Kapil Dev, Irfan Pathan offered positions in J&K cricket setup

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) has decided to bring in a host of changes in a bid to revamp its command structure of political and legal muddles. Ashiq Ali Bukhari, the former DIG of the valley, was appointed as CEO of the board in December. Overhauling the old selection panel, JKCA has posted advertisements seeking new candidates

In a bid to accomplish the same, officials from JKCA met Kapil Dev and Irfan Pathan in New Delhi on Wednesday and sought their services for the development of cricket in the state. In a bid to bolster the domestic squad, the board wants Kapil to join as a mentor while Irfan has been given the option of joining as a player-cum-mentor.

JKCA CEO Ashiq Ali Bukhari, met the duo in New Delhi to offer them their respective roles. Bukhari remains optimistic to close the deal in the next few days and believes their presence would help revive the cricketing structure in Jammu and Kashmir. The valley cricket board is also planning to set up a talent hunt camps across the state to unearth more potential talents.

Pathan keen to mentor youngsters

Should the deal go through, Kapil Dev will make his way to Jammu and Kashmir in regular intervals to scout talents and look after the overall development of the game across all groups. Irfan, however, will have to shoulder the work of the Ranji Trophy side as a player-cum-mentor.

Although the versatile left-hander still has few more years of cricket left in him, Pathan is also keen on being a mentor to youngsters. According to Sportarlive, he was quoted saying, “There have been talks with them (the JKCA) yesterday and I still want to play for three years.”

Irfan Pathan, who last donned the India cap in 2012, added., “I want to play a mentor role to the young players while sharing the dressing room with them. The idea is to inspire the youngsters. There are lots of plans.”