Aaqib Javed - Pakistan pre-match press conference, 26 Feb '25
[Reporter:]
There are always wins and losses in games, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. What will you tell the Pakistan public? Wins and losses are two words – but loss and only loss? Whatever last few international events that have taken place, ICC events – there was the 92’ World Cup, 2009 World Cup and the Champions Trophy – whenever we think of this, we have not seen such defending by this team. You were a defending champion; what will you tell the public? Any excuse?
[Aaqib Javed:]
There are not excuses in like and there shouldn’t be any. Like if you will see this team, before the match we all are hopeful and back the team also, but when the team plays and we don’t get favourable results, then the player who did not perform well will be the most disappointed. It’s obvious they are also hurt; they are also sorry about it. The message to the nation is that you can try and we can try to improve our team. There is no other solution. Tomorrow is another match. We will try to help them. Because in India and Pakistan, there are many things involved in the defeat and victory. You get emotionally hurt. The players are much more disappointed than any of you here. But we will try to improve the things that are lacking. Because in such matches – we definitely miss our impact players. We didn't defend them well. It's my own opinion, because all the matches that are happening in this tournament, they are all high scoring. We were at such a stage where we could have scored a big total, which we were thinking of, a total of 280 or 300, then we could give a good fight. There were lapses, the way the inning was being built, we were going that way and could get a good total. But - when the total is 240 and you see that they have a long experience of batting, then when you go to take wickets, you have to attack. Because you can't defend these 240 runs in 50 overs. You could have just taken their wickets. So, at such times then you wonder what kind of bowling is this? Why isn't he bowling on line and length? So, when you don't get the total number of runs that you should have – then you go for an extra attack, in such games – the result can go both ways.
[Reporter:]
What are the shortcomings? Lack of confidence or lack of knowledge?
[Aaqib Javed:]
You must be talking about knowledge of cricket. You must be talking about the education of cricket, the knowledge of the game. Obviously, when you lose a match or you are not playing good cricket, one of the things is that you are not able to play the power game. And second is that you don't have that kind of match awareness. Everything clubbed together only can make you win. It’s not possible that you just run, run, and make yourself fit - you need awareness and you should improve your skill level.
[Reporter:]
Tell us, your job of selection and coaching, were you satisfied with the team selection and performance? Where did it lack? Were you satisfied with all that?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Look, you can never be satisfied because why do we all work? What do we try to achieve? We want to win right, who can be satisfied by losing? But if you look at it, it was a process of our selection or coaching. This team started in Australia, there the conditions were different, they performed well there. They went to South Africa, and won the One Day Series for the first time in history. Then from there they came to Pakistan for this tournament – now you have particular players which are very important for you in a particular game. Let's say, like there is Saim or Fakhar, they are such players who put a positive impact in a game. Because of their absence, your options go the same way. It is not possible that your main players, like if Bumrah is not playing with India, then there is no other bowler like Bumrah in the Indian team. Or if your top players like Kohli or Rohit Sharma are not in the team, then you won't get the same type of player so quickly. So definitely this is more or less the same team who played in Australia and South Africa. The players who have been changed, have been changed because of their injuries, and were replaced by new players.
[Reporter:]
There was some rule – Jason Gillespie said there were two players – he was surprised that they were not selected. Niazi and Sufiyan – that they should have been there in the Pakistan team…
[Aaqib Javed:]
See you spoke about Niazi and Sufiyan. Niazi – if we talk about Australia or South Africa – till now he has played only one match. Many times, we mix T20 and one day cricket performances. Niazi is a wonderful talent but till now he has not played so many matches in one day cricket. He has played 8-9 matches and none of his performances are noteworthy. Not even one of his innings is like that where you will say that we are missing Niazi. If you open up his stats, you will see that he did not create any impact. Tayyab Tahir came to Zimbabwe and showed an impact. He also played well in a few South African matches.
Similarly, due to Sayan's unfitness, we had to bring Khushdil. The reason is that in one-day cricket, you cannot go with five bowlers. You have to build a combination of seven batsmen and four bowlers. When Sayan was there, he used to bat and bowl five or six overs also. When he was not there - if you do a little research, the amazing performance Khushdil Shah has put up in cricket in the last 1.5 years, there is no comparison. It’s not that he was closest replacement to Saim. Our job as a selection committee is to provide the best replacement. If we talk about Sufiyan, we did give him a match in South Africa. And he has only one match so far. Besides that, based on his potential we took him for the T20 and then he came to Zimbabwe and he gave a very good performance - so we dropped Qasim Akram and preferred him and took him to South Africa for one day. There he played only one match and even till now - he has not played any List A match or any first-class match. Even when he played his last one-day match - we had given rest to Abrar and though that as this player has come on tour, at least he should play once. So, we know – we only got him, and we know where you can fit in which player.
[Reporter:]
You spoke about game mentality, you spoke about Bumrah not being there, and Virat Kohli not being around and there's a second line of thing. What is the difference between the two teams that we are seeing in ICC tournaments in particular, do you think that with Pakistan the second line of the young bunch of cricketers are somehow not being able to compliment to the seniors - in case they have a bad day, like seniors have a bad day in the office. Do you think that lack of experience is somehow hurting them?
[Aaqib Javed:]
I mean look, when Pakistan India is playing, it's not only cricket, it's more than that. You need a lot of experience. I can share with you the numbers. The numbers are like this Indian team was the most experienced. They have altogether almost 1500 games together. And Pakistan is on the bottom, less than around 400 games. If you look at the players, like Babar - he is the only one who's played more than 100 games, then Rizwan, and then Shaheen. The rest of them have less than 30 matches. Tayyab played like 8, Khushdil 15 - Imam was coming back in the team. So, I think the main thing when nothing works when you are talking about more than a game, then the experience counts. There is no doubt. We lost against them but there was a lack of experience definitely in the team. New guys, when the pressure comes on to you, then it's difficult for the new guys to actually tackle.
[Reporter:]
If we talk about big events, the ICC World Cup – we had the same performance. The same performance in the T20 World Cup in America. The chairman said that surgery is needed, it will be changed. Pakistan is hosting a big event, on the 6th day, they got out of the event. Don't you think that the team that should have been formed, has not been formed. There is a lot of trolling on social media, that there was no understanding between the coach and the captain. There was a lot of fight over selection. Can you please brief us on that?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Look, you are talking about the fact that there was no understanding between the coach and the captain. If you make a team again, what team will you make? Everyone is talking about it, why this player came. So, when we say that okay, we see in selection and the numbers I am talking about, you can open them and see. What is our job as a selector? To choose the best possible - the person who has given the best performance. Now people are talking about Sufiyan, so if you Google Sufiyan you will see – he has played one match and everyone is making noise that if this kid would have been there - Pakistan would have won the match. We are saying that this was our best possible team. Bringing in Saud was necessary because he was a better option against spin in these conditions, on these pitches. He had the capacity to tackle the spin and play long innings. There is no player in this team who has not performed. Saud performed in Test matches, he also performed in South Africa. Kamran Ghulam also performed well in South Africa. So, this is the bunch who recently performed. You will not see a single player who has got into the team without performance or without getting into that composition.
[Reporter:]
You just said that the Pakistan team has shown a good performance in South Africa and won in Australia. So, there were high hopes from Pakistan. Now we are talking about the selection and the new players. The senior players like Babar Azam, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem, Haris Rauf, they are not able to show such performances. New players are expected to perform or not, but the seniors are not able to perform. Don't you think that they are not able to show the same quality in their game and the main reason for Pakistan's loss is that they are not able to perform?
[Aaqib Javed:]
You are absolutely right. A person who is not playing on the ground and who is not part of the management group – he wants a reason. Why did the Pakistan team lose – give us a reason, that it is because of these 1 – 2 – 3 people that Pakistan lost the match. Thats why this team is losing. As far as you are talking about Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem and Haris, our thought to make this team was to make the best possible 11 or 15. There is no doubt that Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris, these three bowlers, if you write the names of any other team's fast bowlers, and put them in front of these three - they are one of the best fast bowling options. Apart from Babar, what other options do you have? You always say that if the team has lost, change the team. This is the most inexperienced team already. There are not 400 matches made altogether. Some have 15, some have 24. You are saying Naseem is the most experienced and senior player. Look at his numbers, how many matches he has played. 25 matches. Haris has played 43 matches. Shaheen has played about 70 one day matches. For me this is the biggest shock – that we are telling a person who has played only 25 matches - that these are most senior people and they have not performed. Yes, they are very talented. If you look at their records, it is not that they have not performed well ever. They have been doing well. Particular day, even from the tri- series till now, we have not been able to perform like that. This is a fact. High scoring runs are being made. At times, I am also seeing that in every match, 70 scores will be scored, 80 scores will be scored. When the average score here is 350, then the bowlers who have to bowl in the end, it will come on their head right.See, everyone knows why we are talking about them. We had expectations from them. If we do not have Saim, Fakhar in our team, whom do we look at? Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris. These are the five players who people rate highly.
[Reporter:]
So, did they perform according to your expectations?
[Aaqib Javed:]
No, they did not, that is why they lost. But you can't say that these five players shouldn’t be in the team, or they shouldn’t be at the top.
[Reporter:]
But the problem is there is no improvement.
[Aaqib Javed:]
Improvement – as a player you have to bring improvement. No one can stop that process. What do you think, when I sit outside and make a team - everyone has a desire, but when you play on the ground, that is when you have to give a good performance. That is the reason teams lose, because their main players don't strike.
[Reporter:]
You have told us that they have played very few matches, so their experience is less than the other players. But our campaign in the last four tournaments, the Asia Cup of 2023 in Sri Lanka, India's ODI World Cup, America World Cup, and this Champions Trophy. It is not necessary that after playing 300 matches, only then Shaheen, Babar, Rizwan, or Naseem will make us win matches. In this country, Najaf Shah did not come back after playing a couple of matches. Look at Salim Ilahi's career, look at Wajahat Ullah Wasti’s career, look at Asim Kamal's career - In this same Rawalpindi’s stadium we lost two matches to Bangladesh, and you sent the entire team home, and then we saw some improvement in the team - even though it was a spin advantage. So, is the benchmark now that for the next 200 matches they will sadden us, the entire nation, the board? Because we cannot say that they are not playing well because they have only played 50 matches. And another question - Michael Atherton has also debated this. As a coach, I don't want to take an excuse from you - as a coach, what do you feel that India has an advantage, they have one hotel, one bedroom, one bus, one venue. Is that thing favouring them in Dubai? What is your assessment?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Look, they are sitting in Dubai for a reason. So, if they are only having matches in Dubai for a reason, then definitely you will play on one pitch, on one ground, you will have an advantage. But we didn't lose because they had an advantage of a hotel or a pitch. For us, it was not a new pitch, nor did they play 10 matches on that pitch before we came.
Secondly, all the names that you have taken, all of them are failures. They played 2 matches, 3 matches, 4 matches, 5 matches. We don't want to do it that way - in anger – because we lost this one game. Now, this team of yours, they won the series in Australia. They did something that has never happened in South Africa. For us or for any other Asian team - the most difficult task is winning a series in Australia or South Africa. After that, when you come to Pakistan, we think that these are our home grounds, we have to perform better here. Now we were not able to perform there. What is the reason for that? The reason is that in a match where you have played in Dubai – In all India and Pakistan matches – the skill and talent is left behind – on the day how you handle the pressure the best - that team will win that day. If you can handle the pressure and do what you have to, then that team will win.Now what is to be done next? Next - We will do what is best for the team. Now everyone’s demand is that – now we have lost the match against India, but tomorrow there is another match. For you all are stuck to that India match, keep talking about it, but our job is –
[Reporter:]
In the last 4 tournaments – the emotion of the public is that this team is not being able to touch the modern-day requirement. But you are saying that the matches they have played are less, so maybe we will play 300 matches and touch that stage?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Now see what we can do in this. How many new boys have we put in? We have put in, Some have played 8, some have played 9. We are trying to bring in such players that helps improve your team. There is no other solution. Now we can't do this that we change the entire team and bring in the under -19 players. So, this is the team. Events are in their place. Cricket is in their place. Now I feel that some of the players have played better cricket now than the last 3-4 months. Improvement has started to come. If this match was not against India, then maybe we would not be so sad today. Because our feelings and emotions get hurt a lot. I always respect every journalist, every critic who sits on the TV – our ex-cricketers. Because they are doing their own job. We have a job to do - we will keep putting in our effort – and our job is that we have to go and prepare the players and ourselves for tomorrow's match.
[Reporter:]
All the players are playing well, but they haven't lost a match only against India. They have lost their first match against New Zealand. Why does Pakistan's performance get affected by mega events? Why do our batting and bowling lines get under pressure? And why also specifically against India? Is there a lack of strategy? Or is there a psychological pressure? And do our players need psychological counselling?
[Aaqib Javed:]
India and Pakistan’s mega event story is very old. I have also played in two – in 92 we won the World Cup, but not against India. Even in 1996. I think this is the only event – the miracle that they achieved in the 50 overs match in the Champions Trophy. No one else has been able to do it. Definitely, it's not only cricket. The planning is not done only in matches against India, but in every match. We think of mental toughness, psychological lectures, or treatments. It's nothing like that. It's a skill. After that you need belief. You need to sustain the pressure. These are the things you need. Definitely, matches against India have more pressure, and I think we don't deal well with it emotionally. We get under pressure. So definitely that is one factor.
[Reporter:]
Actually, I want to know that this is Bangladesh versus Pakistan, this is the last match for both teams. What do you think about this match and Bangladesh couldn't win so far - is it a prestigious match or interesting match?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Thank God you are the one who is moving forward. I mean look, when it comes to cricket, the outsiders mainly only focus on particular games. For a player, if you monitor something, what is going on here, what is going on there, every game brings lot of pressure. Because when you walk to bat, nothing is easy. The whole way you start from zero and look - this is Champions Trophy, this is not a World Cup, this is nothing pre-qualification or lesser teams. The top 8 best teams are playing the Champions Trophy. Tomorrow’s game is as important as any game because once you are down, you want to make a mark and come back in life and I would say it is a very important day tomorrow and this is how we going to work hard looking towards tomorrow's game and moving forward.
[Reporter:]
As all my friends have just said that in the last three ICC events, we didn't just lose matches, we were the first team to exit the tournament. We also lost to the associate teams. One thing that is said everywhere is that we play outdated cricket, we play old-fashioned cricket. Now, where the teams make 350 runs, most of the time our score is 250. Dot balls is a big issue, even in the last match we had 147 dot balls. There were also some news that you have scolded some players in this regard. Is it true? And secondly, you had told us about a spin formula that they will lose. So, as an interim head coach, do you have any formula in your report regarding modern day cricket?
[Aaqib Javed:]
See, first of all, I don't scold the players at all. Because in our culture, the teacher scolds, beats, the coach scolds, abuses. I don't believe in this. I respect players. You can help them. You can make them practice whatever they want. I am not the one who can scold people or say anything to them. Second thing, you said that we are not playing modern day cricket. We mix things up – Like in the T20 World Cup – 220 is a far-off target - we were not even scoring 120. So, overall, if you talk about cricket - there we scored 150 – 125 – there was no need to do 250. So, overall, we have to improve our game, and for that we need consistency. Consistency in your cricket board, consistency in every aspect. Because if you look at the past 4-5 years, the changes that have come to the Cricket Board, until you will not let a policy run for long term, you will not get consistency. We talk about the players; we compare them with other teams. You should compare the board also – until you don’t become consistent, till you don’t let a policy run for a long term, it will be difficult.
[Reporter:]
The way you are laughing, the topic has changed. The nation also wants to laugh like this - who will take the responsibility?
[Aaqib Javed:]
I am taking it. Whatever it is, this responsibility is mine. And you can ask me any question.
I will be the last one – I was never a job seeker before and will never be one. If people think that I should continue this work and I can contribute in it, then I will do it. Even if I don't, I do never-ending things in life. I do things as per my will.
[Reporter:]
All the questions have been on what was done, and what happened. But no one is talking about the technicality. In the last match, there was no footwork. Which should have been there. And Pakistan's batting is always based on footwork. And when you don't use your footwork against spinners, you don't play aggressive, then you don't see that. The most important thing is to talk about technical issues. Because tomorrow's match is against the spinners. The last match was also against spinners. Even in future your matches are against spinners –
[Aaqib Javed:]
The selection of the team is an indication of the type of team you are making and the type of challenges you are facing. You would not have seen Saud in teams playing against South Africa or Australia. The reason for bringing him was that he tackles the spin very well. So now, everyone tries to teach everyone, but some people are specialized against different skills and different ballers. Definitely we had a lag in between –
[Reporter:]
And it is still there - the game of awareness is very important. The way Saud and Rizwan – I asked you the same question in Dubai, that when you need to rotate the strike, you don't rotate, you take yourself in a shell. And because of that mistake –
[Reporter:]
First of all, I have two questions. One is about Pakistan, one about Bangladesh. The legendary fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, said during a television show that Pakistan cricket has no talent. Do you agree with him? And my second part of the question is you yourself are a great pace bowler. And what about your opinion about Bangladeshi pace bowling, especially Nahid Rana?
[Aaqib Javed:]
Look whatever the people are saying, the ex-cricketer, they have all the right to make their comments. But if you ask me, I watched Bangladesh fast bowlers bowling against Pakistan here, the way they bowled in West Indies. I think they have very skilful fast bowlers, especially Nahid Rana, he's got height, he's got pace, Taskin is a very skilful bowler, another one, Mustafiz, very experienced, he's got all the varieties. So, I think probably, even Pakistani bowlers, I don't know from which angle they are saying, but if you ask me, Shaheen, Haris, Naseem, one of the best options for the future, even today. So why not? What is talent? Talent is what - When you are talking about fast bowling. Pace - three of Pakistani bowlers when you Google is written - right arm, left arm, fast means they got pace, 145 plus and they got variety, they got skills. So, I am very hopeful and I am glad that even the Bangladeshi fast bowlers are coming good.