Shoaib Akhtar set to start coaching career

Shoaib Akhtar is likely to start his coaching career with State Bank of Pakistan for the coming season, the Dawn has reported. According to Zaheer-ul-Hassan, the department's team manager, Shoaib has agreed to take up the role of the head coach and is awaiting a clearance from the bank's sports committee.

"It will be a huge bonus for us to have a cricketer of his stature in the support staff as the head coach. We are extremely happy that Shoaib has expressed his desire to play his role in uplifting the State Bank cricket team," Zaheer told the Dawn. "Shoaib has shown deep interest when we approached him. At the moment, we are in the process of formalising the contract details."

State Bank of Pakistan avoided relegation from the departmental first-class competition after they finished tenth in the 11-team competition. Zaheer said that the team was looking to beef up the support staff to improve the performances in the coming season.

"Yeah, it was a very close call [to avert relegation] last season," he said. "At times the entire squad was under great pressure to survive the drop. Had that been the case, it would have been pretty hard for us to run the team because a colossal amount is spent each season.

Considered one of the fastest bowlers of his era, Shoaib made his debut in November 1997 and retired after the 2011 World Cup in a career marred with controversy and injuries. He had expressed in 2012 his interest in taking up the role of bowling coach in the Pakistan national team set-up, under Dav Whatmore, but such a deal never materialised.