The Pakistan coach, believes the board needs to organise specialist fielding training camps across Pakistan in order to improve standards in the national side

Osman Samiuddin in Hobart18-Jan-2010Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan coach, believes the Pakistan board needs toorganise specialist fielding training camps across Pakistan in order toimprove standards in the national side.Pakistan’s fielding through tours to New Zealand and Australia has reachedan all-time low and at a conservative estimate they have dropped at least25 chances through the six Tests. Most of the chances here in Australia have beencritical ones; both Shane Watson and Simon Katich were dropped in thefirst session of the series in Melbourne, both scored nineties; MichaelHussey was dropped thrice at Sydney on the way to a matchwinning hundred;Ricky Ponting was dropped on zero in Hobart and went on to score a double-hundred.Intikhab and Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistan’s captain, have struggled to stemthe rot, insisting there is no need for a specialist fielding coach butnot offering any tangible solution otherwise. Intikhab has consistently -and justifiably – called it a grassroots problem, arguing that the lack ofcare for fielding at domestic level instills poor habits into players whomake it to the national side.”They should organise 10-20 days fielding camps for the players in whichcatching, throwing, fielding and all things are practiced,” Intikhab said. “We have coaches at every level. Put these camps up in Karachi, Lahoreand Islamabad. Have 15-day camps and just get players from all levelsto practice there every day.”Waqar Younis is currently appointed to the side as a bowling and fieldingcoach, but that is, for now, only till the end of this series. There hasbeen talk of appointing a specialist fielding coach and Pakistan didbenefit a little during the coaching stint of Geoff Lawson, when they hadhired Mohtashim Rasheed as one. But his services haven’t since beenretained.”These camps really need to be organised,” Intikhab said. “Whenever a guycomes into the Pakistan side, then only they are taught how to field andthe basics of fielding, like how to bend for a ball, how to attack a ball.We have to emphasise this and work on it otherwise it will not getbetter.”