There are a number of youngsters in the team currently. Around the world, including Pakistan, younger players who taste success suddenly find themselves succumbing to all kinds of distractions and temptations. It has happened in Pakistan a lot recently. How do you make sure they do not go that way?
I always speak to these youngsters and try to draw them a picture. I say, “Do everything you want, but make a career for yourself first.” I didn’t do anything, if you take out the first seven-eight years, I remember, in 2005-06 if a girl called my hotel room, I would answer and say I wasn’t there, pretending to be someone else. My focus was always on making my career. Where I’ve come from only I know how difficult it has been. God has given me an opportunity to make something of myself and I cannot waste that. Whether he is Fawad Alam, Mohammad Aamer or Umar Akmal, he has to first see where he has come from, what his parents, his family are, and if he does stray, what impact it will have on them. I always paint this picture. One tournament or series is nothing. Unless you have 4000-5000 runs or 150-odd wickets, you have done nothing.
Here we get excited immediately. Sohail Tanvir comes along and he becomes the new Wasim Akram. I even said about Aamer, “For god’s sake, don’t call him Wasim Akram.” When I came in and scored some runs at No. 3, someone asked me, “You must be the new Ijaz Ahmed, or Inzamam?’ I said, please don’t put that pressure on me. Inzi and Ijaz I said are massive names. How can anyone become Ijaz, Wasim or Inzi after two games? People don’t give you time, but they should. It’ll take four-five years, tours to other countries and performances to decide how good guys like Aamer and Alam and Akmal really are.