KARACHI: Former Test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz on Sunday said that candidates for national team coaching jobs for which advertisements were given recently would be interviewed directly by Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi.

“During my meeting with Sethi he intended to oversee the selection of the candidates [for the coaching jobs], and for this he said he will be interviewing the candidates himself,” Sarfraz, who met the PCB chief the other day, said while talking to Dawn.

“There will be no coaches-finding committee this time as was the case in the past as the PCB chief feels in order to get a first-hand, clear-cut picture it will be better that he interviews the candidates himself so that he could arrive at the best possible decisions.”

Sarfraz added: “I personally feel that this is a right move by the PCB chief as the coaches-finding committees in the past did not deliver the required results and all their work ended in controversies.”

Making a crisp prediction on the top national coaching assignment, Sarfraz said that Waqar Younis, in all probability, would return as head coach of the team.

Meanwhile, commenting on the fast bowlers development and talent hunt programme for which he has been assigned by the PCB, Sarfraz said he had submitted the names of top performers of the 2013-14 domestic first-class season to the Board.

“I on behalf of the PCB started my work for the development of fast bowlers on March 1 this year. And after going through the individual performances of fast bowlers during the last domestic first-class season I forwarded the names of top achievers to the authorities concerned. And after their approval I’ll start my work on them.”

Sarfraz said he had also been asked by the PCB to spot and train promising pacers from Pakistan’s northern region.

“The northern places which come into my work area include Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Fata, Chitral and Azad Kashmir.

“I have a certain plan for coaching the gifted young pace merchants, and I submitted it to the PCB a couple of days ago. This plan focuses on raising the quality of youthful but promising pacers of under-16 and under-19 levels.

After the approval of the plan I’ll select the bowlers [from the designated places] who will then train under me to sharpen their bowling skills,” he elaborated.

Sarfraz was adamant that fast bowlers need proper grooming and time to mature into top-quality products.

“At the international level the competition is very tough. Unfortunately, our selectors and team managements do not give appropriate time and space to our young bowlers to develop, and that’s why we in recent years have not been able to establish a crop of high-quality fast bowlers who could perform consistently.

Pace bowlers’ fitness also requires special care, which majority of them do not receive at an early age. All this affects their career negatively and the end result is that Pakistan cricket suffers.”