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Alam hits out PCB

Ousted Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam said on Tuesday he would leave as soon as the current Test against Sri Lanka was finished and lashed out at the way authorities handled his dismissal.

"I will resign after this Test match," Intikhab Alam told reporters. He said he had even considered leaving the team on Tuesday morning in the middle of Pakistan's second Test against Sri Lanka.

"I am not like a captain of a ship who jumps in the sea if his ship is having problems but I was forced to do so."

General Tauqir Zia, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, announced on Sunday that Alam would be replaced as coach by another former captain Javed Miandad after the current three-match Test series.

"I told General Zia that I have been humiliated. This is not the way to do things when the series is still not finished," he said.

"I have served the team, the nation and the boys and deserve better treatment," he said.

Alam said he was particularly angry because he had been reluctant to take the job, which he had held a number of times in the past, in the first place.

"I am not interested in the job; in fact I was not interested before. It was forced on me," he said.

The 58-year-old Alam was one of five coaches the unsettled Pakistan team has had in the past 12 months. He was appointed coach for the tri-series in Australia last month and was later given an extension untill the series against Sri Lanka.

"I am not concerned who they make the new coach because it's the board's prerogative. But there should be a proper way of dealing with these things," said Alam, who played 47 Tests for Pakistan.

Alam warned Miandad would have a tough time ahead of him.

Miandad took over the coach's job in August 1998 but quit in a controversial manner two weeks before the 1999 World Cup, citing family commitments. Reports suggested he fell out with senior players including the present captain Saeed Anwar.

"If one man resigns for some reasons so recently I don't think he will have harmony with the team," Alam said. "He will have problems, time will tell," he said.

Alam said the present board should learn from its mistakes.

"The decision to replace Wasim Akram as captain was premature, every team struggles in Australia," he said.

Wasim stepped down from captaincy after Pakistan was whitewashed 3-0 in Tests in Australia and later defeated 2-0 in the finals of the tri-series.

"There is no substitute for experience and if you analyse our 3-0 loss against Sri Lanka the board should take responsibility," he said.

Alam said the induction of youngsters had disturbed the combination of the team.

"Nobody knew about the selection of the team and nobody knew what type of pitches will be made against Sri Lanka."

Alam said he would not take any post with the Pakistan team in future.

"Never ever after all this. I have not considered doing a match referee's job after I leave the coach's job," he said.

Alam is one of two International Cricket Council (ICC) match referees from Pakistan.

"Pakistan cricket needs continuity and until and unless this is maintained the team, the set-up and every other related thing will be affected," he said.