Saqlain applies for Under -19 team head coach's job

Karachi (PTI): Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has applied for the position of head coach of the national Under-19 team and will appear for an interview on Monday with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Saqlain, 42, who took 496 wickets in 49 Tests and 169 ODIs, has responded to an advertisement by the PCB that has sought applications for the post of head coach of the national junior team, which is preparing for next year's World Cup. "I have applied and my interview is next week. I just feel that I can contribute a lot to Pakistan cricket," Saqlain said.

The off-spinner, who is an ECB Level-3 coach, has already worked with the New Zealand, Australian, West Indies and Bangladesh national senior teams as their spin consultant or coach. He was also recently tied up with the England team for the World Cup and is presently with them for part of the ongoing Ashes series.

"I have acquired a lot of coaching experience working around the world but I have worked a lot with young players at Somerset and Middlesex counties and with different academies all over the world," he said. The PCB is also expected to invite applications for its senior team coaching positions after the Eid holidays.

The Board did not renew the contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur and support staff after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the ODI World Cup. Saqlain, whose spin twin Mushtaq Ahmed, is also currently working as a spin coach in the West Indies, has always expressed his interest to work in the Pakistan cricket set-up. The PCB has said time and again that it wants a high profile player/coach to work with its junior team on the lines of the Indian board's decision to appoint former batting great Rahu Dravid as the coach of their national under-19 and A teams.