Former captain Rashid Latif has stressed on the need of having a wicket-keeping coach in addition to batting, bowling and fielding coaches for the national side.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named Dav Whatmore as the team’s head coach with Julien Fountain as the fielding coach but the bowling coach is yet to be named. Latif, who wants a specialist wicket-keeper in the side, wants more support for the individual.
“Normal catching practice is something that any coach can help out with but as far as the technical aspects are concerned, only a former wicket-keeper can help with those,” Latif told The Express Tribune.
The wicket-keeper’s position, according to Latif, has become a weak point for coaches around the world as there aren’t enough individuals to help with the increasing demand.
“Football teams have specialist goal-keeping coaches so why can’t a national cricket team have a wicket-keeping coach,” said Latif, before adding that wicket-keepers were the most neglected players on the cricket field in Pakistan.
The former captain revealed that the PCB was given a proposal by him to launch a wicket-keeping talent hunt programme to find enough talent for the future.
“Currently, we don’t have enough quality or backup. It’s because of this that we keep seeing the same faces over and over again. A normal coach won’t be able to spot a future talent. You need to hire the services of former greats like Moin Khan or Saleem Yousuf for that purpose. The coaches should also be mentored and if you look at our domestic teams, most of the men behind the stumps are stoppers and not wicket-keepers.
“This is of grave concern and the PCB needs to look into this matter seriously,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2012.
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Its a serious issue which Rashid Latif has addressed very well.........
@3footninja: Yes . . . . a couch needed for King of Tuk Tuk .. ;-)
i think we also need the following while we're at it: - captaincy coach - toss coach - new-ball bowling coach - old-ball bowling coach - opening-the-batting coach - run-chase coach, and - accelerating-pace-of-the-game-in-ODI's coach
its true we need a wicket keeping coach england has a wicket keeping coach and look at thier performance
@Shadi .... your own comment seem to contradict your point. Afridi is playing, Sarfraz is playing. 2-3 players from KP are playing then how come you have greviences against Punjab. Stop dividing the nation and keep your stupid comments to yourself.
@shadi: Current Pakistani team consists of only four to five punjab's and rest belongs to other provinces. Dear brother, it is not time to spite hatred and to make propaganda. Pakistan has already suffered a lot and can,t sustain further divisions.Cricket is the only thing on which whole nation is united and please let this this thing going.
@ Shadi.This is not good calling PCB like this, If we see Afridi, Younis , Asad , Sarfraz, all belongs to Karachi. Now if there is any current neglected talent from the Sindh region you can quote. We should come out of this racism.
@ Saad, that won't work...PCB (Punjab Cricket Board) doesn't want anyone else from other provinces...only god knows how long Afridi will survive in there.
He wants the job himself... pretty evident from his choice of words.....
As far as I know, there is something known as Rashid Lafit Cricket Academy in Karachi, if he is serious about finding new talent, maybe he should find one in his academy and forward it to PCB.
He talks sense. Give him the spot. He was one of the best wicket keepers of all time.