I belong to a cricketing family. My father Shakoor Rana was a cricket umpire, my Uncles Shafqat, Azmat and Sultan Rana played cricket for Pakistan. My younger brother (Maqsood Rana) also played for Pakistan, so cricket was the big thing in our family.

I'd like to extend a big thank you to Mansoor Rana for taking time out of his busy schedule in the runup to the u19 World Cup to answer the questions asked by PP members. He was supposed to do the interview the day before he flew out to Malaysia but due to technical difficulties that wasnt possible. So he very kindly made time on the day he was due to fly out and rather than giving us a rushed and shallow interview he really went into detail and gave some wonderful answers to your questions!

A special mention and a huge thanks goes out to Adnan Akmal for helping us in arranging this rendevous with Mansoor Rana!

I'd also like to thank the PPers for continually providing us with quality questions which always positively surprise the interviewees who are used to being asked useless masala questions by the media! Mansoor Rana was very impressed with the questions we asked him and said he enjoyed doing the interview because of the quality of the questions!

It really is the quality of the questions asked by PPers that makes PP interviews the best. Thanks to everyone for the joint effort, keep it up!!

PakPassion.Net: What first got you interested in cricket? Family, friends or playing the game?

Mansoor Rana: I belong to a cricketing family. My father Shakoor Rana was a cricket umpire, my Uncles Shafqat, Azmat and Sultan Rana played cricket for Pakistan. My younger brother (Maqsood Rana) also played for Pakistan, so cricket was the big thing in our family.


PakPassion.Net: Tell us about your career as a cricketer.

Mansoor Rana: I played 22 years of FC cricket, i was a batsman and scored more than 12,000 runs with 25 centuries, averaging 42. I played some International cricket under Imran Khan and I used to bowl when I played league cricket in England for 10 or 12 years.


PakPassion.Net: You played 205 FC games averaging 43, with 25 centuries and 71 fifties so clearly you had talent. Why do you think you never got more chances to play for Pakistan? 

Mansoor Rana: The only reason was at that time, I was a middle order batsman and the middle order of Pakistan was Miandad, Saleem Malik, Ijaz Ahmed and Imran Khan himself. So because of that I was unable to break into the team and that was the only reason for it, no other reason than that. 


PakPassion.Net: Well you do have an impressive first class record, so we found it surprising that you didnt get an extended run in the team.

Mansoor Rana: Well it's just one of those things, I was born in the wrong era. In another era things may have been different for me.


PakPassion.Net: How did you get into coaching and what teams have you coached over your career?

Mansoor Rana: I was captain of ZTBL for many years, Saeed Anwar, Yassir Khan, Mansoor Elahi, Shoaib Akhtar and many others played under my captaincy. After retiring as a cricketer I became the coach of the team, ZTBL were the first team I coached. In my first year as coach we won the FC championship. Then I started doing my coaching courses, the courses were certified by Cricket Australia and I did the courses in Malaysia and Thailand...


PakPassion.Net: ...what coaching qualifications do you have?

Mansoor Rana: At the moment I've got Level 2 and Higher Performance in Batting, Bowling and Fielding. I've also done the course where you can coach other coaches too.


PakPassion.Net: That's really impressive because a lot of Desi coaches dont think they need any qualifications to become a coach.

Mansoor Rana: No that's not the right attitude, it's very important to understand what you're doing as a coach. Playing cricket is an entirely different game to coaching cricketers, getting an education in proper coaching techniques is a must for any coach. 


PakPassion.Net: Who did you coach after ZTBL?

Mansoor Rana: I joined the Faisalabad regional team and that was the first time domestic cricket was being played on a regional basis in Pakistan. Misbah Ul Haq was the captain, Naved Latif, Ijaz Ahmed Jr, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez were there too. We won the first class championship, we won the one day competition and we also won the 20/20 Cup. After that we went to England and beat Leicestershire for the World Club 20/20 Championship.


PakPassion.Net: When did you become the u19 coach?

Mansoor Rana: That was in Sept/Oct 2005 and then after we won the 2006 WC, I was given a job as a batting coach with the NCA and I'm still there in between my u19 coaching assignments.


PakPassion.Net: What is it about your coaching style that makes you so successful. Your squads are constantly being chopped and changed, after the 2006 WC you lost all but two of your players and had to rebuild from scratch. Yet you managed to build another strong and powerful team which is beating everyone and are strong favourites for the World Cup. What's your secret?

Mansoor Rana: What really helped me in the beginning was that coaching at u19 level is more like captaining a side than coaching it because the players are not that mature yet. My decade as ZTBL captain as well being captain of my school, college, first class and other teams all meant that I had a lot of experience to fall back on. I also have a good mixture of being authoritative with the players whilst also being friendly and approachable too, they know they can approach me with any issues or problems and that I'll do my best to help. I think it helps that the players are comfortable with me and they know I'm willing to work with them to improve their overall game.


PakPassion.Net: I spoke to Umar Akmal yesterday and he was certainly singing your praises, he said you helped him a lot with his batting, bowling and fielding.

Mansoor Rana: He used to come to the National Academy with his brother Kamran whom I've worked with a lot as a batting coach, so yeah I have worked with Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad a lot.


PakPassion.Net: Who are the best 2 bowlers and the best 2 batsmen you've ever worked with at junior level.

Mansoor Rana: Overall I would say Sarfaraz Ahmed the wicket keeper is an exceptional talent, I really admired his abilities as a keeper and as a captain. Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, and Anwar Ali were great prospects from previous squads. From this present squad you have Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Aamer, Adil Raza, Ali Asad and Usman Salahuddin the batsman. They are all great cricketers.


PakPassion.Net: When coaching cricketers at u19 level are you concentrating on getting them ready for the u19 WC or do you work on flaws in their technique that may affect their potential in the longer version of the game too?

Mansoor Rana: Before they get selected for the Pakistan u19 team they have already gone through a rigorous selection process. They play u19 Inter-District cricket in Pakistan, from there they are selected by regional academies after which a squad of 25 are brought to the NCA. So that's the first time I get a chance to work with batsmen on their techniques and the basics. At the NCA we prepare them to play different types of cricket whether its 1 day cricket or 4 day cricket, we also teach them about the tactical side of the game. I always stress the importance of strike rotation as well as improvisation in the later stages of the game.


PakPassion.Net: After being the best batsman of 2006/07 both in the Patrons Trophy and the Quaid e Azam cup. Then this year being among the top four batsmen, scoring two double hundreds and having a higher average than any other batsman. Do you think Afaq Raheem should have been given chance ahead of some of the others. 

Mansoor Rana: In Pakistan he's considered more a four day player than a limited overs player and therefore he is under consideration for the test side, the next time Pakistan play a test series dont be surprised if he is selected in the squad.


PakPassion.Net: So you thinK Afaq may get a chance in test matches?

Mansoor Rana: He's been recommended to the selectors and they are considering him for test cricket. I know that because I was consulted before the Zimbabwe series and Nasir Jamshed and a few other players were recommended to be given a chance by me.


PakPassion.Net: In your opinion as a coach, who are the best 3 choices for opener for the Pakistan team?

Mansoor Rana: For test cricket I would say Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt and Afaq Raheem.


PakPassion.Net: Yasir Hameed? I like Yasir a lot, he's a great player but he cant stop chasing balls outside the off stump and he keeps getting out in the same way.

Mansoor Rana: Well Pakistani cricket doesnt work the way I would like it to work. When a player is dropped for being out of form, then that player should be sent to the NCA to work on correcting his weaknesses. Especially if a batsman keeps getting out in the same way, he needs to be sent to the NCA to resolve his issues and not just sent back home or back to his domestic team and forgotten about till he is reselected. I think if Yasir Hameed gets some time in the NCA working with coaches like Ijaz Ahmed and Mudasser Nazar then he could really benefit from that and improve his technique.


PakPassion.Net: Who are the fastest bowlers you’ve ever seen in domestic cricket?

Mansoor Rana: Undoubtedly Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed. Azeem Hafeez and Saleem Jaffer were also quite sharp during their time. More recently Shoaib Akhtar, Fazle Akbar and Mohammad Asif...


PakPassion.Net: ...Mohammad Asif? But he only bowls around 80 MPH.

Mansoor Rana: Asif was quite sharp when he first burst onto the domestic scene, it's only recently that he's developed himself into a medium pacer who gets a lot of help off the pitch. I think if he wanted to he could still bowl at a pretty sharp pace.


PakPassion.Net: Is that why Asif used to have such a long runup when we first saw him? Because he was a nippy bowler?

Mansoor Rana: Yes.


PakPassion.Net: Who were the two fastest bowlers that never got to play for Pakistan?

Mansoor Rana: There was a bowler called Saud Khan, he was quite sharp. Then there was Jamshed Ahmed who was nicknamed bola but he didnt play because Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asif Masood were in the team at that time.


PakPassion.Net: What about right now?

Mansoor Rana: Adil Raza and Mohammad Aamer from the u19 squad are both quite pacy bowlers and they can only improve with time, I've no doubt that in the long term they'll become assets for Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: Who did you think was the best U-19 bowler in Pakistan's 2006 Squad (Anwar, Jamshed or Ayub)? 

Mansoor Rana: Ayub was the quickest and most complete bowler of the three but he hasnt performed that well in FC cricket this year


PakPassion.Net: Jamshed Ahmed impressed a lot of people, he was swinging the ball both ways and reminded a lot of people of Wasim Akram. What happened to him?

Mansoor Rana: I think he made the wrong decision when he joined PIA because they already have some good established bowlers and as a result he doesnt get many chances to play. The same with Anwar Ali, he also went to PIA and now neither of them are getting enough chances to bowl and because of that they have disappeared off the radar.


PakPassion.Net: What about Akhtar Ayub, we havent heard much about him either?

Mansoor Rana: He's playing for KRL but he's become an injury prone bowler. He has an action which is very tough on his body, you can get away with that action at youth level where you're only bowling a few overs in one day games but when you play first class cricket it really catches up with you. Bowling 20 to 25 overs a day in a four day game will really wreck your body unless you get your action corrected, Anwar Ali is suffering from the same problem.


PakPassion.Net: What are your thoughts on both Jamshed and Ayub being excluded from the 100 best players in the country and not being selected for the upcoming Pentangular Cup? Surely they are good enough to be amongst the 100 best players in the country?

Mansoor Rana: You've just answered your own question, you said the 100 best players. The best players are those players who've performed in the season, Jamshed and Akhtar havent played much cricket I dont think they have a lot of wickets this season.


PakPassion.Net: What was it like winning the u19 WC?

Mansoor Rana: First of all when we went to the 2006 u19 WC everyone was expecting us to be knocked out in the first stage, there werent any hopes for our team at all. Before that 2006 WC the regional academies had been closed for a year and a half, so they held a camp where they sent me 20 players direct from the Inter-District tournament. Because of that nobody knew anything about these players and in the lead up to the World Cup they had only played 3 matches against the West Indies team. I was really put on the spot and I had to rely on my instincts to pick the right players out of those 20 and try to get the correct combination of players to make a competitive team. In the end it worked, I dont know why it did but it did.


PakPassion.Net: When the Pakistan team were all out for 100 during the final vs India, did you think that the match was lost?

Mansoor Rana: Of course I did, that Indian team had been winning games with their batting. They were scoring 270 against everyone and a total of 100 should have been no problem for them. During the innings break the players were as dejected as I was but being the coach I couldnt show them that i thought we'd lost the match, I had to motivate them. I told them that they had done marvelously well, no-one even expected them to get past the first round but they had reached the final and I told them that I was proud of them all. Then I said I'm giving you 15 overs to either win the match or lose it, you only have 1 and a half hours out there so put all your effort into everything you do. I mentioned to them that with our new ball strength if we can get 2 or 3 early wickets then we'd expose the Indian middle order who hadnt had any batting during the tournament because their top order had been scoring all the runs. I said that if we get those first few wickets early then we have a chance to run through their side, go out there try your best and enjoy yourselves.


PakPassion.Net: When the team came back for lunch with India on 9 runs with 6 wickets down in just 4 overs, what did you say to them then?

Mansoor Rana: By then it had become a game and I knew we still had Akhtar Ayub left to bowl, I took Akhtar to one side and spoke to him individually. I said when we bring you on dont hold back, give them everything you have and when he came on he finished the game in 2 overs!


PakPassion.Net: After the 2006 u19 WC why were so many players who were still u19 dropped? Wouldnt it make sense to keep the same u19 team for the series straight after against India u19? We lost that series because of all the changes!

Mansoor Rana: That was a mistake made by the selection committee, I had a meeting with them and I told them that the Indian team was very strong and that our players were still u19 for another 5 or 6 months. I wanted to play the same u19 team against the touring Indians as the one that had beaten India in the final but I was unsuccessful. Over that u19 series they played 33 different players, so every game we were going in with 5 or 6 changes to the team. I didnt know any of the new players that were selected and in the end we lost that series very badly.


PakPassion.Net: How fast is Mohammad Talha and why was he dropped form the u19 team?

Mansoor Rana: He toured with my u19 team to India before the 2006 WC, he was a lanky fast bowler and he was quite sharp but he had a mixed action which wasnt good for him and that needed to be changed. Also he got injured during the tour as well.


PakPassion.Net: Aaqib Javed seemed very impressed with him.

Mansoor Rana: Yes because Talha was very impressive when he first arrived, Aaqib and everyone else were very excited by him but it was only after his debut that we realised his body was a total mess because of his action. He was very weak and being from a poor family from Faisalabad in the end he couldnt make it.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think there's hope for him to make a comeback in the future?

Mansoor Rana: Well I think he's played a few first class games this year but I dont know if he's corrected his action in his regional academy because after that he never came back to the NCA.


PakPassion.Net: What about Tanveer Zeeshan, what's the latest on him?

Mansoor Rana: Who?


PakPassion.Net: There was a big story doing the rounds during Bob Woolmer's tenure as coach about a raw young fast bowler who impressed Woolmer, Inzi and Mushtaq with his speed, have you heard about him?

Mansoor Rana: Oh yes, I remember. The mobilink company were doing a speed competition and they found him, they brought him to the nets and he bowled really fast but he'd never played any first class cricket or anything. He's gone now.


PakPassion.Net: Umar Akmal mentioned a guy called Mohammad Naved whom he struggled against, Naved has played a few u19 games but was then dropped despite doing well. He's doing really well in the domestic now, why isnt he in the current u19 team?

Mansoor Rana: He was injured for a year and a half and has only just started playing again, I know he's got some wickets recently too. But if Umar Akmal remembers they faced each other at the Gaddafi Stadium and i was also watching that match. The pitch was very grassy that day, Hafeez got a century opening the innings but it was very hard to bat on that pitch, plus batting in the winter in punjab is very difficult...


PakPassion.Net: ...Naved is still 19, any reason why he's not in the current u19 team?

Mansoor Rana: I think the bowlers in the current team are better than him, they're more complete bowlers.


PakPassion.Net: Are you satisfied with the pitches prepared for under 19 level in Pakistan? Do you think they help the development of our junior cricketers?

Mansoor Rana: The u19 season is played around Sept/Oct time so they get good pitches to bat and bowl on, but during the first class season from December upto February that's when it can get difficult for the batsmen in the colder conditions.


PakPassion.Net: Nasir Jamshed is still 19 why isn’t he playing for the u19 team?

Mansoor Rana: I'm sure you're aware of the problem in Subcontinental cricket when it comes to players ages, let's just say the ICC testing is there to ensure all the players are 19 or under.


PakPassion.Net: Imad Wasim, what's so special about him? Why did you choose to build the next u19 team around him?

Mansoor Rana: The main reason was he was the only one from the 2006 squad who was likely to play in the 2008 World Cup too, he's an all-rounder with the qualities of a fighter. He really knows how to fight out there in the middle, that combined with his experience made him the best choice to captain the team.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think a team of the best players from the u19 World Cup could come close to beating an international side in ODI?

Mansoor Rana: No I doubt it, what they lack at this level is the tactical side of them. The senior side of any country will be much more mentally and tactically stronger than these guys.


PakPassion.Net: Who is the most talented player you have coached?

Mansoor Rana: Ahmed Shehzad and Fawad Alam as batsmen. And undoubtedly Sarfaraz Ahmed the wicketkeeper-batsman has to be mentioned here.


PakPassion.Net: You really seem to rate Sarfaraz Ahmed, is he really that good? Future captain for Pakistan maybe?

Mansoor Rana: Yeah definitely he is the best of the lot and definitely he would make a good future captain of Pakistan.


PakPassion.Net: Who should we watch out for in your current squad that we havent heard of? IE; other than Mohammad Aamer, Imad Wasim, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. 

Mansoor Rana: Adil Raza the fast bowler...


PakPassion.Net: ...is he faster then Mohammed Aamer?

Mansoor Rana: No he isnt faster than Aamer but he can swing the new ball like Anwar Ali did, he is a good tall bowler to watch out for.


PakPassion.Net: Any others?

Mansoor Rana: There's Usman Salahuddin who's a batsman, he's a very good improvisor who picks his areas when he wants to hit and his rotation of the strike is excellent. Definitely a match winner. Then there's Ali Asad who's a batsman and wicket keeper, he's quite an amazing cricketer as well.


PakPassion.Net: Have you ever worked with Mansoor Amjad?

Mansoor Rana: A lot, he used to play for my bank ZTBL for a few years when I was there as the coach. He spent a lot of time with Aaqib fine tuning his bowling so I used to concentrate on the tactical side of his game and on his batting...


PakPassion.Net: ...when we saw him in the 2004 World Cup he was a brilliant leg spin bowler but these days he's more of a batsman than a bowler, do you know why this change took place?

Mansoor Rana: I think it's down to the team he was playing for, the Sialkot region, they didnt let him bowl much because they already had Abdul Rehman. Plus they had Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved Ul Hasan so he didnt get much of a chance to bowl, plus he was always more into batting than bowling. He always enjoyed his batting more than his bowling and now as you've pointed out he is more of a batsman than a bowler.


PakPassion.Net: That's a real shame because we really could have used a quality legspinner in the Pakistan team.

Mansoor Rana: Exactly.


PakPassion.Net: Who is the best legspinner in domestic cricket?

Mansoor Rana: At the moment, there isnt one.


PakPassion.Net: Have you heard of a guy called Hidayatullah Khan? We've heard good things about him.

Mansoor Rana: I dont know about him, I have heard the name but not much is spoken about him yet so I dont know.


PakPassion.Net: What's the biggest stumbling block to the U-19's making it into the Pakistan Team? Despite winning 2 successive WC's at U-19 level we have hardly promoted any of them 

Mansoor Rana: Well Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif, Sarfazraz Ahmed and Fawad Alam have just played recently. You have to realise that you cant just change the whole team overnight, at the most 3 or 4 players will change every couple of years. You cant keep making wholesale changes.


PakPassion.Net: How do you see Pakistan cricket after 10 years?

Mansoor Rana: I think it will be much more organised, the players will be mentally tougher just because of the regional academies system in Pakistan. The recent introduction of coaches, trainers and physios for every region will have a big effect on the development of players at the grass root level. We have a whole system in place now to nurture the players of the future.


PakPassion.Net: So these things are already in place?

Mansoor Rana: Yes they are but they only started this year, plus 5 centres of excellence will be introduced either this year or next year. A lot more grounds will be built in Pakistan even in more remote areas of the country and I'm sure that the cricketers coming through in 5 or 6 years time will be a lot better because of these facilities.


PakPassion.Net: Why do you think Pakistani fast bowlers keep on getting injured. We haven't had a first choice line up for years.

Mansoor Rana: There's too much cricket and more than that it's the sense of insecurity amongst international players. It was especially bad before the Central Contracts system was introduced because players would play through niggles and injuries rather than admit they were injured. If they admitted to being unfit or injured they couldnt be sure if they would get a game and that would mean they would lose out on match fees and without a central contract that would mean they werent really getting paid anything. So it was this insecurity that made players with niggles continue to play and then get injured because of it.


PakPassion.Net: Do you think the central contracts system has helped?

Mansoor Rana: Yes of course it has, if I'm a centrally contracted player then I will be conscious of the fact that I need to keep myself fit and keep up my performance in order to ensure that I keep my central contract for the next year.


PakPassion.Net: You've been a very successful coach at domestic and u19 level already, do you see yourself coaching the Pakistan senior team in a few years?

Mansoor Rana: I've never really considered the possibility yet because I dont feel I have all the professional qualifications I would need for the job, maybe after I get my Level 3 then I would be willing to look into the possibility. I wouldnt want the job now before I've got my level 3 and have people questioning my appointment and asking why I'm the coach of an International team and I dont have the necessary qualifications.


PakPassion.Net: ...are you doing your level 3 now, if so when are you due to complete it?

Mansoor Rana: It's due to happen in April after I return from the World Cup, the qualification is from Cricket Australia through the PCB. Only then I may be interested in the opportunity if it comes up in a few years.


PakPassion.Net: Again it's refreshing to hear that you want to be properly qualified for the job and another benefit would be that many of the players in the senior team would have already worked with you at junior level and you would already know their strengths and weaknesses.

Mansoor Rana: Yes I'm sure that would benefit both me and the players but as it stands I have already worked with most of the current team, Mohammad Yousuf made his debut under me. It would definitely be an honour for me to coach the national side.


PakPassion.Net: Given your record, i cant think of a better choice locally. 

Mansoor Rana: Thank you


PakPassion.Net: If your u19 team win the World Cup then do you think it would be a good idea for them to play the winners of the Pentangular Cup when they return?

Mansoor Rana: Yeah that would be good, we played the A team last year and we played the A team again during our preparation. If not the Pentangular team then I'd like them to play the Pakistan u21 side that way they can play against most of the players of the previous World Cup, they're playing regular first class cricket so a series with them would be good. 


PakPassion.Net: Thank You very much for taking the time out to do this interview, it's been very interesting and Insha Allah you'll bring the u19 World Cup home again.

Mansoor Rana: Well it's been a pleasure talking to you too, you have a lot of cricketing knowledge and you know a lot of interesting things about Pakistani cricket. Thanks for the good luck, Insha Allah we'll do our best.