PCB appoints Younis Khan as batting coach till 2022 T20 World Cup

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday appointed former captain Younis Khan as the batting coach for men’s team till the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

The appointment comes after the T20 world cup winning captain travelled to England with the Pakistani team in the summer. The upcoming New Zealand tour will be the first assignment for Younis as permanent batting coach.

“I am pleased to join the Pakistan cricket set-up on a long-term basis. I felt honoured when I was given the opportunity this summer and thoroughly enjoyed my time, and I now look forward to continuing the work with the same group of people on an important tour of New Zealand,” Younis was quoted in a statement issued by the PCB.

The PCB said that Younis will be working at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi as a batting coach when he will not be with the national team. It also stated that the work programme will also be developed for Younis with the National High Performance team.

Read more: PCB in talks with Younis Khan for permanent role as batting coach

Talking about the extension in his role, Younis said he was “happy” that his “scope of work” has been extended. He added that he was “keen” with working at the domestic level by “identifying potential batsmen and then helping them improve their skills”.

“I want to remind all fans and followers that there is a process to achieve excellence and while some improvements can be noticed quickly, this will require lots of hard work, perseverance and patience before the required skills are embedded and start producing consistent results,” said the country’s highest Test run-getter.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan expressed his delight that Younis will be working as the national team’s batting coach for the next two years.

“The feedback we received about Younis’ impact in a short period of time in England was excellent,” explained Wasim. He also lauded the former skipper for his “work ethics, commitment and knowledge”.

“I am confident that his appointment will benefit a number of talented batsmen who have either recently broken into the national side or are knocking on the door of international cricket,” said the PCB official.

Wasim explained that Younis’ appointment at the high performance centre was part of the PCB's strategy to appoint “highly-qualified and respected coaches across all major centres of the country”. He added that this was being done so that the country cane start “producing cricketers who can represent Pakistan with distinction”.

Arshad Khan appointed women’s team bowling coach

The same statement also announced that the PCB has appointed former Test spinner Arshad Khan as Pakistan women’s national cricket team’s bowling coach for one year.

The appointment comes a month after former Bermuda and Glamorgan captain David Hemp was appointed head coach of the national side.

Arshad will take up the role after completing his Peshawar Zalmi.

Read more: Women cricketers to train at Karachi's Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Center

“This is an excellent opportunity to be working with women cricketers alongside David Hemp as we aim to collectively lift our national team in the upper half of the women’s draw,” said Arshad on the appointment.

Support Staff for New Zealand tour announced

PCB also announced the player support staff that will travel with the team to News Zealand.

A day earlier chief selector Misbah ul Haq had announced the squad for the tour.

Following are the personnel that will travel with the team:

Pakistan men’s national team

Mansoor Rana (Manager), Misbah-Ul-Haq (head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant coach), Waqar Younis (bowling coach), Younis Khan (batting coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Ibrahim Badees (team and social media manager), Malang Ali (team masseur), Dr Sohail Saleem (team doctor), Talha Ejaz Butt (analyst), Col (retd) Usman Anwari (security manager) and Yasir Malik (strength & training coach).

Pakistan Shaheens 

Ijaz Ahmed (manager and head coach), Mohtashim Rashid (assistant manager & fielding coach), Rao Iftikhar (bowling coach), Hafiz Naeem (physiotherapist), Saboor Ahmed (trainer), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Mohammad Imran Ali (masseur).