Pakistan cricket coach Mickey Arthur has warned his players it’s time to embrace modern cricket and leave behind the “20th century” playing style.
"This isn't just dressing room speak," Arthur said in an interview to the Pakistan Cricket Board. “I've told the players that we were playing cricket that belonged in the 20th century. We hadn't embraced the new modern game yet, and that was for a number of reasons, like not playing at home, or [not] having the exposure to the IPL that the rest of the world has had.”
“So there were a lot of mitigating factors, but the fact is, if we've got to compete with them, we have to start embracing the modern trend,” he added, reiterating the importance of adopting an aggressive approach to cricket if Pakistan are to stand a chance against rival teams.
Arthur lamented the lack of power hitters in the Pakistan batting lineup and admitted it was not something that could be coached into players overnight.
“It [lack of power hitters] is a worry. When we get on good wickets, we can't match the other countries… Teams are getting 100 runs in the last ten overs now. We're getting 70, at best. We didn't get a run-a-ball in the last five overs the other day in a T20 [against West Indies]. That's not good enough; that's not going to win us games,” he said.
The coach acknowledged that losing Sharjeel Khan, who showed such skills, was a massive blow.
“We don't have the ability to take on the power players, which is so disappointing, because we did with Sharjeel [Khan], so to lose him is a massive blow,” he said, adding that such players needed to be developed and groomed over time.
Read:Sarfraz admits Sharjeel’s absence will be felt during Windies tour
“You're not going to wake up one morning and become a power hitter. We're training it; we've got drills and techniques that we're putting into play. Hopefully, all that comes to fruition, because we've got two years till the World Cup, and in the World Cup, we've got to be as good as we can possibly be," he vowed.
Sharjeel Khan was suspended by PCB for alleged spot-fixing during PSL
Arthur stressed that his main priority was building a professional structure in Pakistan’s cricket, with fitness at the core.
With veterans Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan set to retire after the Test series in the West Indies, the coach said he welcomed the opportunity of managing a new team.
“…I've been lucky in my team with South Africa, where we inherited a team with a couple of senior players, and we put in players like [AB] de Villiers, [Morne] Morkel, [JP] Duminy, [Dale] Steyn. To see them grow and get better is the most fulfilling thing that can happen for you as a coach. I'm hoping the same happens with this Pakistan team, and I'm incredibly excited about the future," Arthur said.