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Dr Tauseef Razzaq was appointed as a training and rehabilitation consultant by the PCB for a period of five years. Currently based on Lahore, Dr. Ahmed spoke candidly to PakPassion on his time with the Pakistan team, subsequent events and his close relationship with Shoaib Akhtar.
by Nasser Khan
15th June 2011
Dr Tauseef Razzaq was appointed as a training and rehabilitation consultant by the PCB for a period of five years around 1999. He completed his medical degree in Pakistan and studied sports medicine and exercise physiology in the USA. He has taught Advanced Medical Sciences at Columbia University’s Touro Medical College and has also worked with baseball and basketball players. Although his primary specialty is pulmonary medicine, he also maintains a secondary interest in sports medicine.
Currently based on Lahore, Dr. Razzaq spoke candidly to PakPassion on his time with the Pakistan team, subsequent events and his close relationship with Shoaib Akhtar.
On external input in Pakistani cricket
Input from all circles, whether unwanted or unqualified, has always been identified as a major barrier to individuals performing their specific roles within Pakistani cricket.
The associated lack of autonomy, a by-product of such input, is an issue that was not lost on Dr. Razzaq. He stated that “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. Former cricketers feel they know more about cricket as they have played the game. On the other hand, people, like me, who are educated [and highly qualified], have also played cricket....Interference was the reason I resigned from my position.”
On the management of Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness woes are well documented. However, Dr. Razzaq felt the injuries he suffered were preventable with proper management “He could 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.”
He added “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 favour 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.”
On Shoaib Akhtar’s physical fitness and allegations of chucking
Shoaib’s unique physical attributes and in particular his action have been analysed in detail during his career and Dr. Razzaq surmised his [Shoaib] body was not made for cricket “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 build and some of the muscles in his body are missing, but he still managed to attain speeds of 150+ km/h.
Dr. Razzaq also expressed views on the micro-management required for finely honed athletes – an aspect which would come as a surprise to many followers of Pakistani cricket.
“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 successfully achieve this feat – a record that is still intact”.
He further described the dire situation that faced Shoaib in the run up to the ICC’s verdict on his action in 2006, and the fears within the PCB that a lifetime ban was imminent and the fact that innovative and bold thinking rescued Shoaib Akhtar’s career and cemented the relationship between bowler and trainer.
“Right before the ICC were going to issue a lifetime ban to Shoaib, I mentioned that we can use the concept of biomechanics to our advantage and get Shoaib cleared. 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.
Alhamdulillah, 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.”
Dr Razzaq conceded Shoaib did expect special treatment, but never experienced any issues with him personally “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 2am in the morning to come and train” said Dr Razzaq.
On “doping” scandal and liposuction
Dr Razzaq discussed the situation surrounding the “doping” scandal relating to Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in 2006. He stated that “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. [If that was so] Then what about about Asif? I wasn't associated with him. [Clearly] They unknowingly took the banned supplements. I think the trainer was also unaware of those supplements being banned. 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.”
Dr. Razzaq indicated reports of Shoaib Akhtar undergoing liposuction were false and claimed that the media were not sufficiently robust in their analysis “I don’t know where all that came from. Shoaib did not have any liposuction done.”
On Shoaib Akhtar and the 2011 World Cup
The preparations for the tournament were thorough indicated Dr 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” and Ahmed feels Shoaib should have played against Australia and India “Why not? He was Pakistan’s best bowler. He was still the quickest bowler in the world and the decision to sit him out in those matches is mind boggling. If the catches had been held [against New Zealand] then it would have completely changed things. He did an outstanding job. But when certain people are hell bent on ruining a player then nothing can be done to stop them.”
Given he [Waqar] was an outstanding quick bowler as well, when questioned on whether the Pakistan coach was in a good position to understand what Shoaib was going through he replied “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.”
On working with the the team and other players
When questioned on the issues faced while explaining the importance concepts such as diet to Pakistani cricketers, Dr. Razzaq replied “It’s very difficult. Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, these guys were very receptive towards learning and understanding new information”.
He indicated that the manner of information delivery was important “When you talk about diet, to make someone understand, I’ll tell you a story. Once, the team was sitting around and I was explaining why eating a banana was important, its nutritional value and what it contains. 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.”
He believes the concept of dietary focus is now a point that is lost on the team “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 so I know individually what their levels are and what they’ve shown.”
In comparison to other players around the world, he stated “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. [Unlike] Players from outside countries, these guys have no access to facilities. General Tauqir Zia built the cricket academy, but before that there was very little.”
On the current group of players, he added “He [Afridi] is strong physically, but his will power 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, Gul, Shahid Afridi, are very hard working. Younis Khan is one of the hardest working guys to have played. Umar Gul is very disciplined and very honest. Younis and Gul are both very honest boys”
On the Spot fixing case.
Dr. Razzaq talked about the spot-fixing sting operation against the players “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 am prepared to swear that he has been wronged and it was a conspiracy against him. He didn’t take the money. The allegation is that ‘you were 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’. What I’m saying is that there was a conspiracy against our boys. This was to get our boys out of the World Cup. I am willing to swear on it. I know the boys. Butt and Asif are like children. If an individual had that much money you would be able to see it.”
He added “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?”
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq’s obvious passion for the game and Pakistani cricket shows no signs of abating as, in addition to his general medical practice, he continues to also provide rehabilitation programmes for Pakistani sportspeople on a voluntary basis. No doubt the current crop of Pakistani players would benefit from the unique expertise he offers.
Currently based on Lahore, Dr. Razzaq spoke candidly to PakPassion on his time with the Pakistan team, subsequent events and his close relationship with Shoaib Akhtar.
On external input in Pakistani cricket
Input from all circles, whether unwanted or unqualified, has always been identified as a major barrier to individuals performing their specific roles within Pakistani cricket.
The associated lack of autonomy, a by-product of such input, is an issue that was not lost on Dr. Razzaq. He stated that “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. Former cricketers feel they know more about cricket as they have played the game. On the other hand, people, like me, who are educated [and highly qualified], have also played cricket....Interference was the reason I resigned from my position.”
On the management of Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness woes are well documented. However, Dr. Razzaq felt the injuries he suffered were preventable with proper management “He could 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.”
He added “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 favour 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.”
On Shoaib Akhtar’s physical fitness and allegations of chucking
Shoaib’s unique physical attributes and in particular his action have been analysed in detail during his career and Dr. Razzaq surmised his [Shoaib] body was not made for cricket “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 build and some of the muscles in his body are missing, but he still managed to attain speeds of 150+ km/h.
Dr. Razzaq also expressed views on the micro-management required for finely honed athletes – an aspect which would come as a surprise to many followers of Pakistani cricket.
“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 successfully achieve this feat – a record that is still intact”.
He further described the dire situation that faced Shoaib in the run up to the ICC’s verdict on his action in 2006, and the fears within the PCB that a lifetime ban was imminent and the fact that innovative and bold thinking rescued Shoaib Akhtar’s career and cemented the relationship between bowler and trainer.
“Right before the ICC were going to issue a lifetime ban to Shoaib, I mentioned that we can use the concept of biomechanics to our advantage and get Shoaib cleared. 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.
Alhamdulillah, 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.”
Dr Razzaq conceded Shoaib did expect special treatment, but never experienced any issues with him personally “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 2am in the morning to come and train” said Dr Razzaq.
On “doping” scandal and liposuction
Dr Razzaq discussed the situation surrounding the “doping” scandal relating to Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in 2006. He stated that “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. [If that was so] Then what about about Asif? I wasn't associated with him. [Clearly] They unknowingly took the banned supplements. I think the trainer was also unaware of those supplements being banned. 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.”
Dr. Razzaq indicated reports of Shoaib Akhtar undergoing liposuction were false and claimed that the media were not sufficiently robust in their analysis “I don’t know where all that came from. Shoaib did not have any liposuction done.”
On Shoaib Akhtar and the 2011 World Cup
The preparations for the tournament were thorough indicated Dr 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” and Ahmed feels Shoaib should have played against Australia and India “Why not? He was Pakistan’s best bowler. He was still the quickest bowler in the world and the decision to sit him out in those matches is mind boggling. If the catches had been held [against New Zealand] then it would have completely changed things. He did an outstanding job. But when certain people are hell bent on ruining a player then nothing can be done to stop them.”
Given he [Waqar] was an outstanding quick bowler as well, when questioned on whether the Pakistan coach was in a good position to understand what Shoaib was going through he replied “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.”
On working with the the team and other players
When questioned on the issues faced while explaining the importance concepts such as diet to Pakistani cricketers, Dr. Razzaq replied “It’s very difficult. Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, these guys were very receptive towards learning and understanding new information”.
He indicated that the manner of information delivery was important “When you talk about diet, to make someone understand, I’ll tell you a story. Once, the team was sitting around and I was explaining why eating a banana was important, its nutritional value and what it contains. 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.”
He believes the concept of dietary focus is now a point that is lost on the team “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 so I know individually what their levels are and what they’ve shown.”
In comparison to other players around the world, he stated “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. [Unlike] Players from outside countries, these guys have no access to facilities. General Tauqir Zia built the cricket academy, but before that there was very little.”
On the current group of players, he added “He [Afridi] is strong physically, but his will power 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, Gul, Shahid Afridi, are very hard working. Younis Khan is one of the hardest working guys to have played. Umar Gul is very disciplined and very honest. Younis and Gul are both very honest boys”
On the Spot fixing case.
Dr. Razzaq talked about the spot-fixing sting operation against the players “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 am prepared to swear that he has been wronged and it was a conspiracy against him. He didn’t take the money. The allegation is that ‘you were 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’. What I’m saying is that there was a conspiracy against our boys. This was to get our boys out of the World Cup. I am willing to swear on it. I know the boys. Butt and Asif are like children. If an individual had that much money you would be able to see it.”
He added “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?”
Dr. Tauseef Razzaq’s obvious passion for the game and Pakistani cricket shows no signs of abating as, in addition to his general medical practice, he continues to also provide rehabilitation programmes for Pakistani sportspeople on a voluntary basis. No doubt the current crop of Pakistani players would benefit from the unique expertise he offers.