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Pakistan: Former Pakistan cricketer turned politician Sarfraz Nawaz is perhaps best known as the founder of the reverse swing.
A veteran of 55 Tests and 45 one-day internationals during a career that spanned 35 years, he followed a sparkling cricket career by successfully contesting membership of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, where he remained for three years. He has often been seen as an outspoken critic of Pakistan cricket.
Gulf News: What was your reaction to the handling of the Shoaib Akhtar ban?
Sarfaz Nawaz: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a laughing stock of itself in handling the Akhtar issue.
What makes you say that?
See, it was on Asif Zardari (Pakistan politician) and Interior Ministry Advisor Rehman Malek's interference, that Akhtar was allowed to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). If they did not interfere, he would have not been permitted to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders, and when he apologised, the PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf even withdrew the defamation case against him.
What should Akhtar do now?
Akhtar has to prove his fitness to one and all. He should just go out there and make sure he is fit and play cricket. He should work hard on his fitness. If he is able to bowl 10 to 15 overs at a stretch, he will be unstoppable. Only if he can attain that level of fitness, can he play international cricket for two more years.
Should he be more disciplined now?
Obviously. He has to improve his discipline too. Otherwise the way he has been behaving now, he won't even get selected!
Will there be a difference to the Pakistan side if Akhtar and Mohammad Asif return to the team?
See, those two are genuine match-winners for us. Other bowlers in the Pakistan side are capable of taking two or three wickets, but not capable of running through sides. If both Asif and Akhtar are at peak fitness, Pakistan are as good as Australia, because they have depth in batting too.
Was that the reason behind Pakistan's failure in the Asia Cup recently?
We had only one bowler who could have threatened the opponent batsmen. But Umar Gul, too, was injured. In his absence, there was nobody in the Pakistan bowling line-up who could have posed some problems for the batters.
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