BIPIN DANI
MUMBAI - The three-member committee for appointment of coaches is taken aback at media reports about the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi offering a two-year contract to Waqar Younis, a former incumbent, for head coach.
"The last date for submission of applications for all positions end on May 5 and the three men (Moin Khan, Haroon Rasheed and Intikhab Alam) of the committee are believed to have not finalised the list. It is surprising how the PCB chairman can offer him (Waqar Younis) a job", wondered one of the PCB officials, on conditions of anonymity. "Even if Waqar is offered the job, it may be chairman's choice".
The PCB, on April 17, released the advertisement on their website seeking candidates for head coach, batting coach, fielding coach, spin-bowling consultant and trainers and the last date for applications is May 5. There are a few overseas candidates who have applied for the various positions, it is learnt.
Former Bangladesh trainer Grant Luden is keen to be either fielding coach or the trainer. “I sent my five-page application on April 24,” Luden confirmed from South Africa. “In the recent past, I have chosen to work overseas, lastly in Bangladesh since 2008 as one of the key members of the coaching staff with the Bangladesh National Cricket Team and prior to that in India with the Karnataka Cricket Academy”, he said. “It has been my longstanding desire to coach a national team”, he added.
The South Africa-born Luden has key qualifications of Reading for Master Degree in Sport and Exercise Technology, Technikon Pretoria and Level 3 Cricket Coaching from Cricket South Africa.
According to well-placed sources, former Zimbabwean international Grant Flower has applied for batting coach’s position while former Pakistan players Saqlain Mushtaq and Ata-ur-Rehman have applied for bowling coach.