Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday (November 12) confirmed the appointment of Younis Khan as national men's team batting coach for "until at least 2022 T20 World Cup". Younis, Pakistan's only 10,000 Test run-maker till date, had been a consultant on the tour of UK earlier this summer and has now been roped in on full-time basis.
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"I am delighted that Younis will now be with for, at least, the next two years as our batting coach. The feedback we received about Younis’ impact in a short period of time in England was excellent," said PCB CEO Wasim Khan in a media release.
"His work ethics, commitment and knowledge are second to none, and I am confident that his appointment will benefit a number of talented batsmen who have either recently broken into the national side or are knocking on the door of international cricket."
"The PCB will also be utilising Younis Khan’s expertise and skills when he’s not on national duty as he will help local batsmen hone their skills."
"This is part of the PCB’s strategy to appoint highly-qualified and respected coaches across all major centres of the country so that we can start producing cricketers who can represent Pakistan with distinction," he added.
Younis' immediate focus will be the tour of New Zealand, starting December 18, where Pakistan will play 2 Tests and 3 T20Is.
The 42-year-old retired from international cricket back in 2017 after playing 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is for his country.
Younis was delighted with his appointment and the chance to make a long-term impact on Pakistan's fortunes with the bat.
"I am pleased to join the Pakistan cricket set-up on a long-term basis," he said. "I felt honoured when I was given the opportunity this summer and thoroughly enjoyed my time, and I now look forward to continuing the work with the same group of people on an important tour of New Zealand."
"I am particularly happy that my scope of work has been extended beyond the national duties. I am equally interested and keen at working at the domestic level by identifying potential batsmen and then helping them improve their skills."
"However, I want to remind all fans and followers that there is a process to achieve excellence and while some improvements can be noticed quickly, this will require lots of hard work, perseverance and patience before the required skills are embedded and start producing consistent results," Younis added.
