Mohammad Akram appointed as new Bowling coach for Pakistan

Mohammad Akram the new bowling coach for Pakistan – Cricket News Update

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former right-arm pacer, Mohammad Akram, as the bowling of the national team for a period of one year.

According to report, the pacer will join the team for the upcoming one-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Revealing the appointment of the new coach, PCB director Intikhab Alam said, “After a lengthy deliberation we have decided to appoint Mohammad Akram as Pakistan bowling coach.”

“Stuart Barnes [of] England was also shortlisted but unfortunately [Barnes] was not available immediately and we found Akram more suitable for the role," he added.

The appointment is controversial as PCB advertised that a candidate for this slot should have at least five years of coaching experience, however, Akram, who featured in nine Test matches and 23 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the home team does not meet this criteria.

Nonetheless, Alam convinced that the pacer is the right man for the job reckoned, “He is a decent and experienced coach, and has good reputation. It would be a good challenge for him to deliver and we can understand that he has the potential to take care of our bowlers.”

The player, however, has a vast experience of playing county cricket for Essex, Sussex, Surrey and Northamptonshire as his presence in the national team did not bear fruit during the reign of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the Pakistan national team.

The position was vacant since last year after the resignation of former bowling coach Aaqib Javed, who joined UAE as head coach.

Pakistan had desperately been looking for a pacer to be a bowling coach as the country for the first time in its history is experiencing a decline in its pace attack, forcing the national team to rely on spin bowlers.

However, with a history of producing some of the finest fast bowlers in the history of the game, PCB officials are counting on Akram to lift the standard of pace attack and groom upcoming fast bowlers.

Meanwhile, efforts at the national academy have also been put on full throttle to groom fast bowlers and prepare them for the national team.

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