As Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Younis Khan the batting coach of the senior men's side for the tour of England, former spinner Dsh Kaneria said that he wanted Khan to be the head coach of the U-19 side.
Pakistan is slated to play three Tests and three T20Is against England later this year. The series is expected to be played behind closed doors.
"I personally wanted Younis Khan to be the head coach of Pakistan U-19 side. A lot of youngsters can be groomed in the U-19 camp and then they can be brought in the senior side. Look at India's example, even Rahul Dravid coached the U-19 side and talented players have come to senior Indian lineup," Kaneria said in a video posted on his official YouTube channel.
"Younis Khan was a very hardworking cricketer, he had a good fitness regime and he can bring out the best in the youngsters. In my opinion you cannot do much coaching in the senior side. In the current situation, there is a pandemic and there will be a 14-day quarantine period, you do not know what facilities you will get. Younis would have been the best choice for the U-19 players," he added.
During his career, Younis Khan scored 10,099 runs at an average of over 52 in 118 Tests from 2000 to 2017.
This included a career-best 313 against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009, which lifted him to the top position in the ICC rankings.
Against England, Younis holds an equally impressive record. In 16 innings of nine Tests in England, he made 810 runs at an average of over 50 with two centuries and three half-centuries.
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.
( With inputs from ANI )
