Changes possible in Pak team management after Protease Tour

Lahore: Even if Pakistan cricket team does well in the upcoming One-day and T20 series, it is possible that key positions in the team management, including the job of coach and manager, may be offered to former players.

Pakistan suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series and coach Dav Whatmore had to cope with a lot of criticism. The Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to give any official reaction to the Test debacle but the names former captains Zaheer Abbas, Moin Khan, Intikhab Alam and Mohsin Khan are being discussed as possible candidates to get key postings. "Chairman Zaka Ashraf is apparently waiting to see if the tour to South Africa is a complete disaster or ends on a high note after the one-day series but even then chances are the team will have a new management for the Champions Trophy," a reliable source said. The source said manager Naved Cheema is unlikely to get any more assignments in future and there is talk about having a former player as a manager. "Someone who is well respected by the players and who has the cricketing background to hold his own in the team, can be appointed," he added. Cheema, a senior bureaucrat, who has been working as manager since 2011. "The position of Dav Whatmore will also be reviewed after the tour and there is now a growing support for having a local as a coach instead of a foreigner in view of reports that the Australian has failed to make a noticeable impact or motivate the players," another source said. The names of Moin Khan, Zaheer, Haroon Rasheed and Intikhab are being discussed for the role. Sources said what is certain is that Misbah-ul-Haq is unlikely to be retained as captain after the tour and the Chairman is likely to initiate a debate on this immediately after the tour. "The national selection committee may also be changed after the tour," the source added. It is not unusual for the Board to change the team management or selection committee after a disastrous tour like the Test series has been in South Africa. "The only thing that can convince the Board not to make major changes is that the team bounces back strongly in the T20 and ODI series," the source said. He said another important development for the players will be that after the series the Board also has to finalise the list of players who will be given new central contracts for 2013. "The process has already been delayed as we are in the third month and the contracts are supposed to be given in Jan or Feb. But if the team also fails in the ODI series than some players can also consider themselves as out of the central contracts race," he said. PTI