Former skipper Waqar Younis likely to take key role in PCB

Staff Report

LAHORE: Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis is set to sign on for another stint with Pakistan cricket, this time effectively as the board’s cricketing supremo. Waqar met with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday in Lahore to go through finalising the appointment, though it is believed a few issues still need resolving. One of those might center on the nature of the role. Though Waqar will start for the time being as a consultant, as the advisor to the chairman on cricket affairs, the title might change once ––– and if ––– the appointment is made permanent. The role being envisaged then is thought to be similar to that currently occupied by Robert Key, managing director at the ECB. A board official said Naqvi was keen to appoint a former cricketer to take over “all cricketing matters, such as selection and high performance and pathways,” leaving the chairman to get on with the running of the board. Naqvi has considerable demands on his time, given that he is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, one of the most senior portfolios in the cabinet. Faisal Hasnain was the CEO under Ramiz Raja but once Raja, who had folded executive functions under the chairmanship anyway, left, the old constitution was brought back which has no CEO role in it.

Naqvi was keen to have someone in place ahead of what will be one of the Pakistan men’s team’s busiest seasons in recent years. They take on Bangladesh in a two-Test series in August, before England arrive for three Tests in October. They then play two Tests in South Africa across Christmas and New Year’s, return to Pakistan for a Test series with West Indies, a triangular ODI series with South Africa and New Zealand, the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in Pakistan, and then an eight-match white-ball series in New Zealand in March 2025. In between the international fixtures will play out a newly plump domestic schedule, with three tournaments (one for each format) added to the calendar, as well as the PSL. Waqar has previously been bowling or assistant coach across three stints with the Pakistan side, as well as head coach twice. His last assignment with the Pakistan team was as bowling coach under Misbah-ul-Haq’s coaching regime after the 2019 World Cup. This will be the first time, however, that he takes on a role with such a broad remit which will include, among other matters, grappling with balancing the needs of Pakistan’s international schedule with the demand for their players in various T20 leagues across the world.