PCB to appoint batting coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to appoint a full-time batting coach and has advertised for the post on its website. The role of batting coach is currently being handled by the head coach, Dav Whatmore, with the coaching staff also including Julien Fountain (fielding) and Mohammad Akram (bowling).

The advertisement calls for candidates with at least Level III coaching accreditation, and at least five years' experience working with top cricketers. The deadline for applying is November 4.

Pakistan cricket teams have generally had plenty of quality bowling options to depend on, and the batting has been seen as the weaker department. The idea of having a batting coach has been circulating for last three years, but it didn't get the PCB's approval till now.

After the exit of Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman last year, his successor, Zaka Ashraf, planned to recruit a specialist coaching panel covering batting, bowling and fielding but ended up appointing Whatmore with the additional responsibilities of batting coach. The decision to hire a separate batting coach has been taken this week after a detailed review of Pakistan's performance at the World Twenty20, where the team reached the semi-final only to lose to Sri Lanka by 16 runs while chasing a target of 140.

Pakistan's next assignment is the tour of India, to plasy a series of three ODI and two Twenty20s, followed by the South Africa tour that begins next February.