Wahab Riaz's academy coach becomes taxi driver to survive Covid-19 crisis

Imran Khattak, a level-two cricket coach, who is credited for training names such as Salman Butt, Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema, has become a taxi driver in a bid to make ends meet after the Covid-19 pandemic suspended cricket activities in the country.

The 10-year veteran coach was with the Model Town Greens, where many major names of Pakistan cricket frequented and also coached another team. 

"Life was going well as a coach. I had been training a company’s team along with working in the academy. The pandemic stopped all these activities so I had to turn my personal car into a taxi," he told Geo Super.

Khattak urged the authorities to resume cricket activities to so that many displaced professionals like himself could return to their profession. 

"England resumed its cricketing activities by adopting SOPs. There’s no reason why Pakistan can’t do the same. Activities need to resume so that people like me can return to their profession."

READ: Babar Azam’s U-16 coach sells fruits to survive under COVID-19

Furthermore, the coach said that the cricket community was still feeling the effects of departmental cricket shutdown and urged for its restoration along with a policy that could enable coaches to teach in educational institutes.  

"A policy needs to be formulated for professional coaches so that they can coach in educational institutions. Domestic and departmental cricket should be restored so that the hundreds that were unemployed can return," he said. 

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