PCB looking to bring in trio of coaches

Assistant, batting and bowling coaches to be shortlisted along with head coach

KARACHI:

With the deadline to apply for Pakistan’s head coach position ending at midnight, PCB officials looking into the matter, alongside the two-member committee of Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja, have said that they are looking to shortlist people for the assistant coach position as well.

Other positions are also up for grabs. Bowling consultant Azhar Mahmood was only brought in for the Asia Cup and World T20, and his departure has left the bowling coach position vacant.

Batting coach Grant Flower’s future is also uncertain but the former Zimbabwe all-rounder had his contract extended till September after the conclusion of the team’s tour to England. Flower himself recently admitted his future will be decided by the incoming head coach but said he wants to continue as the batting coach.





A number of foreign and local applicants have applied for the job — with Peter Moores, Micky Arthur, Dean Jones, Tom Moody and Jamie Siddons all throwing their names into the hat — while the board has also been in touch with Aaqib Javed.

“We’re communicating with a number of applicants to discuss whether they would be willing to work as batting or bowling coaches if they are not selected or shortlisted for the head coach position,” a PCB official close to the coaching committee told The Express Tribune.

“We asked them to apply for the head coach position but some CVs are of particular interest to us as we feel that they might be able to contribute as consultants for batting or bowling,” added the official. “However, those names would need to be discussed with the incoming head coach.”



England’s Moores, South African Arthur and Aaqib are favourites for the head coach role so far. Aaqib, however, was not pleased with the formation of the committee as he feels a foreign coach is now the priority of the PCB; a claim the board has denied time and again.

But despite the flurry of changes expected to be made, not all staff positions are under threat right now. The official made it clear that the positions of trainers, physios and others in the team management are all secure, with the PCB not looking to replace anyone.



“We’re only concerned with the head coach position, along with the assistant coach and the batting and bowling coaches,” he said. “All other posts will be looked at by the board at some other time. Right now our focus is to fill in these important positions.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th,  2016.

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