Mohammad Yousuf leads star-studded line-up of PCB coaches
Lahore [Pakistan], August 20 (ANI): Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday announced a star-studded line-up of coaches for the National High-Performance Centre and six cricket associations for the 2020-21 domestic cricket season following a comprehensive performance review and robust recruitment process.
The list of coaches is headed by Pakistan's fourth-highest Test run-getter and the second most run-scorer in ODIs, Mohammad Yousuf, has been appointed as the batting coach at the National High-Performance Centre (NHPC) in Lahore. Yousuf scored 7,530 Test and 9,720 ODI runs in a career spanning from 1998 to 2010.
Joining Yousuf at the NHPC is former wicketkeeper Atiq-uz-Zaman and tear away fast bowler Mohammad Zahid.
Atiq played a Test, three ODIs and 69 first-class matches from 1996 to 2007 and broke a longstanding record for the highest number of dismissals in a season in 2000-01 with 76 victims, while Zahid played five Tests, 11 ODIs and 43 first-class matches before a back injury cut short his promising career. Zahid is the only Pakistan bowler to take 10 or more wickets on Test debut.
"With Mushtaq Ahmed already working as spin bowling consultant, the NHPC is now fully loaded with experienced coaches to hone the skill and talent of promising young cricketers and prepare them for challenges at the highest level," PCB said in a statement.
"Furthermore, these four coaches will also support and supplement the national teams' player support personnel to help the elite cricketers continually improve their skills and prepare appropriately for success at an international level," it added.
"My ambitions in making a career in coaching are an open secret but it was all about the timing and a proper roadmap for our future cricket in which I could contribute effectively. I believe this is the right time for me to start my second innings as I can sense the intent and optimism in the approach," Yousuf said.
"I am delighted to have been offered this opportunity and I firmly believe I can help young cricketers by transferring my knowledge and experience, which I have acquired after being part of one of the brightest and formidable eras of Pakistan cricket," the former Pakistan captain added.
The PCB has also confirmed 36 coaches for the six Cricket Associations, which will feature in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (four-day first-class and three-day non-first-class), National T20 Cup (first and second XIs), Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament (first and second XIs) and the National U19 cricket tournament (three-day and one-day).
International stars added to the coaching panel are Abdul Razzaq, Aizaz Cheema, Basit Ali, Faisal Iqbal, Ghulam Ali, Humayun Farhat, Irfan Fazil and Zafar Iqbal.
Besides these international cricketers, seven other former first-class cricketers will make their coaching debuts in the upcoming domestic season. They are Aftab Khan, Aslam Qureshi, Fahad Masood, Habib Baloch, Hafiz Majid Jahangir, Hanif Malik, and Mohammad Sadiq.
The coaches, who have been retained for the 2020-21 season, are: Abdul Rehman, Akram Raza, Bilal Ahmed, Fahad Akram, Hussain Khosa, Iqbal Imam, Kamran Khan, Mazhar Dinari, Mohammad Masroor, Mohammad Wasim, Rafatullah Mohmand, Saeed Anwar Junior, Sajjad Akbar, Samiullah Niazi, Saqib Faqir, Shahid Anwar, Shoaib Khan, Tahir Mahmood, Tanvir Shaukat, Wasim Haider and Zahoor Elahi.
The coaches, whose contracts will not be renewed for the 2020-21 season, are Arshad Khan, Raj Hans, Ijaz Ahmed Junior, Naveed Anjum, Kabir Khan, Sajid Shah, Manzoor Elahi and Tahir Mahmood, Azam Khan, Tauseef Ahmed, Shaukat Mirza and Javed Hayat.
Other changes in the NHPC coaching panel are Abdul Majeed and Mansoor Rana (transferred to International Cricket department as fielding coach and team manager of the men's national cricket team, respectively), Mohsin Kamal (released) and Mohtashim Rasheed (transferred as player support personnel with the Pakistan U19 cricket team). (ANI)
_20240920165249_original_image_49.webp)
