LAHORE: Former Test pacer Sarfraz Nawaz on Friday urged the Pakistan Cricket Board not to hire any foreign coaches for the national team.

The former Test pacer also wants the PCB to allow the departmental teams to continue playing at least in the national one-day and T20 events, if not in the first-class event of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.

Talking to Dawn on Friday, Sarfraz said due to security concerns foreign coaches seldom stay in Pakistan for longer duration which is not helpful for the country.

“Foreign coaches do not remain in Pakistan for longer periods. And furthermore they are not very much interested in extensively travelling to different cities for witnessing talent players featuring in domestic cricket,” the 70-year-old Sarfraz noted.

“Therefore, no foreign coach can serve the purpose of improving Pakistan cricket, which can be achieved only by keeping permanent focus [on job]. For this reason, I believe talented Pakistanis should be hired as head coach, and batting, bowling and fielding coaches.”

Sarfraz backed leg-spin maestro Abdul Qadir to be the next chief selector while naming ex-Test paceman Aaqib Javed as a suitable choice for the post of bowling coach, if he quit Lahore Qalandars.

Sarfraz hailed PCB’s decision of appointing Misbah-ul-Haq as camp commandant of the pre-season training camp and urged the Board to give the ex-Pakistan skipper a permanent role also with the national team. “Misbah’s appointment as camp commandant seems he might be the next head coach [of national team].”

Meanwhile, Sarfraz also urged the PCB not to totally bar departmental cricket, and suggested to allow them to continue to play the national one-day and T20 events if not the first-class event of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.

“A good number of professional cricketers and their support staff had to lose their jobs from their respective departments, which will only result in [further] unemployment,” lamented Sarfraz who played 55 Tests and 45 ODIs for Pakistan between 1969 and 1984.

“Those professional cricketers after losing their job in departments, then ultimately turn to represent their provincial and city teams, not only burden them but also [indirectly] block the way of fresh talented players by occupying most of the places,” the ex-pacer highlighted.

According to the new PCB constitution approved recently, the 32 departments — eight competing in domestic first-class cricket and remaining 24 in Grade-II — will not be eligible to feature in the country’s domestic game. Besides the departments instead of 16 regional teams, only six provincial teams will comprise domestic circuit.

As per an estimate, in implementing the new domestic cricket set-up around 200 coaches, trainers and groundsmen plus approximately 1,000 cricketers could be dismissed from their services.

And it would not be an easy job for the PCB to adjust those technical staff in provincial or city teams as the move may put a huge financial burden on it.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2019