LAHORE: Former batting maestro Mohammad Yousuf was named head coach of the national U-19 team by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday.

Yousuf’s arrival is the latest episode of a series of appointments in a major reshuffling of national senior and junior teams’ set-up.

The PCB, which a few days ago appointed former international Sohail Tanvir as chief selector of the junior team, has now installed Yousuf, who worked also as batting coach of Pakistan’s senior team a year ago, as the junior team’s head coach.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board today [Saturday] confirmed the appointment of former Test captain Mohammad Yousuf as head coach of Pakistan U-19. Yousuf’s first assignments in the role include the 2023 ACC U-19 Asia Cup in the UAE from Dec 8 to 17 and the 2024 ICC U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka from Jan 13 to Feb 4,” the PCB said in a press statement issued on Saturday.

The 49-year-old Yousuf, who previously served as batting coach at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore also, is one of Pakistan’s most distinguished batters. During an illustrious international career from 1998 to 2010, the right-hander scored 7,530 Test and 9,720 ODI runs. Yousuf holds the world record for most Test runs in a calendar year when he amassed 1,788 runs in 11 games with the help of nine centuries in 2006.

Meanwhile, Yousuf said he was excited to work with the promising young cricketers to help them rise to international level.

“I am pleased to join as Pakistan U-19 head coach and feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to contribute to Pakistan cricket by Chairman PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf,” the PCB media statement quoted Yousuf as saying.

“I am eagerly looking forward to the upcoming U-19 Asia Cup and ICC U-19 World Cup, which are crucial to the players’ growth and we will be aiming to do our best in these events.”

Pakistan senior team produced a pathetic performance at the ICC World Cup in India, where they finished a poor fifth on the points table. The national team under the captaincy of Babar Azam and team director Mickey Arthur managed to win just four out of their nine matches during the 10-team showpiece.

Amid criticism, Babar quit the national captaincy in all three formats on Thursday, and was immediately replaced with Shan Masood (Test skipper) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (T20 captain) by the PCB.

Moreover, the PCB during the past couple of days made several other major changes to both senior as well as the junior teams’ set-up.

Former Test all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was given the dual role of team director and head coach in place of Arthur and Grand Bradburn (head coach).

The interim national selection committee headed by former Test spinner Tauseef Ahmed was disbanded and replaced with ex-Test pacer Wahab Riaz who was given the job of chief selector.

During the World Cup in India, Tauseef had been given the charge after former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation as chief selector in the wake of allegations of conflict of interests levelled against him.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2023