A former Pakistan Test cricketer has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needed to hire a local batting coach instead of an international expert to overcome the batting woes of the country. The PCB has decided to hire former New Zealand assistant coach Trent Woodhill, who is currently associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Delhi Daredevils to fill in the vacant position for upcoming matches against Ireland and Scotland besides the ICC Champions Trophy, the Express Tribune reports.
The report further said that an extension to his job will be considered on the basis of performance following these assignments. Reacting to chances of another foreigner joining the Pakistan coaching panel, which already comprises of Dav Whatmore (head coach) and Julien Fountain (fielding), Test cricketer and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said the PCB must prefer a former batting great from Pakistan, adding that it is an irony that the board is seeking foreign coaches in presence of legendary batsmen in their own backyard. Listing the names of former players Zaheer Abbas, Inzamamul Haq or Saeed Anwar as the best choices for the post of batting coach, Ahmed said that the experience of a Pakistan-based coach with the national team has always proved beneficial, adding that the team has yet to see such an achievement under a foreign coach.
The PCB”s coach hunt committee, led by Intikhab Alam, has been seeking a batting coach since 2012, a hunt which gained momentum following the recent tour of South Africa where the batsmen fared poorly against a top-quality attack, the report added. (ANI)