels, and happens in accordance with the level of understanding. If you don?t have the required knowledge about something then questions will be asked of you and people will object to you. As you may know, objection in Pakistan is fi sabilillah.
The fact of the matter is that those who play cricket are not educated and those who are in charge of disciplining the cricketers are educated. The former cricketers feel they know more about cricket as they have played the game. On the other hand, people, like me, who are educated, have also played cricket. I have played at the university-level for Punjab University and FC College and captained at Allama Iqbal. Having played cricket at various institutions, I obviously had a decent understanding of the game. The reality is that there will always be objections.
If you try and educate a player about eating parathas maintaining a nutritional diet and advise them as to what and what not to eat at certain times, whether it is advisable to lift weights or go for a run, there will be objections to that as well. Interference was the reason why I resigned from my position.
PakPassion.net: It?s very difficult to stop players parathas ? it?s in our culture!
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Certainly eat them, but on the day the test match ends, not while the game is ongoing.
PakPassion.net: Back in 2004 when you were with the team, you resigned because of differences with the then captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. What were the underlying reasons for that?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Emotions are always running high whenever we play India. During the series, Javed Miandad was trying to improve the fitness of our players. Let me start off by giving you a reference: What good is it to start revising minutes before an exam is about to begin? It all started in the series against India. We lost the first test. The wicket was flat and India scored heavily. In response to that, they [Miandad and Inzamam] put up extra net sessions for the bowlers in which they made them bowl for two hours, which led to the bowlers being injured.
I was never consulted me regarding this even though it was clearly stated in my contract that I would be in charge of how long the players would train for. As a result, the selection committee called me to inquire about those injuries. I made it very clear to them that those bowlers were clearly over-bowled during training and they [Miandad and Inzamam] have clearly misused the privileges of training and they do not know how to handle their players. Inzamam then took me on in front of the team and we had a heated exchange of words. That was the end of it all. In my view, any position is worthy only as long as you?re respected and honoured.
PakPassion.net: Is it true that after the Rawalpindi Test, which Pakistan lost and ended up losing the series as well, you advised the captain and coach (Miandad and Inzamam) not to over bowl Shoaib Akhtar?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, that is correct and he did get injured didn't he? If you take a look at Shoaib?s top performances, you will find that most of them were during my time. A lot of the battles with people resulted directly the way I would manage Shoaib in a very calculated manner, because he wasn?t made for cricket. It was his willpower and determination that kept him going. (Laughs) My whole tussle was because of the Shoaib Akhtar issue.
PakPassion.net: You mentioned a very important point about Shoaib not being made for cricket and that it was his willpower and determination that allowed him to reach this far. Isn?t it extremely difficult for someone to bowl at 150-160 km/h when he isn?t made for this?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, absolutely. The willpower, determination, and absolute love and craze for cricket allowed him to get this far. This is all part of Allah?s glory. If you look at Shoaib individually ? he is flatfooted, has a hyper extensible built, and some of the muscles in his body are missing, but he still managed to attain speeds of 150+ km/h. During the West Indies tour at Sharjah, we had planned to break the 160 km/h barrier. We made an adjusted training and diet plan specifically for this, and we were able to successful achieve this feat ? a record that is still intact today.
PakPassion.net: You mentioned Shoaib was flatfooted. Was this also a reason why he was more injury prone?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Any person whose joints dislocate half inch from their original position, medically they are declared injured and unfit. Shoaib?s joints over-extend more than that established limit. Therefore, medically he was always unfit and injured. However, we would train him in such a way that he would his body would be able to cope with that. All these misunderstandings about him being always injured and not able to run were simply because no one from the PCB ever bothered to understand the biomechanics of Shoaib?s body. The only exception to this was General Tauqir Zia. He was the probably the greatest thing that happened to Shoaib and me. Tauqir Zia was the only one who was able to understand what I meant and what I wanted to achieve.
Right before the ICC were going issue Shoaib a lifetime ban, I mentioned that we can use the issue of biomechanics to our advantage and get Shoaib out of this. At that time, Tauqir Zia was the only person who was supporting me, the rest of the board were busy trying to get him to change his bowling action. When we came back from New Zealand, PCB had formed a committee that consisted of Mudassar Nazar, Rameez Raja, Mohsin Kamal who wanted to change Shoaib?s bowling action. I presented this case to General Tauqir Zia and he told me to present it to another committee. That committee consisted of Jalaluddin and Iqbal Sikander. Surprisingly, both of them provided tremendous amount of support and backed my idea. Alhumdulillah, we fought Shoaib?s case and his action was cleared. Not only was his lifetime ban lifted, but he played the remainder of his career without anyone pointing a finger at him.
PakPassion.net: Did Inzamam want Shoaib Akhtar to bowl long spells? Was this the reason for differences between you two?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib Akhtar was a strike bowler and whenever he was on song, he would run through the opposition. Whenever Shoaib has won a match, it?s always been in a spell of five to ten overs. They thought that the longer he would practice bowling, the better he would get. For someone to have played for Pakistan, being the fastest bowler in the world, and achieved what he had, it wasn?t simply a fluke. Both Shoaib and I knew what his limits were and how long he needed to train so that he could play the next match. If I were to make him bowl ten overs in the nets there would be no way he?d play the next match. That was the only misunderstanding between Inzamam and me. Apart from that we never had a clash, except for that one incident over which I resigned. Other than that, Inzamam?s attitude towards me was always pretty good.
PakPassion.net: It?s often been said that Inzamam was a very ?strong? captain and one who often got his way. An example of this would be the selection of Shabbir Ahmed (who at the time was injured) despite everyone else being against the idea.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, that is incorrect. Inzamam was not a strong captain even though he kept Shoaib out of the team for two years. The point being that every person who gets a position of authority becomes strong. Shoaib being a superstar, expected to be pampered but they [captain, PCB] were jealous of him and so they treated him the way they did. Let me tell you that Shoaib never bothered anyone. He is like a little brother to me and he never said no to me even if I woke up him at 2 am in the morning to come and train.
PakPassion.net: Are all of these rumors about Shoaib being a party boy who wasn?t really interested in cricket false?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: All of the cricketers are party boys. Every team in the world that goes on a foreign tour ? their players party. Being a superstar, he was always under the scrutiny of our media and even a little thing was always blown out of proportion, even though other players on the team were a lot more into these types of things.
PakPassion.net: When you took Shoaib Akhtar under your wings, what were his injuries like?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: When Shoaib came to me, he had just had a checkup from Australia he had a broken rib and issues with his left ankle, knee joints, and a tear in his right shoulder. The report from the medical firm in Australia stated that even if they were to rehabilitate Shoaib he will never be able to achieve his original pace and performance. The PCB called a meeting with the firm in Australia and asked for my thoughts on the matter. At that time I had only recently joined the PCB. I told them that I believe I can get him back on track and work on this. The PCB then called Shoaib back from Australia. The funny part is that as soon as this happened, I started getting phone calls from various players warning me about Shoaib?s attitude and disciplinary issues. The same players also called Shoaib to tell him that I was a very arrogant individual and they advised him not to listen to what I had to say. We both found about this later on, but initially both of us were very wary of one another because of this. However, Allah had other plans.
During our first meeting, the first question Shoaib asked me was: What makes you think that you will be able to do what the Australians weren?t able to do? I told him to give me four weeks whereby I can work with you on a plan that I feel will get you back. Then I started explaining in detail to him about the flaws in his body. The plan was that we were going to reconstruct and start from scratch ? we were going change his muscle shape and everything else. The case of Shoaib was very similar to principle of a slingshot. In a slingshot, you check the tension to achieve the maximum distance, and that is proportional to the weight. The heavier object you want to throw, the more tension you require. I explained this principle to Shoaib because he would hyper flex and his arms functioned like a whip. Once that principle was actually put in to work, not only did Shoaib play three or four series on the trot, but he also gave match winning performances in those series.
PakPassion.net: Would you like to tells us the names of those senior players?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, I don't want to get into all that as I have good relations with all of them.
PakPassion.net: Do you think that Shoaib Akhtar could have played a lot more than he actually did?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Definitely. Should have played a lot more if he didn't have everybody going after him. I'll say that if I had been allowed to work with Shoaib his career could have been longer. He wouldn't have missed those critical 2-3 years that he did. When Shehryar Khan brought in Bob Woolmer as the coach it was made clear that I would be kept away from Shoaib. They did not let me work with him. I was also working with Shabbir Ahmed at the time as he was rehabbing after being reported for his bowling action. I also trained with him. Shabbir was a great bowler. Wasim Akram called him the greatest one day bowler ever but he was never handled properly.
PakPassion.net: Who would you played the biggest hand in mishandling Shoaib? Was it Bob Woolmer?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I think we look up to foreigners a bit too much. If I'm settled in Pakistan and am living a successful life; why would I leave Pakistan to go settle elsewhere? It's the same for those who come to Pakistan. They only come here because they've failed at home. People that are coming here to work from their countries only come here because they were unsuccessful there. You can't bring the best from other countries. Shabbir was also mishandled by them. I knew he would be called for chucking if he went with the team on the West Indies tour. He was sent before he was rehabbed and ended up being reported for a suspect action. His career was done after that.
One thing Shoaib had in his favor was when General Tauqeer Zia became the head of the PCB. He was hell bent on fixing Shoaib Akhtar. I don't think anyone came close to General Zia when it came to caring for Shoaib Akhtar. He was willing to take on the world to defend Shoaib. He truly cared about the team and the country. I've never seen anyone with the guts and will power of General Zia.
PakPassion.net: Tell us a bit about the 2006 drug tests which Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif failed.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib and Asif left for England before the rest of the team. They were working with an English trainer at the time and he provided them with all the supplements they were taking. When they came back from England they underwent the dope tests. Both of them tested positive for the same supplement and the levels of the supplement were the same. That can't be a coincidence. Shoaib's name was connected with me and many people said I was giving him those drugs.
But what about Asif? I wasn't associated with him. They unknowingly took the banned supplements. I think the trainer was also unaware of those supplements being banned. Some of these supplements are tainted with banned products so you can never be sure. I'm not blaming the trainer because I don't think he would knowingly do such a thing. I was the one who defended Shoaib in front of the judge when he was banned for 2 years. I gave evidence from studies conducted by 70 universities that proved certain supplements could raise the levels of some chemicals in the body. Shoaib underwent 3 dope Tests during the time I was working with him. One was before the 2003 World Cup, one after the World Cup, and one before the 2004/5 Champions Trophy. He was cleared in all of them. He failed the first dope test that was done since I left.
PakPassion.net: How come we never heard about the trainer and his name was never mentioned in any reports?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I don't know. I'm not even sure if he was involved in the case or not. This was all my opinion of the case because that's the only possible explanation. People threw mud at me during the time. But I was able to defend Shoaib and get him cleared.
PakPassion.net: There are reports out there that suggest Shoaib Akhtar underwent liposuction surgery against you advice. Is that true? If so, why were you against it?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I don?t know where all that came from. Shoaib did not have any liposuction done. He just had some hair implant done and when he came out of the room he jokingly said to a friend that I had liposuction. This is a fact. The doctor that did the hair implant doesn?t even do liposuction. I have no reason to lie to lie to you. Shoaib has retired and I?m running a successful practice. I?ve said it before and I?ll say it again, Shoaib never had the liposuction done. The media ran it as a big story and my name was also dragged into it.
PakPassion.net: Shoaib made a dramatic come back to cricket over the past few months. He even made it to the World Cup. It must have been difficult to prepare him for the matches.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: We started planning for this World Cup over a year ago. He told me that he wanted to play and we started getting him ready for cricket. We knew what his strengths were and worked on his weaknesses. He also consulted with me when it came to his retirement. There was a lot going on in the background and this was the best option.
PakPassion.net: Do you think he should have played in the World Cup matches against Australia and India? Should he have been given a farewell match?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Why not? He was Pakistan?s best bowler. He is still the quickest bowler in the world and the decision to sit him out in those matches is mind boggling. I?ve never understood why he was left out. When you?re going up against a team like India you have to go in with your best players. Shoaib has done very well against the Indians and the Indian batsmen are clearly intimidated by him. Sachin struggled in his inning against Pakistan and he would have been a lot worse had Shoaib been playing.
PakPassion.net: Shoaib?s overall performance in the World Cup was very good. It would have great if not for that one over against New Zealand. If Kamran had held onto those chances then it would have been a different story.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Exactly. If the catches had been held then it would have completely changed things. The bowlers job is to create the opportunities for wickets.
PakPassion.net: But his overall performance in the World Cup was outstanding. Every bowler has a bad over every now and then - but if you look past that over then you?ll see he did a very good job.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I feel he did an outstanding job even with the limited run he got. But when certain people are hell bent on ruining a player then nothing can be done to stop them.
PakPassion.net: Waqar Younis himself was an outstanding fast bowler. If he couldn?t understand what Shoaib was going through then who will?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Waqar Younis is a physically normal person. He could not understand everything that Shoaib went through because Shoaib is not physically normal. I?ve been saying it all my life that Shoaib is physically handicapped. I don?t think that there is any player around that could have played through all the pain that Shoaib played with. I know him very well from the inside and out.
PakPassion.net: We recently spoke to Mohammad Zahid and he was very complimentary about you - he even went as far as to say Shoaib Akhtar owes his career to you. Let?s move on to another fast bowler who was wasted by the board. Mohammed Zahid?s career ended very early due to injuries. Could you tell us a bit about him?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Yes, I was also responsible for Zahid's comeback. In my opinion Zahid was the greatest fast bowler to have ever played cricket. He was not only the greatest, but the quickest ever.
PakPassion.net: Do you think he was a faster bowler than Shoaib?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: I?ve spoken to various players that have played against both Zahid and Shoaib. They all say that they were pretty much even but Zahid at his peak was faster than Shoaib. Brian Lara has also said that Zahid was the fastest bowler when he was at his peak. After Shoaib Akhtar was back on track and playing again for Pakistan, I asked General Zia to start focusing on Zahid. We went looking for him and found him in some village. When Zahid came to us he did not even have spikes to wear. He had to borrow spikes from Shabbir Ahmed to bowl in the nets. Majid Khan was the CEO and I cannot remember who the chairman was when Zahid got injured. In those 5 years they never gave any money to Zahid so he could go for treatment. That was why his career was ruined. General Zia was a great man. He was up to the challenge of putting Zahid?s career back on track. He spent just as much time and effort on Zahid that he did on Shoaib.
In 2002/2003, Zahid made a comeback and was bowling long spells at around 140 km/h. After that series, two bowlers from the team actually apologized to Zahid because they felt he had been kept out because of them. They realized how great a bowler he was. But he never got to play international cricket after that.
PakPassion.net: Why didn?t he play?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: We were in Sharjah and Zahid went to obtain a visa for England, but on his return he got stuck in traffic so he was late to nets, him and Naveed. Javed [Miandad] became angry because of this and didn?t play them. Next day there was a match, but that was the end of his international career.
PakPassion.net: It?s a sad story, to lose such as quality bowler.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He was more than a quality bowler, he was amazing. I?d never seen anything like Mohammad Zahid before ? it looked like he was born to be a runner. When he went swimming, he looked like he was born to swim. When you saw him run, it looked like poetry in motion, it was an amazing sight.
These two boys, Shoaib and Zahid, Alhamdulillah, all of Pakistan?s fast bowlers have trained with me. On tours, I even had the opportunity to work with opposition bowlers, and ours like Sami, Shabbir and Gul. Wahab Riaz, he has grown up in my very hands and I?ve made a big contribution to his cricketing career. But these two guys, Mohammad Zahid and Shoaib Akhtar, they were from another plant. Of course I?m not discounting Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis, I?m not looking to slight them, of course they are legends in their own field. But in express bowling, there is no match for Shoaib and Zahid.
PakPassion.net: When Mohammad Zahid returned after the incident, did no one push, whether that be General Tauqir Zia or yourself, that he should be given another chance?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: General Zia is the one that initially picked him, but the problem was that no one was told he wasn?t to be picked for the next match [for being late]. He wasn?t selected, the tournament was concluded, hype was created and he was dropped in the next series and that was it.
PakPassion.net: Moving on, with respect to Pakistani players? diets, how difficult did you find it to make the players understand what they should and shouldn?t be eating and when?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Very very difficult. Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, these guys were very receptive, to learn new information and understand it. Azhar Mahood is another player who has been treated unfairly. He was very talented and had a lot of potential.
When you talk about diets, to make someone understand, it's difficult and I?ll tell you a story. Once, the team was sitting around and I was explaining why eating bananas was important, their nutritional value and what they contain. One player said ?Dr Sahib, look who is sitting around you?. I replied ?Pakistan?s top stars?. He said ?I?ll tell you who is sitting here ? one is the son of a builder, one is the son of a gardener, one is the son of a welder, one?s father works donkey. You are trying to explain to these guys the benefits of bananas? Just tell them to eat bananas and stop there!? This was the situation so of course it was difficult, but even then the boys never discouraged me ? they cooperated a lot.
PakPassion.net: You are not involved with the team, but are you aware of the Pakistani players following a diet? Do they know how many calories they are consuming in the food they eat and the importance of managing their diet?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No ? they know nothing. The trainers that have come in are B-category, they aren?t certified. I?m not playing politics and trying to pull down the guys who are in, but even now I have the data I compiled in 1999 on the Pakistani cricket. To this day, no one has collated data like that ? I used to speak to individual players for hours long at home so I know individually what their levels are and what they?ve shown.
PakPassion.net: How do Pakistani players compare to those in the rest of the world?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Pakistani players have the most talent. They compete against the world based on sheer willpower. Their training and coaching doesn't compare yet they are their equals, in fact they are better.
There is no equal to Pakistani players and they are pure thoroughbreds. They rely on hard work and willpower, without any facilities. Players from outside countries have but these guys have no access to facilities. General Tauqir Zia built the cricket academy, but before that there was very little.
PakPassion.net: Pakistan offers the potential to train in high peak mountains, at altitude and some quality training can be completed in the northern areas. Why aren?t the players trained in those types of locations?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: The point is, if you do any type of training, it?s effects will last at most two to three weeks. If you complete high altitude training in the northern areas, your red blood cells increase, your stamina and lung capacity increases and you improve. However, when you go and play in another location, your body immediately adapts and within three to four weeks, you come back to square one. So it doesn?t make a big difference ? it does make some, but it?s not the case that you can?t achieve anything if you don?t do it.
PakPassion.net: Quite a few Pakistani players, in particular the fast bowlers, like to smoke. What are your thoughts on this ? have you discussed it with them?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Lots of times. I?m on the panel for the six or seven smoking cessation clinics that have been set up in Pakistan and my hospital is also running a smoking cessation clinic. I fought with Shoaib [Akhtar] many times but these guys have gotten into this habit from a very young age. It?s not the case that it?s just our boys that do it either, other fast bowlers from around the world also smoke.
PakPassion.net: It?s a big achievement for Shoaib to be an express bowler despite being a chain smoker.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Shoaib isn?t a chain smoker, he?s an occasional smoker.
PakPassion.net: You?ve worked with Shahid Afridi and they say he?s very strong. Tell us about him.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He?s strong physically, but his willpower is also very strong. He?s a very good individual, very lively and his approach is very positive. He doesn't believe he can lose and his aim is always to win. In fact, all of the Pathan boys, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, these three are very hard working. Younis Khan is one of the most hard working guys to have played. Umar Gul is very disciplined and very honest. Younis and Gul are both very honest and down to earth boys. Salman Butt too.
PakPassion.net: Salman Butt too?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: It was a conspiracy against Salman Butt. He has been with me since 16 years old and he has grown up in my hands. I will am prepared to swear that he has been wronged and it was a conspiracy against him. He didn?t take any money. The allegation is that ?you were was captain so how could you not know what was going on?. There is no direct charge against him; the charge was that ?you are captain so you must have known?.
PakPassion.net: So what you are saying is that Amir and Asif took the money but Salman Butt didn?t?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No ? that?s not what I?m saying. What I?m saying is that there was a conspiracy against our boys, it is a conspiracy theory. This was to get our boys out of the World Cup.
PakPassion.net: So you are saying it was a conspiracy against the three ? so do you think that the Indian cricket board is involved?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: No, I won?t say that, but in my opinion, they were definitely involved.
PakPassion.net: So you are quite sure the three boys didn?t do anything and it?s a conspiracy.
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Absolutely. I am willing to swear on it. I know the boys. Butt and Asif are children, like children. If an individual had that much money you would be able to see it.
When Suresh Raina was caught talking on the video tape, where did it go? Why didn?t the ICC discuss it? When Shane Warne predicted before the India [vs. England] match would be a draw, then why didn?t the ICC speak? Don?t they see that? Has anyone ever predicted a draw two days before?
Watch the programme by Mubashir Lucman which he presented on gambling and watch that programme and you will understand what is going on and how they got our boys involved.
PakPassion.net: Do you think they will ever return?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: Definitely they will return and I hope and pray for Butt, Asif and Amir to return to play cricket for Pakistan. They are our boys and the life of our Pakistan team.
PakPassion.net: You have worked with fast bowlers ? does Aamir have the potential to bowl greater than 90 miles per hour?
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq: He won?t bowl above 90 miles per hour, but he will be in line with the greatest bowlers the world. When Aamir?s name is mentioned, his name will be in with the greatest bowlers.
Discuss!