Pakistan cricket team’s associate manager Col (retd) Naushad Ali said on Wednesday that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shortlisted names of three foreign coaches and the final name will be announced after due deliberations. Naushad was also a member of the committee formed by the board to finalise the new coach. The chairman of the committee was former player and team manager Intikhab Alam. Former coach Waqar Younis stepped down from his role after the team’s tour to Zimbabwe citing personal reasons. He is currently doing commentary for a sports channel during the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series in the UAE. According to reports, 12 foreign and 25 local coaches applied for the position. The committee has now short-listed three foreign coaches. “We are close to finalising the new coach. We have short-listed three candidates and now it is up to the PCB to negotiate the financial terms and their availability. All the three names that have been forwarded are from outside Pakistan,” he further said.
Pakistan cricket team is currently hosting a complete series in UAE against Sri Lanka. Both the teams have started the series with a drawn Test match, which appeared to be in the grasp of the hosts for most of the five days. Chief selector Mohsin Hasan Khan is currently with the team in the UAE as an interim coach. He will stay with the team until a new name is finalised for the vacant post. Although no names have been revealed yet, one thing is certain that Waqar’s successor will not be a local person.