Indian Domestic Cricket legend Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as Odisha's coach for two domestic seasons starting from 2021-22. This comes after his previous stint as the Uttarakhand coach came to a sudden end after accusations of communal bias.
Wasim Jaffer was reportedly approached by few other state teams but the former India player opted for Odisha.
"The Cricket Advisory Committee of Odisha Cricket Association has appointed Wasim Jaffer as the Chief Coach of Odisha Cricket Association for the Season 2021-22 & 2022-23. Besides the development of cricket across all age groups, he will also be a part of the coaches' development program across the state.
Jaffer is one of the legends of Indian cricket who hails from Mumbai and holds a very impressive playing & coaching profile. He holds three records in his name as the highest run-scorer in the First-Class matches and has the highest number of hundreds to his name in the First-Class cricket matches,” Odisha Cricket Association press release stated.
Jaffer has played domestic cricket for Mumbai and Vidarbha and appeared in 260 FC matches, scoring a record 19410 runs with 57 centuries and 91 half-centuries and the best score of 314*. He also played 118 List-A matches scoring 4849 runs with 10 centuries and a best of 178*. In 23 T20 matches, he made 616 runs with a best of 95 and 6 half-centuries.
“Prior to accepting the Chief Coach offer from the Odisha Cricket Association, he was also the Head Coach of Uttarakhand Ranji Trophy Team for the year 2020-21. I’d like to wish him the very best for this new assignment and hopefully, he can rejuvenate Odisha Cricket and propel them to newer heights under his able leadership,” OCA president Sanjay Behera said.
Jaffer also played 31 test matches for India and scored 1944 runs (100-5nos & 50-11 nos) with the highest score of 212 runs in a single innings. He has also played two One-Day International Matches for India.
This news led to former England captain Michael Vaughan reacting and tweeting asking, "Does he needs an assistant?"
(Inputs: The Indian Express)
