Under Misbah’s leadership, Islamabad name Raees vice-captain

Off-spinner Ajmal to serve as PSL franchise’s spin bowling coach in third edition

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United on Saturday announced the appointment of left-arm pacer Rumman Raees as the vice-captain for the third edition.

Raees, who has represented Men in Green in four ODIs and five T20Is with 10 wickets in total, will serve as the second-in-command to Pakistan’s most successful Test captain Misbahul Haq.

Owner of Islamabad United Ali Naqvi, while addressing media in Lahore, said Raees has proven himself worthy for the post.

“We’ve always aimed for this franchise to be similar to a family, and these two appointments are a continuation of that belief,” said Naqvi. “Raees has come a long way from when we picked him up in the first PSL players’ draft. And the way he has represented the franchise over the past two years made him the ideal candidate for this role. We think this is the perfect time for him to be given this responsibility as it will allow him to groom his leadership skills under the tutelage of a great mentor like Misbah.”

Ajmal appointed spin-bowling coach

Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, once an enigma and a permanent part of Pakistan’s line up in all formats, has been appointed as the spin bowling coach by Islamabad, and owner Naqvi believes his experience will be important in nurturing new talent.

“Saeed has been part of the [Islamabad] family for two years now and we have nothing but praise for how he has represented us,” said Naqvi. “He’s a great person, an equally great player, and I am sure the young guys will learn a lot from him. Furthermore, the staff recommended him for this role, and we’ve always left the cricketing decisions to the cricket people.”

‘Raees is future leader for Islamabad, Pakistan’

Head coach of Islamabad United Dean Jones was full of praise for Raees and called him the future of both the franchise and the national team.

“We believe that Raees is a future leader for our franchise, and more importantly a future leader for Pakistan. We have been most impressed by him not only as a cricketer but as an individual, and we will try to develop him even further in both these aspects,” he said.