“If your fielding is not up to the standards no matter how good a player you might be, you will let the team down,” said Ijaz, who has worked as fielding coach with the team in the past.
Ijaz said this is why he had planned to ensure that the players will be working hard on their fielding during the preparatory camp which gets underway from March 28 here.
“I have seen how teams in modern day cricket have improved basically by lifting their fielding standards and being more consistent,” he said.
“Fielding is all about enthusiasm and the desire to enjoy the art of fielding. Our players lack in the fielding area and that needs to be changed.
“Fielding has been our biggest weakness and we will mainly focus on it during the training camps. I have special plans which I will implement during the camp to improve our team’s fielding,” the former Pakistan cricketer added.
Waqar Younis and Ijaz were recently appointed as chief coach and assistant coach of the Pakistan team on two-year contracts by the cricket board after the national team flopped miserably in Australia.
Ijaz said that he had learnt a lot about fielding just watching players from other teams, particularly Jonty Rhodes.
“I want to see our players field with the same spirit and precision. We have lot of talents and if we can improve our fielding Pakistan can be a formidable side and hard to beat in any competition,” he said.
“We will spend almost two hours daily on fielding drills during the camp. I am sure that there will be a lot of improvements,” he added.
Meanwhile, Waqar said he also have some plans for the Pakistan team but declined to share it.
“I am happy that some of the former players have backed me and are willing to help me out when needed. The one thing I have also learnt is that one should avoid giving unnecessary statements or making claims, it is good to make statements after you have achieved something. I want to deliver results and focus on my job,” he said.
