Education does not matter for a cricketer: Abdul Qadir

ISLAMABAD: Former leg spinner Abdul Qadir believes education does not matter for a cricketer as mostly the top players in the history of Pakistan cricket were uneducated. Qadir was referring to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan's statement regarding lack of educated players in the national team being a cause for cricket's downfall.

"I totally disagree with the statement as many top players including Hanif Muhammad, Mushtaq Muhammad, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Younus Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar were not that educated," he claimed.

Talking about the national head coach Mickey Arthur who hasn't joined the team yet, Qadir said this is the reason why former cricketers criticize the board for making ineffective decisions.

"The board is holding the camp for players and the head coach is missing from it," he said adding what one can expect then.

He also termed PCB's fitness camp `useless' saying it won't help in improving players' performance in the series against England in July.

"Instead PCB should have formed four teams and have conducted matches between them on seaming pitches to prepare the national team for the England tour," he told APP.

"The best performers from the four teams should have been inducted in the final Playing Eleven for the series against England in July and the second best players should have been kept as standbys in the other team," he said.

He said the PCB thinks that he criticizes the board and officials without any reason. "But criticizing with giving solution is a great idea I think," he said.

He said though only the fitness of players would get better in the ongoing camp, currently we are in dire need to improve the batting and bowling for the team.

Qadir said he has high hopes from the opener Shaan Masood to do well in the series against England. "Shaan was said to be the fittest player in the PCB fitness camp which is very good for a player of his age as his other counterparts failed to satisfy the fitness trainers," he said.