Former captain and country's only 10,000 Test run-maker, Younis Khan, has rejoined the national set-up as a batting coach for the upcoming tour of England, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Tuesday (June 9).
Apart from Younis, former wrist-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has been appointed as the team's spin bowling coach and mentor for the three-Test and three-T20I series, due to be played in August-September.
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"The appointments have been made to provide head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and fast bowling coach Waqar Younis the necessary and essential resources that can help them further uplift the performance of the side," reads a PCB media release.
Younis, who retired from the game in 2017, boasts of a fine record in England, scoring 810 runs at an average above 50 with two centuries (218 at The Oval in 2016 and 173 at Headingley in 2006) and three half-centuries.
In 2007, he made 824 runs in 13 matches at an average of 48.47 for Yorkshire in the English County Championship.
"For me, there has never been a bigger honour and a better feeling than to represent my country and I feel privileged to have been again offered the opportunity to serve it for a challenging but exciting tour of England," said Younis.
"The Pakistan side includes some immensely talented cricketers who have the potential to achieve greater heights. Together with Misbah-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Waqar Younis, we will try to make them better and prepare them as best as we can with on and off field coaching and guidance."
“I have never been shy of sharing my experiences and knowledge, and I think this particular tour provides me with an ideal opportunity where I can spend post-training time with the players to engage with them on batting techniques, bowler assessments, mental toughness exercises besides talking them through with scenario planning."
“We all know English conditions demand not only precise technique but patience and discipline, and if you can master these, then you will not only excel in England but anywhere in the world," he added.
"With the quality we have in the team, I think we have a good chance to produce good results if we prepare properly, get our processes right and hit the ground running as soon as we land."
PCB has decided in coordination with the team management to send a larger playing squad to the UK, which is also why the board opted to have more coaching experience around the group.
The series details are yet unconfirmed, but it is likely it will be played entirely inside closed doors, without any crowd presence in a bio-secure bubble and with highest safety protocols followed for training and on-field action due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Players picked for the trip will go through a quarantine camp at the High-Performance Centre in Lahore and then be in isolation again in England before the start of the series.
