Grant Flower has been given a two-year contract by PCB. (AFP)
Karachi/Agencies
Pakistan appointed former Zimbabwe opener Grant Flower as their batting coach yesterday in a comprehensive overhaul of the national team’s management in their bid to win next year’s World Cup.
Grant, younger brother of former England coach Andy, will join in August during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka. “We have completed the signing of Grant Flower as batting coach for two years starting from August,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman told reporters.
The latest appointment follows PCB’s decision to name Waqar Younis as head coach for a second stint and Mushtaq Ahmed as spin bowling consultant. Pakistan is also likely to appoint former England fielding coach Richard Halsall as their fielding and strengthening trainer.
The 43-year-old Grant is known for his superior technique among Zimbabwean batsmen. Ironically his highest Test score of 201 came against Pakistan at Harare in 1995. He played 67 Tests and 221 one-day internationals for his country before moving to England as coach, and also coached Zimbabwe for a brief period until 2012.
Pakistan’s national team have been plagued by batting problems, mostly on foreign tours. They lost all three Tests in South Africa and were bowled out for their lowest score of 49 in the Johannesburg Test last year. Pakistan had also hired Australian Trent Woodhill for a brief two-month stint last year but even that failed to bring any improvement to Pakistan’s batsmen, who are regarded as flat track bullies. Former greats Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul Haq and Zaheer Abass have also tried to lift the quality of batting in the recent past.
Pakistan line up six Test series against India: Report
Pakistan have signed a “memorandum of understanding” with India to play up to 14 tests, 30 one-day and 12 Twenty20 internationals between 2015 and 2023, ESPN Cricinfo has reported.
Four of the six series would be hosted by Pakistan, who currently play their “home” series in the United Arab Emirates, the website reported, citing a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official.
The neighbours have not played a Test series since before the deadly 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which the Indian government blamed on militants from Pakistan.
The report said the agreement was the result of Pakistan’s conditional support for the reorganisation of the International Cricket Council, which would give India more influence over the global body.
India-Bangladesh ODIs from June 15
India will play three one-day internationals against Bangladesh next month ahead of their tour of England, the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
All three matches will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka on June 15, 17, and 19. “We are delighted to announce that India will be coming here for three ODIs in June,” BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus told reporters. “We look forward to a very good and competitive series.”
The tour, agreed in February as part of a bilateral deal between the two countries, has been squeezed in between the June 1 end of India’s domestic season and the start of the England tour on June 26.
Indian media reports said the selectors may rest several key players, including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and star batsman Virat Kohli, and send a new-look team to Bangladesh. India are due to play five Tests, five one-dayers and a lone Twenty20 international on the 10-week tour of England.
I’m ready for Test captaincy, says de Villiers
South Africa batsman AB de Villiers says he is ready to take over the Test captaincy, and is keen to do it, but will not want to keep wicket if entrusted with the armband. With Graeme Smith’s retirement after the Australia series, leaving the Proteas with a search for a new skipper after 13 years, De Villiers and Faf du Plessis are considered the front-runners.
De Villiers is the ODI skipper, while Du Plessis tends to take charge of the T20 side, and it’s proven a toss up as to who will get the Test gig. If De Villiers does get it, then Quinton de Kock is his likely replacement behind the stumps. De Villiers told Cricinfo: “Preferably I wouldn’t like to do the keeping job if I am captain. It will be very difficult to juggle all of that together.
“But if I have to do all of it... I have never shied away from a challenge. It will be a great challenge to be a captain and to do whatever they want me to do. I have led in the shorter version - it’s been a great ride and I have learnt so much. I am certainly ready to take over the Test captaincy. I would love to do it. It’s up to the people above me to decide who will be the best guy to do the job. Whoever gets it, I hope he will have full support from the team, from the staff and from the administrators. He will have my support if it’s not me but if it is me I will give it my best shot and hope to do a good job.”
The Proteas go into a new Test season missing a number of experienced faces, with Jacques Kallis’ retirement adding to Smith’s, as well as Mark Boucher’s absence still felt at times, two years later.
