Younis Khan Appointed Pakistan Batting Coach For England Tour

Test great Younis Khan has been appointed as Pakistan bating coach for the England tour, their cricket board announced in a media release. Spin legend Mushtaq Ahmed has been named as the bowling coach for the upcoming tour which will get underway at the end of July.

The tour to England will being with the first of three-match Test series from July 30. The second Test will follow on August 7 while the concluding match will commence from August 20. The T20I series opener will get underway with the first of three-match from August 29, followed by the second match on the 31st and series concluding on September 2.

Misbah-ul-Haq welcomes Younis Khan for his coaching stint

Younis Khan is the most successful Test batsman for Pakistan. He surpassed his mentor Javed Miandad to become the most run scorer for the national team in the longest format. He scored 10,099 runs at over 52 in 118 Tests from 2000 to 2011. Besides rising to the summit spot as a Test batsman after his career-best 313-run knock against Sri Lanka.

“I welcome Younis Khan and look forward to reuniting with him in Pakistan colours as our cricket careers have almost run concurrently. We know each other better than most think as we have worked hand in glove in the past decade to contribute in some of Pakistan’s most historic and memorable Test wins,” head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq said in a statement.

“Mushtaq Ahmed is loaded with the experience of helping elite cricketers from different countries and is widely regarded as a mentor. Mushtaq is always involved in the game and this attitude will further help us in our pre-series preparations and enhance our prospects in the series,” he added speaking about the legendary spinner.

Younis Khan: Never been a bigger honour for me

Younis Khan is a tall figure for his national team but carried his stature with utmost grace. He said ‘there has never been a bigger honour’ for him than to represent his country. Khan, who also has an experience in county cricket said, he is privileged to serve his country again ahead of the tour to England.

“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.

The tour to England also marks the return of international cricket for Pakistan after a brief halt to the pandemic situation.