From the heady heights of being labelled as Pakistan's saviour to being sidelined by the appointment of a new coach - Pakistan's ex Coach Mohsin Hasan Khan has seen it all.
A swashbuckling opening batsmen in his playing days, Mohsin Khan was thrust in the limelight in his most recent role as Pakistan's coach deemed responsible for an incredible 3-0 victory against the Worlds No 1 Test side England. However, his period of fame did not last long as he was replaced by the new Head Coach Dav Whatmore within weeks of the Pakistani victory in the UAE.
In an exclusive and frank chat with PakPassion.net, Mohsin Khan spoke about his role as Pakistan's coach and also shared his disappointment at the events leading to his removal from that post.
By Saj Sadiq (15th March 2012)
PakPassion.net : You were head coach of the Pakistan team during series wins over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and an impressive record breaking Test series whitewash over England. How would you sum up your tenure as coach?
Mohsin Khan : There's one thing that I would firstly like to make clear to everybody and that is that I was only supposed to be the interim coach for the Sri Lanka series which was my first series as head coach.
Towards the end of the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE where we had done pretty well, I was asked by the PCB before we departed from UAE directly to Bangladesh, that they wanted me to continue for the series in Bangladesh. The PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf when he was in the UAE during the series against Sri Lanka was very complimentary and very appreciative of the efforts of everyone in the squad and gave very complimentary remarks to the team and to myself and the backroom staff.
Mr Ashraf then said to me that he would like me to go to Bangladesh as coach. I said to him that I felt uncomfortable because there has to be a relationship between the players and the coach where mutual parties know that they are going to be working together for at least a year or two, instead of an uncertain tenure. I also said to the Chairman that the coach needs some sort of assurance and timescales so that he can plan his future strategies, rather than just being appointed on a series by series basis which is never ideal or comfortable for the players or the coach.
The Chairman agreed with what I had to say to him and asked me to proceed as the coach to Bangladesh and told me that we would finalize our plans on our return from Bangladesh when there was a gap before the series against England.
I thought about what the Chairman had stated and decided that if my cricket board wants me to carry on then I would continue offering my services, so I carried on for the tour of Bangladesh.
The series against Bangladesh went very well and we won all of the matches there. Then the announcement was made that the PCB would be advertising the role of coach and were asking for applicants to come forward.
Once the announcement was made that the job would be advertised, I thought that was that and my services as coach would no longer be needed. I reflected on what we had achieved and thanked the Almighty that everything had gone well in a high pressured and very challenging role.
But even after the announcement of the vacancy there was uncertainty surrounding the appointment and whether I would be given the role on a permanent basis or whether another individual would be appointed.
Then the PCB asked me to continue for the series against England in the UAE. I responded by stating to the Board that it's not ideal for someone to be appointed on a series by series basis, especially against tough opposition like England and after the disappointing events and controversial series of 2010 in England. I stated to the Board that if you want to appoint me for the extremely tough series against England, then why not appoint me on a long term basis. The PCB responded by telling me that they had not yet finalized their plans regarding a permanent appointment, despite mine and the team's success, and they said to me that they wanted me to continue for the series against England.
I gave a lot of thought to what the PCB had suggested for the series against England. Many of my friends, family and well wishers suggested to me to not take on the series against England without a long term contract. Anyway after a lot of thought I took on the challenge and I said to my friends and family that if my cricket board wants me to coach the team for the series against England and that they are suggesting that I might be the coach for the series against England, then I am ready to do the job for my country. So even though it was a very difficult decision to make, I took on the challenge and I mentally prepared myself for the series against Engalnd for the sake of my country.
The England Test series was just incredible. The team took off like a supersonic jet. Nobody anywhere expected us to defeat England 3-0 in the Test series. All the players gave everything, they were so determined, they were so motivated. All the pre Test series planning with the captain went so well. Our main focus was to make it clear to the boys that Pakistan cricket had gone through some very tough times recently and that it was our duty to portray Pakistan cricket and Pakistanis in a positive light. We reiterated to all of the players that the PCB were doing their utmost off the field to bring cricket back to Pakistan and that it was our duty to perform well on the field and show the world that Pakistan cricket cannot be ignored. Let's show the world that the mistakes made by some of the players in 2010 in England do not reflect all Pakistanis and does not accurately reflect Pakistan cricket. The message was clear to the team, let's do something for Pakistan.
I said to the team that winning or losing wasn't something that they should worry about. What I wanted from them was a fighting spirit and for them to give their all from the first ball of the Test match to the last delivery. The other motivation for all of us was that we were up against the number one ranked team and it was our chance to gauge ourselves against them. The way the captain and all of the players responded in the Test series against England was just outstanding. It was fantastic to see the players so charged up and motivated!
The bonding during the Test series against England was superb. Whether it was team meetings or informal chats or team meals, the spirit was just magnificent and that clearly shone through during the 3 Test matches. There were no disciplinary problems off the field throughout the tour and credit has to go to the players and the management for that, particularly the team manager Naveed Akram Cheema. On the field discipline was my domain and once again there were no problems at all.
It was a special moment when we wrapped up the Test series 3-0. It was a historic moment for Pakistan cricket and the cricketing world was totally shocked. Our team which had a few stars, had beaten a team full of stars.
I'm very proud of my achievements as the coach and I thank the Almighty for this. I achieved so much as the coach in the 3-4 months that I was in charge.
Coming to the one day and Twenty20 series against England, it was beyond my imagination as to how badly it went. I still cannot believe what went wrong during those matches. The spirit, the body language, the killer instinct, it all just disappeared in a matter of a few days. It was incredible! It was the same venues, almost the same group of players, almost the same opposition. The same team that was flying high a few days earlier, was just so deflated. When we lost the first One Day International (ODI), I thought it happens and put it down to the players adjusting to the format and no doubt the opposition was very good. That first defeat was, in my view, a good wakeup call and I thought we would bounce back, but then things just got worse.
I actually thought we had a stronger combination in the shorter formats than in the Test series compared to England. After each defeat against England I was just getting more and more depressed as I could not understand why the body language and performances were so poor in the one day internationals and the Twenty20 matches.
Overall regarding my tenure as coach I speak with you as a very proud man and I'm thankful to the Almighty and all the supporters of Pakistan cricket who prayed for us, and of course I am very thankful to the players who responded tremendously and worked so hard with me, it has been a dream come true to have worked with such talented boys. It was also a dream come true for me to be their head coach.
PakPassion.net : How difficult was it for you and the team to maintain their focus during the series against England, with all the stories coming out regarding you being replaced as the coach?
Mohsin Khan : It was a very difficult time. First of all you are up against the number one team and then during the Test series all the stories regarding the new coach started to come out. We of course all had access to the Pakistani television channels in our hotel rooms and it was very disturbing in the sense that it was killing the joy of winning against the number one team. It wasn't like that just for me, it was like that for the whole unit, all 25 people, the support staff, players and management.
We had a great atmosphere between all of us and we were all very close and these stories were not helping in any way at all. It was not heartening at all.
We were watching the stories of me being replaced as head coach on the television and that the PCB were opting for a different head coach. On the other hand there were stories on the television that I would see that the PCB had not finalized the position of head coach. It felt like it was a cat and mouse game being played.
In the end I tried my best to blank out the rumors and concentrate on the cricket. I just thought about giving my best to the role and not to think about whether I was going to be offered the role on a permanent basis and just concentrated on giving my all to the job that I was asked to perform by the cricket board.
We turned it around and the rumors actually acted as a motivation for myself and the team during the Test series, but it was far from ideal and was not easy.
PakPassion.net : During the discussions you had with the Chairman Zaka Ashraf, what was said to you regarding the role of coach and your chances to get the job on a permanent basis?
Mohsin Khan : Mr Ashraf asked me in a convincing manner to go to Bangladesh with the team after the series against Sri Lanka. I was honored by the fact that the Chairman had asked me and he was also very appreciative of mine and the team's efforts in the UAE during the series against England. It was all very encouraging and his words of appreciation gave me a lot of energy to put more effort towards the job.
Nobody expects to be coach forever ! If the PCB had said to me that this is your last series as coach and they would be appointing somebody else regardless of whether we win or lose the England series, I would have said great, no problem. But instead it was always a case of statements from the PCB that nothing had been decided yet.
PakPassion.net : You were eventually overlooked for the role of coach, despite your great rapport with the team and the very good results. How do you feel about being overlooked and how the matter was dealt with?
Mohsin Khan : After the wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and then the tremendous Test series victory over England, I started to feel that probably my cricket board might appoint me as head coach on a permanent basis.
I had some wonderful plans for the future because I knew that this team needs a few changes. Not only the personnel, but on the technical side also. My plans when I returned to Pakistan after the series against England were to speak to the PCB about appointing a South African or Australian fielding coach and to appoint a South African or Australian trainer, because I felt that those areas had let us down and would continue to let us down in the future. I felt that we had some problems with the fitness of some of the players and some serious fielding problems that needed sorting out.
I felt that we needed to induct fresh blood into the squad, 6 to 8 players in or around the squad, players with good levels of fitness. Sadly from a young age our boys do not focus on their fielding too much.
I wanted to speak with the Chairman about the aforementioned and to suggest a long term plan for the improvement of the fitness levels of the Pakistani cricketers and the fielding standards. The plans also involved some of the Pakistan Cricket Board's trainers and fielding coaches going overseas and working with the best trainers and coaches or vice versa if possible, to enhance their skills and spread their knowledge to other fitness trainers and fielding coaches in Pakistan. That way the knowledge would spread and we would not have to rely upon overseas fitness trainers and coaches in future.
Let me make it clear to everyone that I would be the last person to run after the job of head coach until my cricket board willingly wants me to do the job and if they feel that somebody else will do a good job on behalf of Pakistan cricket then I welcome that and I wish the Pakistani players and the new coach and the selection committee, the very best for the future. I hope that they do a tremendous job for Pakistan cricket.
PakPassion.net : You touched upon earlier in the interview your shock of the below par performances in the one day and twenty20 series. What do you put those poor performances and the poor body language down to?
Mohsin Khan : The people who understand the game of cricket and were watching what was happening can judge it for themselves. They probably know!
PakPassion.net : What are your plans for the future. Have the PCB been in touch, have they offered you any other role?
Mohsin Khan : So far, nobody from the PCB has been in touch with me. I've heard a few rumors that the PCB has got some plans for me in mind, so let's wait and see. My services are always there for my country and it's cricket, but it has to be with honor and dignity at the right place.
I passed on a message to the PCB that I did not want to be Chief Selector or be involved on the selection side any longer. Now it's down to the PCB to see what plans they have for me. My theory is simple, I think that you should only do a job if you enjoy it and that way it means that you work with sincerity and you give it your full efforts. I would not want to be in a role that I do not enjoy and therefore do not give it my all.
