Former Pakistani fast bowler, Waqar Younis is currently the leading candidate to take over the Direct of Cricket for Pakistan. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is also in favour of the decision and highly regards the former cricketer.
Apart from a stellar cricketing career, Waqar has a long history in coaching. The former pacer was first appointed as Pakistan’s bowling coach in 2006.
Between then and now, he has served four different stints as the bowling coach for Pakistan and has also served as the head coach on two separate occasions. The 52-year-old has also coached in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well as the IPL.
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His vast experience across all domains as a player and coach has prompted the PCB chairman to consider him for the Director role.
The current atmosphere in the Pakistan training camp is not the best. Their debacle in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 has further contributed to the ongoing turmoil, resulting in the PCB looking for some strong changes.
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Naqvi’s thoughts on Waqar’s appointment as Director of Cricket
According to the information revealed by a strong source from the PCB to PTI, Naqvi has learnt from other nations’ cricketing boards that it would be a wise decision to let a former player and a legend of the game handle all the decisions regarding men’s cricket.
Waqar’s experience and understanding of the game have placed him in the top spot to take over the role of Director.
Waqar Younis is a top candidate to be handed over complete responsibility of looking after men's cricket, including liaising with the two foreign head coaches, national selectors and domestic cricket departments, the source revealed.
The source further stated that Naqvi aims to decentralize all the powers concerning cricket rather than centralizing it, allowing other former players to look into some of the matters as well. Even the issues related to the international schedule will be further handled by the Director.
Naqvi is currently focused on the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025 which Pakistan is set to host. However, India’s participation in the competition remains a mystery with the BCCI not in favour of letting the team travel to Pakistan amidst strained political relations between the two neighbouring nations.
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