Najam Sethi hints at foreign coaches for Pakistan team

The chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, Najam Sethi, has hinted that foreign coaches could be hired for the national team in the future.

The Pakistan men’s cricket team’s coaching staff is led by former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, meanwhile Mohammad Yousuf is the batting coach.

“We will decide about Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Yousuf in an internal meeting tomorrow,” Sethi told media on Friday in Lahore.

“Our local superstars and former players will be employed, we will look after them and find them jobs but they won't be coaching the team.

“When I was in power, we had Mickey Arthur and results were evident. We were world number one in both ODI and Test cricket and we won the Champions Trophy as well.”

Sethi also revealed the reason behind hiring foreign coaches for the Pakistan team.

“We will hire a foreign coach for the national team. Local coaches are not professional coaches. Superstars in Pakistan can't be coaching players, a foreign coach won't do nepotism and favouritism but our local coaches do that because it's in our culture,” he said.

Ramiz Raja sacked

It must be noted that Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja was sacked just days after the national team suffered a humiliating first-ever 3-0 home series whitewash at the hands of England, according to a government notice.

But a change had been on the cards since April, when Imran Khan — a former national captain — was ousted as prime minister and replaced by Shehbaz Sharif.

Raja, a member of Khan´s 1992 World Cup-winning side, was appointed chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in September last year.

A government notice seen by AFP said Sharif´s cabinet had dismissed Raja, and the PCB would now be run by a 14-member committee headed by Najam Sethi, who has twice served as chairman.

The committee also includes legendary all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who is a former captain of the men´s team.

The government notice also said the current constitution of the board has been scrapped, and one dating from 2014 revived.

The committee will have 120 days to change the constitution and elect a new chairman.

Khan came under fire for changing the PCB´s constitution in 2019 — in particular for abolishing the role of government departments and private entities in first-class cricket, leaving hundreds unemployed.

However, in his tweet, Sethi said "thousands of cricketers will be employed again".

"The famine in cricket will come to an end," he added.

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