Ijaz Ahmed made assistant coach for Pak team

KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday appointed former middle-order batsman Ijaz Ahmed as assistant coach for the national team's upcoming tour to Zimbabwe in a bid to strengthen the batting order.

"On the request of the team management Ijaz Ahmed is appointed assistant coach. He will travel with the Pakistan team on the tour to Zimbabwe," said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement.

Pakistan play a practice game from August 28, before taking the field for a Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 in Zimbabwe.

The 42-year-old Ijaz has reportedly been hired to iron out problems in the batting line-up, the team's main area of concern in recent years.

Ijaz Ahmed, who carved a name as an aggressive middle-order batsman over 60 Tests and 251 one-day internationals, was jailed two years ago for issuing false cheques worth 11 million rupees ($126,714 by the current exchange rate).

Ijaz is also on the staff of Pakistan's national cricket academy in Lahore.

Pakistan's head coach is former paceman Waqar Younis, while Misbah-ul-Haq has been appointed captain for all three forms on the tour of Zimbabwe.