Latif to join Afghanistan as batting coach

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif is set to join the Afghanistan team after accepting a coaching offer to join them as a batting consultant.

According to Latif, he is looking forward to joining the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) coaching staff, and his main aim would be to train the players to improve at the international level.

“I have decided to join the Afghanistan team as batting coach and help them improve at the international level,” said Latif, who represented Pakistan in 37 Tests and 166 One-Day Internationals (ODI). “I received an offer and I accepted it. Some of the minor formalities will be worked out later this month.”

Although Latif is backed by ample international experience as a player, he has never coached an international team. The former wicket-keeper batsman, who currently runs his own cricket academy, though had a brief spell as a coach with the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) team for the domestic season 2007-08. He was later promoted as the Head of Sports at PQA, but was released to work with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a wicket-keeping coach on deputation on a temporary basis.

Meanwhile, the ACB was supposed to sign the agreement with Latif last month but talks were held midway due to unknown reasons.

Earlier, the Afghan media reported that Kabir Khan, the Afghanistan coach had advised against Latif and recommended that a foreign coach be appointed. According to Khan, the credibility of a Pakistani coach is subject to doubt as Pakistan’s own batting side is not the strongest.

However, Khan was well aware of the chances of landing a foreign coach, given security concerns in the war-ridden country, which automatically increased Latif’s chances of getting the position. Latif’s case was further strengthened by his status as a Level 3 coach in the Asian Cricket Council. The fact that he is an Urdu-speaking native could also prove to be crucial during training sessions as most of the Afghan players do not speak English.

Recently, Afghanistan, under the leadership of Kabir, have been making their way to the World Cricket League to become one of the top non-Test nations.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2010.