'Youhana is a better captain that Inzamam'

In his heyday, Aamir Sohail was a fiery competitor. Things haven't changed much since he retired.

The former opener, who was also Pakistan's chairman of selectors, is dismayed by the way cricket is being run in his country.

In a freewheeling interview with Senior Cricket Correspondent Ashish Magotra, Sohail hit out at the Pakistan team management, saying it knows nothing about the game, and suggests what needs to be done to set things right.

Pakistan is struggling. Their best bowler is missing and the youngsters just don't seem to be able to match up to India's might. You comments.

There is too much chopping and changing at the moment. Players who are capable of performing at the highest level have to perform consistently. If they fail for even one match they are dropped.

In a situation like this, how can you expect the players to give their best? You need to groom the youngsters and that is just not happening. In the last 8-9 months, almost 10 openers have been tried. It is not the way to build a team. As a result, players start playing for their place in the side and not for team. Our chairman and management obviously know nothing about the game. They just can't cope with the pressure.

Younis Khan's appointment as vice-captain left me baffled, especially because Yousuf Youhana is still in the team.

I believe Youhana is a better captain that Inzamam. He gets the team going; they become united and seem to gel better. But the best part about him as captain is that he continues to score runs without feeling any extra pressure.

Even in Australia, the team seemed to be doing better with him as skipper. To replace him with Younis Khan as vice-captain is a very strange move. The vice-captain should be someone who is sure of his place in the side and, at the moment, he is not.

There have been many strange decisions in Pakistan cricket and this is just another one.

So what is the strangest decision of them all?

The appointment of Bob Woolmer as coach is probably the strangest of them all. Simply because if you look at the Pakistan team, tell me how many of them can speak and understand English? Leaving aside one or two players, the rest of the team is not comfortable with the language.

How do you expect someone who does not understand their language or their culture to be a success as coach. Woolmer has been exposed as a coach. He is nothing.

They say Inzamam is too soft to be a good captain. Is that true?

A captain needs to be literate about the game and has to have very good man-management skills. The skipper has to be able to understand the psyche of the players. He has to try and reach out. But Inzy just doesn't understand the game and his man-management is abysmal.

I mean, how does one explain his coming to India without Shoaib Akhtar? Akhtar was ready to come but I think because of some personal differences he decided not too. You cannot have a skipper who harbours personal differences.

Everyone outside the Pakistan team seems to have a good opinion of Akhtar. But in the team no one seems to be able to see eye to eye with him. What's really happening?

Akhtar is a star. He is like Sachin Tendulkar. Everywhere he goes he gets the attention of the media and the crowd. People pay attention to everything he does. Even his small mistakes get blown out of proportion.

He has the endorsements; he has the fame and, maybe, the other players resent that. But you can always talk to Akhtar. Take him to a room and talk to him and tell him to get his act together and he will do it. He is a team player; he is a star and he wants to perform on the cricket field.

Among the Pakistani youngsters, who do you think will be around for Pakistan's next tour of India?

Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Yasir Hameed  and Kamran Akmal all have the potential to play for a long time. But the selectors have to give them confidence. Hameed was averaging very well in both Tests and one-dayers when he made his debut as a number three batsman for Pakistan but then the selectors decided to push him up to the opening slot and he failed. Why mess with the opener?

Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat were clicking as openers. They had three century partnerships against South Africa but, then, in one game, Farhat failed and he was dropped. The PCB doesn't know how to get the best out of the players.

You did not mention Younis Khan is your list. What is your opinion of him?

He cannot save a Test match nor can he win one. He makes 30-40 meaningless runs in every match. Such a player is useless for me.

Shoaib Malik cannot bowl. Do you think he has enough talent to make it as a batsman?

There are many talented batsmen in Pakistan. I think [selectors] they ruined Malik's career. They persisted with him at number three for a year and everyone knew that when Pakistan went to Australia he would not be able to succeed at that position. It was a complete waste. In that year, they could have tried another batsman in the same position.

What is the biggest difference between India and Pakistan?

Attitude and confidence. The Indian team has a game plan and they have the players to execute it. The Pakistan team, in comparison, looks lost. What are you paying Woolmer so much money for? He can't even formulate a proper plan.  Throughout the Indian innings all the Pakistan bowlers kept bowling to Virender Sehwag outside the off-stump and giving him enough room to go for his shots. You just can't do that. The way things are, India will dominate the Test and ODI series unless Pakistan gets their act together.