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Young Pakistan crop progress
With the 2007 World Cup looming ahead the young Pakistan outfit under the guidance of master - coach Bob Woolmer, are striding ahead with confidence. At the end of the 2003 games, they decided to lay off all their old warhorses and invest in new blood. In a nation where drastic changes have happended regularly this could have been another temporary move. The discarded players themselves did not throw in the towel in a hurry. They know of the benefit playig at the highest level. However, the selectors have stuck to their game, there has been little interference and the results are gradually begining to show.

Blending youth with experience, introducing young players, are tasks that are never easy. International Cricketers consider playing for their country both a honour as well as it being their " Bread and butter" Few want to quit until it becomes impossible to continue, where ability and form begins to desert the player. The Australians and Englishman view it differently, as most have an equally good life to step into, should they have excelled at the highest level.

For Pakistan it has been a tough couple of years. They had to experience with players and team combinations and are now finding the products for positions. They stumbled at the first major hurdle, when they lost to arch rivals India at home. As usual there had to be a scapegoat and the Coach Javed Miandad had to take the rap.

The one way players can assist and repay their coach is by learning from experience, then developing by some percentage, eradicating mistakes and making progress. A majority of players who enjoy long careers do not make it good from the outset. Most fall, then get up, learn from mistakes, toughten themselves mentally and then sucess greets them.

On the other side of the scale, the Coach's duty is to be patient, nurture those whom he is in charge of and build them up until they can be let loose to travel on their owntest.

The Coach must be an excellent man - manager, a disciplined leader whom the players look upto and respect thoroughly. In Bob Woolmer Pakistan have got their man. He too had anxious times when the team flattered in Australia, The daggers were drawn. A number of the past Pakistani's greats, Miandad included slung mud at him.

Woolmer is a battle hardened customer. He knows the direction he's heading. Now his team is much more professional and the youngsters are learning fast. The opening one dayer in the West Indies proved the point.

In a low scoring game Pakistan triumphed by fifty nine runs. After the game Woolmer stated that his batsmen should have got more runs. Also, they should have battled the entire fifty overs. To be dismissed in 44.2 is not on said the Coach. After all they reached the century mark with only three wickets lost. A score of 240 to 250 would have made it a complete victory, in his view. Absolutely correct - that is the way to pursue excellence.

Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (Wicket Keeper), Raza Naved, Rao Ifthikar, Shabir Ahmed, were the youngsters who played in this game. They all played a role in the team's sucess. The more experienced Yousouf Youhana, Shohaib Malik, Sahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzak, form the major core of the team. They have assumed responsibility and filled the void left when the long standing players finished their innings. Inzaman, has handled the pressure of the top job very well. His outward mild manner is a good disquise. He is very tough inwardly, to be sucessfull for such a long period of time.

Pakistan has a long way to go to be tagged as an outstanding team. They are on the correct path, guided by Bod Woolmer. The forthcoming twelve months are crucial for them.

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