Pakistan's most respected and well-informed cricketer, Hanif Mohammad, was critical of Haroon Rasheed's role and called for his immediate removal. ``The coach of the team should be a person who can command respect and has a good track record behind him. Haroon, unfortunately, doesn't come in that bracket,'' Hanif blasted. The Little Master said the credentials and knowledge of Haroon can be judged from the fact that he violated the ICC rules on the Test eve and made Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmad to bowl on the track in an effort to judge how the surface would behave.

``I mean, that's atrocious. If you can't predict or decide about how the wicket will play, what are you doing there,'' Hanif slammed. Hanif opined that the job of the coach was to chalk out a strategy and force the players to follow it. ``Either Haroon failed to make a game plan or failed to get it implemented. Whatever the case may be, it proved his limitations.'' Hanif said the Pakistan team played in its full strength though Salim Malik's absence was desperately felt. ``And even then they failed to come to terms.''

Hanif was of the view that the major difference in the two sides was the mental toughness and application. ``Even though South Africa were reduced to 98 for seven, they stuck out there and managed to reach 240 odd. In the second innings, they again fought bravely to score 208. On the contrary, our batsmen played selfishly and irresponsibly. There was no commitment and the honour of playing for the country was clearly missing.

``I hardly saw anyone talking to each other. There were hardly any piece of advice to Saeed Anwar from his other senior players.'' Hanif said these were the situations when one remembers Javed Miandad. ``There is no one in the team to play for Pakistan unlikely Miandad who used to carry the entire batting on his shoulders. He used to guide and talk to the batsmen but now everyone is playing for himself.'' Hanif, a stylish stroke-maker of yore, said he was stunned to hear Saeed Anwar's post-match comments. ``If he doesn't know what has happened to him, that mean's he is locked. And the best thing to do is to take time off, recompose and then come back.''

Former chairman of selectors, Hasib Ahsan, was more hostile on Haroon Rasheed saying he should be immediately sacked because he has a trail of defeats behind him now. ``He has failed to motivate or lift the morale of the team,'' Ahsan lamented, adding: ``He is a complete waste of money.''

Ahsan, not only came hard on Haroon and players, he also criticised umpire Mian Aslam. ``He is the worst umpire and was appointed in the Test. He is now joke of the town and Pakistan a laughing stock. It was very shameful to hear the comments of the foreign experts on Mian Aslam.''

Mian Aslam, Ahsan continued, also had a lion's share in South Africa's win. ``Even a blind man would have given Gary Kirsten out when he was two. But here we have an umpire who stunned everyone by giving him not out.''