Latif appointed Afghanistan’s head coach

Rashid Latif has accepted an offer with the Afghanistan team.

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has resigned from his position as the wicket-keeping coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) over his spot-fixing comments and has accepted an offer with the Afghanistan team.

The former wicket-keeper batsman, who quit as Afghanistan’s batting coach last month, resigned from the NCA after the authorities handed him a notice over a statement he made about spot-fixing on a local tv channel.

“After having discussions with the Afghan cricket authorities, I’ve accepted their offer to become the team’s head coach,” said Latif who takes over from fellow Pakistani Kabir Khan, who resigned over differences with the Afghan cricket authority.

Latif was issued a notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over comments made about the spot-fixing controversy and later resigned. Scotland Yard is investigating the claims that three Pakistan cricketers were involved and the former captain asked the PCB, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) not to give statements about them until the inquiry is finished.

But Latif, who blew the whistle on match-fixing among Pakistan’s national team in 1994 and testified against his fellow players in an inquiry four years later, said the ICC and its anti-corruption unit were “powerless” in the fight against betting scams. He also described the report as a “joint money-making exercise” by the reporter and the alleged bookie, Mazhar Majeed.

Published in The Express Tribune September 15^th, 2010.