Younis Khan appointed Pakistan batting coach for England tour

Lahore, June 9: Pakistans most successful Test batsman and former captain Younis Khan has been appointed as the mens national team batting coach for the upcoming tour of England, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Tuesday.

In addition to Younis, the PCB has also appointed wrist spinner and a veteran of 52 Tests Mushtaq Ahmed as the team's spin bowling coach and mentor for the three-Test and three-T20Is series, which will be played in August-September.

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.

Furthermore, and as part of the tour arrangement, additional players will be sent to England, which makes it even more important to have equally capable coaches to provide best training and preparation opportunities to the players.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: "I am delighted that someone of the stature and incredible batting record of Younis Khan has agreed to join the Pakistan cricket set-up as national men's team batting coach. When I spoke with him, his commitment and enthusiasm to take up this assignment and serve his country was never in doubt and he jumped at the opportunity.

"Younis' work ethics, commitment to match preparation, game awareness and tactics in the English conditions will be invaluable. He is a role model to a number of current players and is hugely respected. I have no doubt that the squad will benefit from the immense value that he will bring, both on and off the field.

"Mushtaq knows the English conditions as well as anyone, having spent a lot of time playing county cricket and working with the England cricket team. Apart from guiding the spinners and playing a mentor's role, Mushtaq can be helpful to Misbah in match planning and preparations.

"It is crucial that the side understands the conditions that they will encounter in the upcoming series and so having the experience of the likes of Younis Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed to compliment head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and fast bowling coach Waqar Younis will be invaluable.

"These appointments are part of the PCB's commitment to help and support Misbah and his team to achieve the objectives of producing strong performances that can help the national side to once again become a force to be reckoned with."

Younis Khan said: "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.

"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. 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."