LAHORE – Pakistan chief coach Waqar Younis wants the PCB to hunt for someone else after Javed Miandad’s refusal to join the team as the batting coach job.
Talking to journalists here after the last session of the training camp ahead of the West Indies tour, Waqar said the PCB should find someone else for the batting coach position. Miandad refused to accept the batting coach offer on personal grounds, the all-time leading run-scorer for Pakistan in Test matches gave tips to players during the two-day conditioning camp at Lahore, which ended today.
“I don’t know why we go round and round and come back to Miandad again and again. If Miandad doesn’t want to do the job then we must ask someone else for help because its not an issue of technique, its an issue of slight adjustment in batsmen’s scoring runs,” said Waqar. Waqar added that whoever becomes the batting coach will be “more than welcome.”
Pakistan leave tomorrow for a tour of the West Indies to play two Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International. AFP adds: Waqar hoped to use the upcoming tour of the West Indies to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead.
With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain — both 21 — and 20-year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam. “We have selected some youngsters for the tour in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future,” Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in the eastern city of Lahore.
Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Hussain’s tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90. Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month’s World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin.
Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1505 runs in 24 domestic matches. “We are not taking the West Indies team lightly. We also have experience at our disposal and we hope to do well on the tour,” said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side’s batting.
“Whatever shortcomings we had during the World Cup, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement.”
