Pak players should be consulted regarding head coach selection: Akram

Islamabad: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has said that had he been the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, he would have tried to have one leader for the national cricket team for at least an year, and would also consult the players before selecting the head coach.

When asked during an interview about the first couple of things he would implement straight away, if he were given the role of the PCB Chairman, Akram said: “First of all I would just try to have one leader [of the cricket team] and at least announce him for a year, and then get a coach and obviously get a guy who the boys will get along with.” “Either it`s a foreign coach, or it`s a Pakistani coach, whoever, you should ask the boys first because they are going to be working with him. Bring stability into the system and I think everything will eventually work,” he told PakPassion.net. After implementing the above-mentioned steps, Akram said, he would concentrate on stuff like looking for the right talent and getting it to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). “The PCB have such wonderful facilities in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, everywhere, have people getting their youngsters, especially in summer where nobody does anything for a couple of months, to come. Also, try to get the Pakistan "A "and emerging sides on tours to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, wherever it can be arranged – the more tours, the more the players will improve and learn,” he added. Akram also said that while he was not against the hiring of a foreigner to succeed outgoing coach Waqar Younis, he would suggest finding someone from Pakistan. ANI