KARACHI, Sept 14: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) seems to have come out of slumber as it attempts to gets its highly-publicized National Cricket Academy at Lahore functioning properly. Only last week, the PCB advertised, through leading national dailies, six vacancies for the NCA, including the all-important post of director after Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s director cricket operations, was asked to outline a comprehensive programme for the academy.

But it seemed the PCB has already made up its mind to plump for a non-Pakistani for the high-profile position at the NCA, which was run for the past two years by a few ex-cricketers, including former Test stars Aaqib Javed and Saeed Anwar.

Besides the director, the PCB wants to induct assistant director, high-performance programme batting coach, high-performance programme bowling coach, youth programme batting coach and youth performance bowling coach.

A close look at the details appearing in the advertisement gives the impression that the PCB top brass wants to shun the best available personnel from the local market. Another startling fact to be noted here is that virtually same qualification and experience apply for all six positions.

According to criteria laid down by the PCB, the would-be aspirants should have previous experience of either Test or first-class cricket.

Applicants having acquired Level 3 (from Australia Cricket Board) or Level 4 from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) coaching certificate or are in the process of taking these courses would be given preference. In addition, the candidates with considerable cricket coaching experience at all levels would be preferred.

According to investigations carried out by Dawn, there is not a single Pakistani to meet the above-mentioned requirements since the ECB Level 4 course is not allowed to foreigners while ACB Level 3 course has not been conducted in Australia over the past three years.

Currently there are just seven Pakistanis who have the qualifications of ECB Level 3 coaching course and four of them — former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammad, Shahid Mahboob, Iqbal Sikander and Umar Rasheed – are based abroad. Mushtaq, Shahid and Umar are currently living in England while Iqbal is attached with the Asian Cricket Council as its cricket development officer.

Of the remaining lot, Jalaluddin, the ex-Test paceman and the first man to take an ODI hat trick, and former first-class player Shahid Aslam along with Shahid Mahboob are the only people to have acquired ECB Tutor Level 1 certificate, a course that can be only done after ECB Level 3.

Jalaluddin, Shahid Aslam and Mohtashim are the only ones with the ACB Level 2 coaching certificates with the first-mentioned doing it twice.

Jalaluddin and Shahid Aslam were sponsored by PCB when they did the ECB Level 3 and Tutor Level I courses.

A brainchild of Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, who preceded Shaharyar M. Khan as the PCB chairman, the NCA was built about three years at a cost of approximately Rs120 million. Since then, Col Mohammad Pervez has been serving there as the academy administrator.

Bob Woolmer, the coach who has yet to celebrate a Test series victory in Pakistan colours, reportedly had a long meeting with the PCB chief recently to discuss the NCA affairs and the appointments to be made.

In all likelihood, the PCB chief — with his known preference for hiring foreigners to run Pakistan cricket ever since Javed Miandad was booted out 16 months ago — and Woolmer may still have the last laugh when the NCA ‘selections’ are made after the Sept 22nd deadline.