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Pakistan coach hunt

Intikhab Alam offered coach's role

Cricinfo staff

October 25, 2008

Comments: 20 | Text size: A | A

Pakistan's coaches in the last 10 years

Sept 1998: Javed Miandad takes over from Haroon Rasheed.
April 1999: Miandad resigns after falling out with senior players and is replaced by Mushtaq Mohammad for the 1999 World Cup.
Aug 1999: Mushtaq is sacked after the World Cup. Wasim Raja steps in.
Nov 1999: English-born Richard Pybus becomes Pakistan's first foreign coach.
Dec 1999: Intikhab Alam takes over after Pybus is axed following Pakistan's 3-0 rout in a Test series in Australia.
March 2000: Miandad replaces Alam after Pakistan lose the home series to Sri Lanka.
April 2001: Miandad is replaced by Pybus after Pakistan's tour of New Zealand
Sept 2001: Pybus refuses to come to Pakistan for security reasons after 9/11. Mudassar Nazar takes over.
Sept 2002: Nazar summoned home midway through ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and Pybus returns for a third stint.
March 2003: Pybus says he does not want to stay on after Pakistan were knocked out in the first round of the World Cup. Miandad returns as coach.
June 2004: Miandad sacked after Pakistan lose the one-day and Test series against India at home.
July 2004: Bob Woolmer takes over.
March 2007: Woolmer is found dead in his Jamaica hotel room hours after Pakistan crash out in the first round of the World Cup in the West Indies.
July 2007: Geoff Lawson is appointed as coach.
Oct 2008: Lawson two-year tenure is cut short; Alam appointed for ODI series against West Indies to be played in Abu Dhabi.

Intikhab Alam has emerged as the leading contender for the position of Pakistan coach after the removal of Geoff Lawson yesterday.

Intikhab said he has been offered a two-year contract but added that an official announcement will come from the board. "Yes, chairman Ijaz Butt has talked to me and offered a contract for two years. But they will officially announce it next month," Intikhab said.

There was initially some confusion, however, as Butt said Intikhab had only been appointed for the one-day series in Abu Dhabi against West Indies in November. "Intikhab will be coach for the Abu Dhabi series but we are considering two or three candidates for a long-term contract," Butt said.

But it later emerged that Intikhab was the leading long-term candidate and only a formal approval was needed. "We would like to appoint Alam for a two-year contract, but the final decision will be announced after we take the approval of (PCB's) governing board members," Butt told AP.

On the task at hand, Intikhab said, "It's not an easy job and I have taken up this assignment as a big challenge. Nobody is (player) bigger than the game and instilling discipline among the players will be my priority."

The PCB released Lawson from his contract with three months compensation pay insisting they were not satisfied with his performance. Lawson, who was supposed to complete a two-year contract with the national team next year in August, is still in Lahore. The new administration has been keen to hire a local coach, and the names of Javed Miandad and Aamer Sohail have also cropped up.

Intikhab has a successful track record as coach, having first been at the helm when Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup and then in 2000. He has also coached the Indian Punjab team in their domestic Ranji Trophy tournament for two seasons, taking them to the final in 2004-05.

Since 1997, Pakistan have had nine different coaches, some of whom, like Javed Miandad and Richard Pybus have been in the position more than once.

Comments: 20

Posted by Amir_D on (October 27 2008, 09:47 AM GMT)

The "merry go round" continues, a new chief who brings in another failed coach. It would seem that coaches/officals just wait for their turn at doing a rubbish job with the Pakistan team again! Why choose Intikhab? Because he's another long line of coaches who follow the orders of joker PCB officals when it comes to team selection. After this coach Miandad will come in yet again. They don't want foreign influence because it's not in their interests of putting mates into the team or into high positions. Lawson never had a chance. I hope the new coach can do something good but the system in Pakistan makes us the jokers of world cricket. We have great people to do the job (WHO ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT CRICKET!) but they're working in other parts of the world (Waqar/Mushtaq) because they'll be treated a lot better!!

Posted by hassansiddiqi on (October 26 2008, 13:21 PM GMT)

Intikhab Alam is too old. We need a coach who can: 1) Ensure Player Fitness - coach must lead by example here. 2) Ensure Player Harmony - coach must be a good people manager 3) Ensure Player Motivation - coach must be able to push his players. In all these points, Intikhab falls short. I don't know what PCB was thinking. They should appoint a young, recently retired all-rounder, someone like Rashid Latif or Michael Bevan.

Posted by risingstar786 on (October 26 2008, 09:03 AM GMT)

After observing many different sports from around the world, this is the first time I have witnessed a chairman publicly criticising and humiliating the outgoing coach as "useless". I would now question this chairman's own appointment. By his comments this chairman is making himself more accountable. By his own high standards he better deliver by making Pakistan champions of the world with the appointment of his new coach. We will not accept any excuses for anything less "Mr Chairman".

Posted by revanth035 on (October 26 2008, 06:56 AM GMT)

its the players who have to play to their potential ,the coach can only complement your efforts.pakistan team is always plagued by internal conflicts and there is no unity whatsoever.their batting is mediocre and bowling of late has looked pedestrian.they are nomore the potent force they once were under imran and wasim.

Posted by shahidafridi123 on (October 26 2008, 06:42 AM GMT)

Once again crisis made by the PCB cheif's. I believe Javed Miandad should be appointed coach and not Intikhab Alam. Intikhab may have lead a few teams to victory but that does not prove he can do it now. However, Javed Miandad has the experience to coach the side as he has coached them on: 98-99, 00-01, 03-04.

Posted by KiwiRocker- on (October 26 2008, 03:37 AM GMT)

This is called corporate revamp. I am very pleased with Butt

Posted by Cricketlover225 on (October 26 2008, 03:29 AM GMT)

I think Sunil Gavasker would be the better option as compared to I.Alam

Posted by Gilly4ever on (October 25 2008, 23:21 PM GMT)

Well done Pakistan. No stuffing around here: they have brought in a coach quickly and promptly. As has been noted by others, in the days when Intikhab Alam and Javed Miandad were coaching the team, they had a more positive outlook than when they had foreign coaches. I just hope that they don't sack him this time around.

Posted by love_of_the_game on (October 25 2008, 20:51 PM GMT)

In my oppinions, Butt has made a great decision in selecting Intikhab Alam as the Pakistani Coach... He has had the experience of coaching before and has probably learned from the mistakes he made. Lets just hope that he is a strict coach that can knock some discipline into the talented yet indicsiplined Pakistani team and can create a connection with all the players; specially Malik. My hands are up and I am praying...

Posted by Software.Architect on (October 25 2008, 20:50 PM GMT)

The reality is good players do not need a coach to execute their ideas and hence having an expensive foreign coach wont solve PCB's problems as Pakistan is hardly participating in any international cricket be it ODIs or Test matches. Any domestic coach can take up that role and PCB's main concern should be to allow its ICL players to take part in domestic cricket and eventually International Cricket (subject to approval from ICC).

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