Cricket coach: Jones up for Pakistan challenge

Former batsman vows to transform culture of the team if appointed.

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones has vowed to establish a stable environment in Pakistan cricket and give special attention to the defensive part of the national team’s game if appointed head coach.

Jones has been reported to have made it a five-man shortlist for the job along with former Pakistan fast-bowler Aqib Javed and former England all-rounder Dermot Reeve. The position became vacant after Waqar Younis resigned from the position citing personal reasons.

Jones, who has played 52 Tests for his country, lacks coaching experience but is still ready to take on the challenge of coaching a Pakistan side that has seen its fair share of controversies in recent times.

The spot-fixing scandal, the inability of the team to play home matches because of security concerns and the recent row between former captain Shahid Afridi and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made the job of coaching the team a difficult one, but Jones is ready to look beyond all the controversies.

‘’Take out what’s happened with the betting scandal and take out the security problems, everyone in the world who knows cricket knows they’ve always had a wonderful pool of talent,” Jones told The Age. “It’s just a matter of getting the culture right, getting them to take ownership of their actions, working together and who knows, they could win a World Cup [in four years time].’’

‘Focus on defence needed’

The former batsman made it clear that if appointed to the job, he would establish a stable environment and a culture of tough love in the team. He said that he would also try to entice Afridi out of retirement and focus on instilling a more defensive mindset in the team.

‘’Ultimately it comes down to the defensive part of their game that needs to be worked on, and that comes down to proper drills and attention to detail.” Jones was aware of the kind of pressures he might be subjected to in the job but felt that a proactive approach could help him.

‘’The PCB is passionate, they don’t like losing and they tend to be reactive instead of proactive but if you paint the picture early as to where we want to go – we’ve got to find stability, pick our best 16 or 17 players and work with them -– I think they’ll do very well.’’

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2011.