PCB to revamp provincial coaches structure for new domestic season

• The PCB will restructure the provincial coaches set-up as part of preparations for the upcoming domestic season. 
• There are a lot of complaints against Basit Ali and Faisal Iqbal, who are coaches of Sindh and Balochistan respectively. 
• In the new setup, Abdur Rehman will replace Abdul Razzaq as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa coach. 
• Razzaq is likely to get responsibilities in Central Punjab. 

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to overhaul the provincial coaches structure for the upcoming domestic season. However, the board will make any decision after taking into account their performances during the previous season.

There are several complaints lodged against Sindh coach Basit Ali and Balochistan coach Faisal Iqbal, according to sources. Faisal Iqbal’s Assistant Coach Wasim Haider has refused to work with him.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rehman is likely to replace Khyber Pakhtunkhwa coach Abdul Razzaq, as the latter is expected to be appointed as Central Punjab’s coach in place of Shahid Anwar, sources told Geo News.

While Shahid Anwar is likely to be appointed as head coach of Southern Punjab.

Sources said the PCB has already completed the annual performance review of provincial coaches. Head of Coach Education Grant Bradley Byrne of the National High-Performance Centre reviewed their performances.

The PCB is expected to appoint a new head coach for Northern, while Hafiz Sajjad Akbar has emerged as a strong candidate for Southern Punjab’s assistant coach slot in place of former Test cricketer Irfan Fazil.

Earlier this week, the PCB announced the schedule of the 2021-22 domestic cricket season, in which it will hold 10 tournaments, comprising 266 matches. In the previous 2020-21 season, the board had organised 220 matches in nine tournaments.

Matches in the domestic season are separate from the home international matches against New Zealand, England, West Indies and Australia, and the Pakistan Super League, which will be held between September 2021 and March 2022.

The 2021-22 season will kick-off with the eight-day Cricket Associations T20 tournament on 15 September in which the six second XI Cricket Association sides will go head to head in the shortest format of the game in Quetta.

The National T20, featuring the country’s best shortest format players, will be held from 25 September to 13 October. Eighteen first-round matches will be held in Multan, while the remaining 15 matches, including the two semi-finals and the final, will be held in Lahore.

The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, a jewel in the crown of Pakistan’s domestic events, will commence on 20 October.

The first half of the 10-round single-league competition will be held in Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore. The event will then move to Karachi where it will culminate with the five-day final from 29 December.