Former Australian batsman Dean Jones has confirmed applying for Pakistan team coach’s job and said if appointed he would make full use of the “wonderful” pool of talent in Pakistan cricket. Jones, who played 52 Tests, has been shortlisted by the special committee appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the coaching position. Former England all-rounder Dermot Reeve and Pakistan’s former assistant coach and Test pacer Aaqib Javed are the other candidates on the shortlist of five candidates. “Take out what’s happened with betting scandal and security problems, everyone in world who knows cricket knows they’ve always had a wonderful pool of talent,” Jones said.
“It’s just a matter of getting the culture right, getting them to take ownership of their actions, working together and who knows, they could win a World Cup (in four years time),” he was quoted as saying in Australian newspaper ‘The Age’. Cricket analysts, however, believe that Jones’ infamous incident involving South African batsman Hashim Amla could be a stumbling block in his appointment as Pakistan coach. Jones called Amla a “terrorist” during a commentary stint in Sri Lanka thinking he was off-air and was promptly fired by the broadcaster.
He later personally apologised to Amla. A leading cricket analyst noted that in Pakistan that incident was blown out of proportion as it involved religious sensitivities and it could be revisited in the media if Jones become a front runner for the coaching position. The head coach’s position became vacant after Waqar Younis resigned citing personal and health reasons after the Zimbabwe tour. Jones said if appointed to the job, he would try to entice Shahid Afridi out of retirement and focus on instilling a more defensive mindset in the team. “Ultimately, it comes down to the defensive part of their game that needs to be worked on, and that comes down to proper drills and attention to detail,” he said.