Latif aims for Afghanistan’s Test status
Latif vows to guide the team to Test status within two years.
KARACHI:
Afghanistan’s new cricket coach Rashid Latif vowed to guide the national team to Test status within two years, a day after leaving his Pakistan job over spot-fixing comments.
The former Pakistan captain agreed to take on the role of head coach after quitting as the Pakistan national academy’s wicket-keeping coach, and barely a month after resigning as Afghanistan’s batting coach.
He said he was motivated by a swell of support for the game in Afghanistan, and an impressive supply of talent and honesty among the players.
“Cricket is now more popular than the bullet in Afghanistan and I’m moved by the interest and the available talent in the country,” said Latif. “Some of the Afghan players are so talented that they can break into any international team and my target will be to guide them to Test status within the next two years.
“They are an exciting team and my thinking and mentality, as a straightforward person, matches that of the players. They, like me, cannot tolerate wrongdoing. I’ll leave if my chemistry doesn’t work there. Afghanistan needs cricket to heal the scars of more than 30 years at war. It is my experience that with more and more cricket, the scars of war will be healed.”
Afghanistan shocked the minor nations of the game by finishing fifth in the World Cup 2011 qualifying rounds in South Africa last year. They then won a qualifying round to earn a place in the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies in April-May this year.
No travel concerns
Latif said he was not concerned about frequent travel to Afghanistan.
“A lot of people tried to dissuade me from travelling to Afghanistan but it is just like Karachi and I had no fear in Kabul or Jalalabad.”
The former wicketkeeper resigned from Pakistan’s national academy on Tuesday after authorities handed him notice over a statement he made about a spot-fixing scandal engulfing his home side.
London police are investigating spot-fixing claims but Latif caused consternation last week when he said the International Cricket Council and its anti-corruption unit were “powerless” to fight betting scams.
Latif’s first assignment will be next month’s tour of Kenya, where Afghanistan plays a four-day Inter-Continental match and three one-day internationals.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2010.
Afghanistan’s new cricket coach Rashid Latif vowed to guide the national team to Test status within two years, a day after leaving his Pakistan job over spot-fixing comments.
The former Pakistan captain agreed to take on the role of head coach after quitting as the Pakistan national academy’s wicket-keeping coach, and barely a month after resigning as Afghanistan’s batting coach.
He said he was motivated by a swell of support for the game in Afghanistan, and an impressive supply of talent and honesty among the players.
“Cricket is now more popular than the bullet in Afghanistan and I’m moved by the interest and the available talent in the country,” said Latif. “Some of the Afghan players are so talented that they can break into any international team and my target will be to guide them to Test status within the next two years.
“They are an exciting team and my thinking and mentality, as a straightforward person, matches that of the players. They, like me, cannot tolerate wrongdoing. I’ll leave if my chemistry doesn’t work there. Afghanistan needs cricket to heal the scars of more than 30 years at war. It is my experience that with more and more cricket, the scars of war will be healed.”
Afghanistan shocked the minor nations of the game by finishing fifth in the World Cup 2011 qualifying rounds in South Africa last year. They then won a qualifying round to earn a place in the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies in April-May this year.
No travel concerns
Latif said he was not concerned about frequent travel to Afghanistan.
“A lot of people tried to dissuade me from travelling to Afghanistan but it is just like Karachi and I had no fear in Kabul or Jalalabad.”
The former wicketkeeper resigned from Pakistan’s national academy on Tuesday after authorities handed him notice over a statement he made about a spot-fixing scandal engulfing his home side.
London police are investigating spot-fixing claims but Latif caused consternation last week when he said the International Cricket Council and its anti-corruption unit were “powerless” to fight betting scams.
Latif’s first assignment will be next month’s tour of Kenya, where Afghanistan plays a four-day Inter-Continental match and three one-day internationals.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2010.