'WT20 Win Over Windies Has Instilled Belief In Afghan Players'

Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former Pakistan captain and legendary batsman, is these days head coach of the Afghanistan team, which won accolades for registering an upset win over eventual champions West Indies in the recently-concluded ICC World Twenty20 in India. Inzamam, 46, is now back in India with the Afghan team for its four-day match against Namibia in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, a pathway for ICC Associate Member countries to attain Test status. In an Exclusive Interview with Outlook, Inzamam discusses his experience as coach and predicts a bright future for the Afghan team. Excerpts from the interview:

Are you satisfied with Afghanistan's performance in the recent ICC World Twenty20?

If your performance is improving gradually that is a good sign. I look at Afghanistan's performance in the World Twenty20 from that perspective. People are saying that they were not expecting the kind of performance they actually put up. But we had more opportunities in this World Cup that we couldn't avail. The reason for that was that our team was not much experienced, and that was so because we hadn't played many international matches. I feel the more international matches we play, the better the team will perform. But I feel satisfied with the hard work that boys are putting in.

Are you disappointed that Afghanistan came quite close to defeating England and Sri Lanka?

Yes, I am. We could've won those matches. It's one thing for the coach to tell the team how to handle pressure situations from the outside and how to bat. It doesn't make a big impact. At that level of cricket, I cannot teach you what you learn on THE ground. So, for Afghanistan it's important that they play against the ICC full member countries, and if that happens they can improve faster as they've so much talent and passion.

What did you tell the team after Afghanistan let the opportunity slip against England and Sri Lanka?

Afghanistan batted very well against Sri Lanka and match went almost to the last over. But if you lose a match in a tournament like this the team gets demoralised, and thinks 'we have lost a match that we could've won', wondering 'what we would do ahead'. The boys shouldn't get disappointment. My effort was to keep the boys happy, and I told them that they should work harder in the next match. Basically, my effort was that my team shouldn't get demoralised at any time; instead, you should learn lessons from your mistakes. For us, even the last match [against West Indies] was of much importance because if we were to win that, the confidence of the players would shoot up. And, by the grace of the Allah, we won that match.

How do you encourage the players?

I've played with some great players and I cite their examples to the boys, like what those greats would do in different situations. I strongly feel it is very important for a player to consider his coach his closest friend at a time when he is not able to perform up to his potential. He should be able to share his feelings with his coach, considering him his closest buddy. If a coach has that kind of understanding with his players it makes his work easier and players too find it easy. I consider that the relationship between the coach and his players should be close.

To what extent have you succeeded in this?

I have only been with Afghanistan team for about five months. Every person has a different thought process and the Afghans, who are Pathans, have their own way of thinking. So, it took me some time to understand them — am still trying to understand them — and they'll also take some time to understand me. But our understanding is good and the more time you spend with each other it gets better and better.

What has been the contribution Manoj Prabhakar, the bowling coach of the team?

He was a top player of his time and is experienced. He has done coaching assignments earlier. So, the bowlers have definitely gained from Manoj bhai. When we plan, all three coaches, including fielding coach Ramzan of Pakistan, sit together. He has definitely been of help to me and the bowlers have an opportunity to learn from him.

Prabhakar says he is very hopeful of the under-19 batch from Afghanistan.

They all are good boys, hard-working and have a passion to play cricket. The way Afghanistan 'A' team performs against those a rung below, i.e. the under-19 level, gives them the confidence and the motivation to work harder. Thus, their performance goes up. For instance, I played leg-spinner Rashid Khan in the series against Zimbabwe [in 2015] and also in the World Twenty20. I've called Zahir Khan, the other spinner, for the upcoming four-day match [against Namibia, starting on April 10]. They've been busy for about five months, playing matches continuously. Now we've a cushion of two-three months and in this period I'm going to hold a camp for good boys from the under-19 and 'A' teams. This camp will be organised either in Afghanistan or Greater Noida, which is our base.

After the West Indies won the World T20 title, it was an occasion to celebrate.

That win instilled a lot of confidence in the Afghanistan team, and they thought that 'we beat a team that went on to become world champion'. Now the Afghan team thinks that if it could beat the best team, it could beat other [stronger] teams too. For the ICC Associate Member countries like Afghanistan the belief in themselves, that 'we can do it' or 'we can win', is very important.

What is the payment structure of Afghan players and are they happy with that?

The payment system of Afghanistan is very good, though it's not comparable with that of the ICC Full Member countries. The good thing is that the Afghanistan Board has entered into a central contract with about 30 players, and it's something that even the Full Members started a bit later and many associate members haven't even done that yet. The players' central contract is separate and the match fee is separate. The contract requires them to play cricket full time, takes care of their needs and therefore they aren't allowed to seek employment. And the Board is continuously trying to improve the contract amount and the match fee.

Can we talk about of Afghanistan playing Test cricket in near future?

I think unless Afghanistan starts staging international matches, talking about their getting Test status is difficult. But the Afghanistan Board is working fast in that direction. They've an academy in Kabul and have raised the standard of the ground in that city. Another stadium has come up in Jalalabad. So, the infrastructure is coming and when it's complete four-day matches could be played there — and Afghanistan could also host international teams. Once they start hosting teams in Afghanistan, getting Test status would not be too far, considering the talent and other qualities of players.