Lahore Qalandars appoint Darren Gough as head coach

Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars have appointed former England cricketer, Darren Gough, as their head coach. He comes in place of former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed, who served in the capacity of head coach and Director of Cricket Operations for a eight years. Javed quit last month to focus his new role as a member of the selection committee for Pakistan's men's team.

The first assignment for Gough would be the Global Super League, to be played in Guyana from November 26. The GSL is set to be a critical opportunity for Gough to get acclimatiSed with the players and his role, before the PSL commences in April 2025. Notably, Qalandars finished at the bottom of the pile after winning consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.

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Gough, who has previously worked with the Qalandars as a part of their player development programme, is excited to for his new role. 

"It's an absolute honour to have been asked by the Lahore Qalandars to be the head coach for the upcoming Global Super League in Guyana. I'm really excited about this opportunity because I've been fortunate to work with the Qalandars in Lahore on several occasions, assisting with their PDP," Gough was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We know that the Lahore Qalandars are all about giving young players opportunities they've never had before - developing their skills and shaping them into players who can go on to represent the Qalandars, and hopefully make Pakistan cricket proud," he added.

Qalandars co-owner Sameen Rana cited Gough's vision to be aligned "seamlessly with our commitment to player development", alluding to his appointment as an initiation on "a new journey".