With his former charges preparing to do battle against Sri Lanka under the eyes of his successor, Dav Whatmore, the affable Mohsin Khan spoke to PakPassion.net about his views on the format of the series and his confidence in the Pakistani team despite facing Sri Lanka at home.

By Nasser Khan (30th May, 2012)

Mohsin Khan was chief selector when he took over the reigns as interim coach of Pakistan in October 2011 and held the position for six months. During this time, Pakistan experienced a period of success, including a famous Test series whitewash of England and defeat of Sri Lanka in the UAE.

With his former charges preparing to do battle against Sri Lanka under the eyes of his successor, Dav Whatmore, the affable Mohsin Khan spoke to PakPassion.net about his views on the format of the series and his confidence in the Pakistani team despite facing Sri Lanka at home.

Test Cricket has always been touted as a higher form of the game - Mohsin Khan’s comments certainly confirm the high regard he holds for the longer format of the game and goes some way to explaining the success of the Pakistan team in the Test area under his tutelage “It's not a big issue, but if I'd have been coach, I would have definitely told the board to play Test cricket first - which is proper cricket - and then play the shorter version”, stated Mohsin.

Mohsin also voiced his concerns over the tour itinerary which he believes should have kicked off with Test series followed by the LOI games and the series against Australia “First of all, one thing I am not comfortable with is that the One day and T20s are being played before the Test series. I think the tour should have been arranged so that we play the Test matches first, and then follow them with One Day and T20 matches. In the original plan, Australia and Pakistan would play a LOI series on “neutral” venues in Sri Lanka, after the end of the series with Sri Lanka. It would have been perfect if the Test matches had been played first followed by ODIs and T20s against Sri Lanka, with the series against Australia afterwards - it would have been wonderful preparation for the upcoming World Cup.”

The Pakistan T20 Captain, Mohammed Hafeez, while commenting on preparations for this series had pinpointed the non participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an area of concern  for Pakistani players. Mohsin Khan whilst recognizing the importance of playing in the IPL feels that the raw talent and experience of Pakistan should overcome this disadvantage.

“I believe that Sri Lanka are always tough opposition, whether playing home or away. On top of that, some Sri Lankan players such as Jayawardene, Sangakarra, Dilshan , Mathews and Malinga have participated in the IPL which will be of use to their team. Having said that, Pakistan are a good side, a talented side, and what I have experienced with them is that they can do well as long as they play with a good and solid game-plan and match strategy.”

The importance of having the confidence to make amendments to the batting line-up was also a point highlighted by the former coach “In limited overs cricket, it's important to have flexibility in the batting and is a requirement of the shorter version, especially in the T20 format. One needs to move according to the conditions and situations of the game. Apart from that, there is no doubt in my mind that Pakistan has to play very well to beat Sri Lanka, especially in Sri Lanka.”

Mohsin also discussed the relative abilities of the two sides in the limited overs series and emphasised the importance of good fielding for a Pakistan team that has historically appeared brittle in the field when put under pressure “A solid gameplan and strategy can take Pakistan to victory in Sri Lanka, but the third most important aspect will be the quality of fielding by Pakistan. We have to do very well in fielding, because fielding can win you a lost game! Sri Lanka is a pretty tough opposition, but at the moment I wouldn’t like to predict the favourite. I hope that Pakistan can win the T20I and the ODI of course. The fielding support has got to be there for our bowlers. Even if we score 120 runs in the T20s and the fielding support is there I think Pakistan can defend it.”

In terms of the true examination of Pakistani cricketers resolve, the Test series will also provide specific challenges to the Pakistan team believes Mohsin “I think the kind of pitches on which we played in UAE are not very different from the Sri Lankan pitches. In the UAE, it wasn’t really easy for batsmen with the ball stopping a bit and also doing a bit off the pitch. It wasn’t swinging a lot, but it was seaming. The same can be expected in Sri Lanka also. If there are batting oriented pitches, the spinners will definitely play a very important role and Sri Lankans play as good against spinners as they play against fast bowling.”

Saeed Ajmal was the arch destroyer of England in the UAE and is now the key component of the Pakistan team. Mohsin was clear on the role of Ajmal and Abdul Rehman could play in deciding the outcome of this series, provided they are not let down by their fielders “Both Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman both can do it, depending on the fielding. We took some brilliant catches in the series in UAE against Sri Lanka and against England, so that is why Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman were so successful. If the fielding support is there for Pakistan bowling then we can really do very well.”

With the advantage of experience in defeating Sri Lanka in the UAE, Mohsin also analysed the likely factors which could decide the Test series in favour of Pakistan

“I will say that Sri Lanka’s batting is more professional. They don’t throw their wickets away and I think our batsmen have got to be careful because the ball does a bit off the pitch in Sri Lanka. They have a decent pace attack and a decent spin attack. Pakistan can win the series if the batsmen can provide enough runs to the bowling and put a price on their wicket. If our batsmen can at least provide something around 300 then I think our bowlers are good enough to get Sri Lanka out twice, but the fielding has to support the bowlers. We have to take our catches. I’m sure the boys have worked very hard here in the camp and I’m hoping they will do well in all three departments. I will again say, Sri Lanka is a tough opposition, whether at home or anywhere else, so Pakistan have to play good cricket to beat Sri Lanka in the T20s, one day matches and the Test series.”

Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka consists of two T20s, 5 ODIs and three Tests. The first match is on Friday as the two sides meet in the first T20 at Hambantota.