Generating pace

Dubai: Former Pakistan Test star Aaqib Javed, the new coach of the UAE national team, has been busy striving to ensure his squad are equipped for the challenges of international cricket.

With a clear vision and relying on his years of experience in the game, Javed is busy putting his players through intense coaching sessions at the ICC Global Cricket Academy.

He said such a gruelling regime was necessary for players of raw talent not used to the demands of top-class cricket.

"Most of the players here are expatriates from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and therefore have cricket in their blood," said Javed, who stepped down as Pakistan's specialist bowling coach in March to take up the challenge of coaching the UAE.

"Their bodies are designed for cricket as most of them have been watching as well as playing the game.

"There is cricket intelligence here and what we need is a structure to streamline the talents."

Javed, who played 163 one-dayers and 22 Tests for Pakistan, admitted it was a challenge to get the players thinking professionally.

"My role is certainly a big challenge as all the players here are not professionals; they are all part-time cricketers, and maybe slightly better than club-level cricketers," he said.

"They haven't a clue about training, and what I plan to do is to make them think like professionals and make them train like professionals.

"The amount of time these cricketers spend on the game is much less than other countries.

"Everyone has got jobs and they all work for different companies and are available for training only three to four days a week after 7pm.

"But, in whatever time is available, I want them to put in maximum effort in an environment which is ideal for cricket."

Support

Javed is being supported in his work by assistant coaches Hyder Ali, Shah Hussain and physiotherapist Chitrala Sudhakar.

"I am a strong advocate of training in a cricket environment," he said.

"It is therefore lucky we are able to practice at the ICC Global Cricket Academy, which has the best atmosphere and facilities for training.

"Even if the players are training for only two hours, I want them to train with intensity and I will push them to their limits so as to shape them for the upcoming tour of Holland."

Javed, who in 1991 at the age of 19 took a hat-trick at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium against India, said he was making the players' fitness and physical preparation a key priority.

"I have been pushing them to do balanced training dividing their body into three sections — upper or trunk, middle and lower," he said.

"You need to have a balance in all the three areas. Therefore, I have designed a three-to-five-kilometre run for 45 minutes, and then get them to do a lot of push-ups, lunges and jumps.

"The next stage will be weight training incorporating boxing. I have also convinced them to be careful with their diet and asked them to eat good food with protein without oil and with less fat.

"I can already see a huge improvement in their bodies."

Javed said the Academy's variety of pitches would help his charges become more adaptable to different conditions.

"We have been training at the academy's English pitches and sometimes on Pakistani pitches and even using bowling machines under different guidelines," he said.

Javed recently visited all the private cricket academies in the UAE in his role as national team coach.

"These academies are very good for grassroots cricket and I was really pleased to see their good work," he said. "I have seen a number of youngsters working hard and the enthusiasm for the game is really good, but there should be more academies in far-flung areas of the UAE such as Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Al Ain.

"A really concentrated effort is needed to ensure the UAE plays first-class cricket."

Opportunity

Javed has also another important goal: helping young UAE cricketers to excel on the global stage.

He said: "Frankly, what inspired me to take up the UAE coach's job was the opportunity to create an under-19 team for the Under-19 World Cup to be held in the UAE in 2014.

"We have two years to establish a strong under-19 team, and I am planning to shortlist a bunch of under-17 players to groom for the World Cup.

"I want these youngsters to train at different place likes Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so they get to train in different environments and on different pitches.

"Their training will be like a semester system in school by having four months of practice and one month of matches, ensuring that we will have a strong team by 2014."