In the aftermath of Waqar Younis’ decision to step down after the Zimbabwe series, the Pakistan Cricket Board has named a three-member committee, which aims to find a replacement for the outgoing head coach.
The committee comprises of Pakistani legends from yesteryear including prolific batsman, Zaheer Abbas, ex-coach and manager, Intikhab Alam and Naushad Ali. The team will be assisted by former captain and current commentator, Ramiz Raja.
Waqar, who was appointed in March 2010, had a pretty successful time with the team, most notably taking them to the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2011.
However soon after tournament, differences arose between the head coach and former skipper, Shahid Afridi, on the tour of the Caribbean, which led to the PCB getting involved and fining Afridi, who since then has announced his retirement from International Cricket.
Recently, Waqar resigned from the post citing personal and health related reasons, though many believe that the criticism hurled at him by the ex-captain was the main cause of him stepping down.
The national side is currently in Zimbabwe, and after the tour, will be traveling to UAE in October to play Sri Lanka. The Board hopes to resolve the issue before that in order for the team to move forward.
Meanwhile, the main dilemma for the board is whether to appoint a foreign coach or look for someone from its own back yard.
Nadeem Sarwar, spokesman of the PCB said, “Following the resignation of Waqar Younis as head coach, the board has formed a committee to look for a new coach from within or outside Pakistan." “Pakistan have not had a foreign coach since Ijaz Butt became president of the board and removed Geoff Lawson.”
Many are of the view that it is important for anyone who comes from abroad to understand the culture and tradition of the country, which is influenced by the political background in this region.
The coaching role has been a problem for the Pakistani team, which are now in the market for their ninth coach in 10 years.
The longest serving coach was Bob Woolmer, who held the post for 3 years, before his unfortunate death.
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