Atiquz Zaman 'shocked and disappointed' over being overlooked as U-19 coach
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Former wicket-keeper and batsman Atiquz Zaman on Sunday expressed his disappointment over the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) for overlooking him as the Under-19 cricket team coach.
In a telephonic interview with Dawn, Zaman said that while he was "grateful" that the board considered him for the job, he was still "shocked and disappointed" with the final decision.
"I am grateful that the PCB considered me worthy enough to put me in the same bracket as Saqlain Mushtaq and Ijaz Ahmed. They have got achievements to their names both as players and coaches but as far as the qualification and experience are concerned, my CV is stronger than both of them.
"I am disappointed but I don’t feel let down because I am familiar with the culture of Pakistan. People prefer big names over skills which is why I never had high expectations in the first place.
"It’s like selling the same old stuff in new packaging. You can’t expect different results by repeating the same procedure. You will have to try different things to get different results. I can’t say much if you aren’t willing to try new ideas," he added.
Zaman insisted that he was not a "job seeker" but he wanted to "work for the youth". Since he has worked at domestic level in the past, Zaman said he was confident that he would be PCB's pick.
“I have worked for the county at U19 level, Pakistan’s domestic level, Pakistan’s and Lancashire’s women’s team. So I have got experience of working with elite players in England and Pakistan,” said Zaman.
“I think if the PCB really wanted a change it should have given a chance to young blood. But as it has always been the case with the PCB, it doesn’t trust the young blood straightaway,” he lamented.
He said that would ask the PCB to "give me their feedback as to where it went wrong for me in the interview so that the next time such an opportunity comes, I am better prepared". He also congratulated Ahmed for getting the job.
"I would like to wish best of luck to Ijaz bhai. I saw his interview. He looks very motivated to me. I think we should give him a chance."
Last month, the PCB had announced the appointment of Ahmed as the head coach of U-19 cricket team. The former batsman has been coaching since 2009 and has previously served as the head coach for Pakistan-A and U-19 sides.
