Pakistan suffered mixed fortunes at the recent Cricket World Cup, with poor fielding and misfiring batting plaguing the team [GALLO/GETTY]

Pakistan cricket legend Javed Miandad has turned down an offer to become the side's batting coach.

Despite requests by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and one-day captain Shahid Afridi, Miandad rejected the offer as he was unwilling to work alongside other coaches.

"When you have four, five separate coaches, then the blame game starts in case the team loses a series or a tournament," Miandad said.

"For the last three years I have been saying 'give me the team with full responsibility', but it was not done," he added.

World Cup defeat

Pakistan lost to arch rivals India in a 29-run defeat semifinal in last month's Cricket World Cup and during the tournament the team was plagued by poor fielding and under-achieving batsman.

Before that the team was rocked by the banning of three leading Pakistan players Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt for spot-fixing during last year's Lord's Test against England. Each player was banned for a minimum of five years.

Miandad, now a PCB director, had initially hinted that he was willing to help out the squad, but also said he was unwilling to tour. He has had three separate stints as coach since 1998, the last of which was in 2004.

Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam was disappointed that Miandad had turned down the offer.
 
"The Pakistan team surely needs a batting coach and the board approached Miandad but he unfortunately declined the offer because of personal reasons.

"But I am sure that he will come and help the players in the near future," Alam told reporters during the team's training camp for the West Indies tour.

Pakistan fly out to the Caribbean on Thursday to play one Twenty20 international, five one-day matches and two Tests.

Alam said he was happy with the team's preparations for the West Indies.

"I can say this with great satisfaction - that this team maintained exemplary discipline during the World Cup, and I am also happy with the fitness level of the team because, unlike the other teams, we didn't have any serious injury problems during the mega-event," said Alam.

"It was a great disappointment to lose in the semifinal, and I can tell you that players wept in the dressing room. But since then they have moved on which was very necessary," said Alam, also a former captain and coach.

Wisden snub

In another blow to the team, the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack has broken with tradition and named only four cricketers of the year for its 2011 edition because of the spot-fixing scandal.

The publication has named five players since 1926 but this year only Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal and England's Eoin Morgan, Chris Read and Jonathan Trott made the shortened list.

Fast bowler Amir, who was named Pakistan's player of the series against England, has been widely reported by British media to be the name omitted from the prestigious list.

"The fifth Cricketer of the Year, I can reveal, was going to be one of three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - until they were banned by the ICC's independent tribunal for the bowling of deliberate no-balls in the fourth Test at Lord's," said editor Scyld Berry.

"Which one of the three was selected? I am not going to say because it would not be in keeping with cricket's tradition of fairness."

The Wisden Cricketers of the Year dates back to 1889 and is bestowed upon players who made the biggest impact during the previous English summer.