Pak vs Afg: Coaching staff for T20I series announced

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi on Tuesday announced the staff selected to coach the national team drafted to play the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan later this month.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Sethi announced that Pakistan's former Test pacer Umar Gul has been selected for the role of the bowling coach, while ex-Test batter Mohammad Yousaf has been taken on as the batting coach for the team.

According to the statement, domestic coach Abdul Rehman will lead the coaching staff as head coach.

"PCB announces Support Personnel for Sharjah T20Is. Abdul Rehman, Head Coach; Umar Gul, Bowling Coach; M Yousuf, Batting Coach; A Majeed, Fielding Coach; Drikus Simon, Trainer; Cliffe Deacon, Physio; Talha Ijaz, Analyst; Mansoor Rana, Manager; Ahsan Nagi, Media,” tweeted Sethi.

Umar was recently the bowling coach of Afghanistan's national team. He has also been associated with Quetta Gladiators as their bowling coach in Pakistan Super League (PSL). Rehman coached the KP team in domestic cricket and is currently associated with Multan Sultans in their coaching team.

Yousaf was part of the previous coaching panel under the supervision of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq.

On March 13, PCB announced the 15-men squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. The cricket board gave rest to their main players including national side captain Babar Azam.

While keeping in mind the packed schedule of the national team ahead this year, PCB announced an inexperienced squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan which is scheduled at the end of March in Sharjah.

Babar, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan have been given rest. Shadab Khan, who has remained the vice-captain of the Pakistan team in the white-ball format, was named the captain for the Afghanistan T20I series.

Players including Imad Wasim, Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan, who performed during this year's PSL, have been included in the 15-member squad.

T20I Squad against Afghanistan

Shadab Khan (c), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan

Reserved players: Abrar Ahmed, Haseebullah, Usama Mir

Schedule

March 24: First T20I - Sharjah

March 26: Second T20I - Sharjah

March 27: Third T20I - Sharjah