Saqlain Mushtaq to carry on as Pakistan head coach for West Indies series

The former Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq is set to continue as the interim head coach of Pakistan. He will continue to serve the team for the upcoming West Indies series, scheduled to kick start on December 13. The team is staged to tour Pakistan for 15 days to play T2o and One Day International series.

An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come forward to inform about the same. In what was a significant development, PCB had appointed Saqlain Mushtaq as the head coach for the T20 World Cup 2021. Prior to this, the legendary off-spinner was serving as the Head of International Player Development at the National High-Performance Centre.

“Saqlain will continue to be the interim head coach of the national cricket team for the limited-overs series against West Indies,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said as quoted by Geo news.

Having picked up 208 Test wickets and 288 ODI wickets, Mushtaq was one of the key players of the side in his playing days. After hanging up his boots, he served as the coach for several teams. The former cricketer has also worked with England, West Indies, and New Zealand teams as a spin bowling coach/consultant. Considering his experience he was roped in as the interim head coach of the team for the high-profile tournament.

PCB yet to decide on bowling and batting coaches

The board hasn’t made any official statement about the bowling and batting coaches of the team for the forthcoming series. Opening up on the same, the PCB official said, “In a few days we are to make a decision on that. One thing is certain that Saqlain will continue to be the head coach of the team for the series against West Indies.”

However, the board is expected to make the decision on a permanent Pakistan head coach during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) engagements. This might be in the month of January-February as per reports. The Australian team is scheduled to visit Pakistan in the month of March next year. Thus, PCB is expected to announce the long-term head coach of the Pakistan team ahead of this high-profile series.