KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board is all set to hire some more big names in the High Performance Centre and with domestic teams in order to streamline and uplift domestic cricket that will eventually improve Pakistan team’s performance.

Reliable sources confirmed to Dawn News on Wednesday that the PCB has offered coaching roles to former captain and prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf and ace all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and both wiil be hired soon.

According to reports, the PCB has offered the role of batting coach to Yousuf at the High Performance Centre while Razzaq is likely to join as head coach of one of the regional cricket associations,” the sources revealed.

Sources also revealed that the PCB may hire a few more former cricketers very soon who will be given responsibility with the regional domestic teams. “For that, the PCB is in talks with former Test cricketer and selector Basit Ali, former Test player Atiq uz Zaman, ex-Test fast bowler Mohamamd Zahid and batsman Faisal Iqbal,” said the sources.

“The PCB has a preference for those wx-players who have also equipped themselves with professional coaching courses and are capable of training cricketers as per the demands of the modern game.”

It was also learnt that the PCB is also in talks with former Pakistan all-rounder Rana Naveedul Hasan and ex-opener Ghulam Ali for roles in domestic cricket.

As per the sources, Pakistan’s domestic season this year will resume in late September with a National T20 Cup in Rawalpindi and Multan. As proposed, the first phase will be played in Rawalpindi while the second phase will be in Multan and matches of the second phase will be telecast live.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020