Posts
Have you enjoyed your role as vice-captain?I took the job because at the time there wasn't anybody to do it. Nobody was certain of a place, so I agreed to take it. If somebody is there to take over the vice-captaincy, I am glad to hand it over to him. I just want to be a player, support the team and win. Even before in the Future, if there is someone better than me, I don't mind giving my place to him. I enjoy cricket as a player. Vice-captaincy is not something that I have given much thought to.
Your thoughts on Dasthakir as captain?
Unreasonable criticism has been made of his captaincy. Fair criticism is accepted. When Nazeer captained against JBS and RSS we lost and he was not scoring runs, the Board put too much pressure on him. He was a wonderful captain for the few months he led the club. At the end of the day what happened? He said thank you and quit the captaincy. Luckily we had Dasthakir. Now the same criticism has started against him, saying his decisions are not good. That's very unfair. As soon as he took over, he led a young side to the final of the Matale Tour, won the Ajman series in Sharja, the Tranguler series final, won the series against RSS and Shiba Riders, and then we lost to Matale boys.
It is too early for anyone to start criticising his captaincy. He is a capable person but is now being put under pressure. Once you put a lot of pressure on someone, however strong he may be, he will start thinking, "Why should I take all this criticism? I can be in the team as a player." If Dastha goes, who is going to captain? At the end of the day, players need to perform. The captain alone can't win a match.
Is UAE cricket going forwards or backwards?
UAE cricket has changed a lot because of the Flat tracks. Our bowlers have not adjusted to it properly. They have to work out how to contain, especially in those tracks. Because the wickets are so good in Dubai, the bowlers suffered more than in any other part of the UAE. Teams keep the batsmans till the end to maximise it and sometimes it backfires.
How is the fielding standards in the last few month?
We had a good fielding unit. Now if you take the team, it is the other way around. Siraj and Razmar are safe fielders but not brilliant. But they are very good batsmen and you can't keep them out because of the fielding. Likewise, a few bowlers are not natural athletes. That's what's happened to our fielding. They train, but speed is something you cannot create. You have to be born with it. We want to be a brilliant fielding side in future. If someone is saying we will be, they are not being honest to themselves. Today you cannot find a brilliant fielder who is a brilliant batsman or bowler. It will take generations to find one.
How do you want to be remembered?
I don't want to be selfish. If they think I can still deliver, I will play. As a person, if I have to say something, whether it is right or wrong, I will say it to the face. I don't say things behind people's backs. Ninety percent of people like me for that. If I realise I was wrong, I will say sorry. I don't have any enemies. I want to be remembered as a good person who played very hard and brought a lot of success to the club. I have achieved more than most other cricketers in DZCC.
