Akram backs Younis as Pakistan Test coach
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lashed out at team management after Pakistan's defeat against India. Photo: AFP/File
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has suggested that former captain Younis Khan could be the right choice to lead Pakistan's red-ball Test cricket team as head coach.
Speaking at an event in Karachi, Wasim shared his thoughts on the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 10 and offered his views on the future coaching setup of the national team.
"Younis Khan can be a good option as a batting coach for red-ball cricket. A new coach can help change the mindset of younger players," Akram said.
He added that a fresh approach from the new coach could benefit the team.
Wasim also praised some standout performances from the PSL, highlighting emerging players.
"Hasan Nawaz impressed during the PSL. Salman Mirza and Ali Raza also bowled well," he noted.
The former pacer emphasized the need for patience with players, especially when adjusting to the fast pace of T20 cricket.
"Players should be given time to settle in T20 cricket," he advised.
On the delicate topic of cricket relations between Pakistan and India, Wasim remained cautious.
"I cannot comment on what might change in Pakistan-India cricket," he said.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier appointed Aaqib Javed as the red-ball coach after Australian Jason Gillespie stepped down. Aaqib acted as interim head coach across all formats until Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in April.
Recently, Aaqib was named Director of High Performance, while former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson took charge as Pakistan's white-ball head coach.Hesson's first assignment will be a three-match T20I series at home against Bangladesh, starting May 28. The Bangladesh team, led by Litton Das, has arrived in Pakistan and began training ahead of the series.
Pakistan will focus on their white-ball fixtures before preparing for their next red-ball challenge — the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Spurs women coach Vilahamn sacked after poor season
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked their women's team coach Robert Vilahamn after the club finished 11th in the Women's Super League, the club said on Sunday. Just like the men's side this season, the women's team also finished one spot above the relegation zone, recording only five wins from 22 matches. Swedish coach Vilahamn had guided Spurs to sixth the previous year while they also finished runners-up in the FA Cup. But this season they suffered some heavy defeats by Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, finishing the campaign without a win in their last 10 league games. 'There have been some special moments during Robert's tenure, including reaching the FA Cup final for the first time,' the club said in a statement. 'However, results and performances this season have not been to the level we would expect and now is the right time to make a change. 'We should like to thank Robert for his professionalism and efforts over the past two seasons, and we wish him well for the future.' Vilahamn's departure comes two days after the club sacked men's team coach Ange Postecoglou. The Australian ended the club's 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League but Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Australia's Hazlewood does not want to miss WTC final again
LONDON: A calf injury forced Josh Hazlewood to miss being part of Australia's World Test Championship win two years ago and the fast bowler is keen to avoid a second such heartbreak as they defend their WTC title next week. Hazlewood is vying with Scott Boland to claim the last slot in Australia's pace attack for the final against South Africa at Lord's from Wednesday. South Africa name Rabada in World Test Championship final squad The 34-year-old arrived late in England, after bowling Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title on Tuesday. 'I was quite close last time,' Hazlewood, who recently recovered from a should injury, said of the 2023 final he missed. 'But I feel in much better place this time around, and I think in any format, my numbers over the last two years have been pretty good, so I've got a lot to fall back on. 'Skill wise, I still feel like I'm bowling the best I have in my career and it's just a matter of the body holding up, which it has been in the last few months.' Pakistan to receive $0.48mn despite finishing last in ICC World Test Championship cycle Hazlewood was Bengaluru's most successful bowler in the IPL but he will need to shift from 20-overs cricket in India to a different format and the different English conditions. Adjusting the length would be particularly crucial, he said. 'In the IPL games, I was probably hitting around that seven-to nine-meters in the powerplay, and not really threatening the stumps as much as you want to in Test cricket, in particular here in England,' he said. 'So, it'll just be about pushing that length and touch fuller and still getting that zip through the keeper.'
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Alcaraz puts French Open title on line against scorching Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will renew their rivalry in the French Open final, three weeks after facing off for the Rome title. Photo: AFP/File Listen to article Carlos Alcaraz bids to defend his French Open title against Jannik Sinner as the two stars of a new generation face off in a Grand Slam final for the first time on Sunday. The 22-year-old Alcaraz and Sinner, 23, have together scooped up the last five majors to usher in a new era in men's tennis after two decades defined by the dominance of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz hopes to become the third man this century to retain the Coupe des Mousquetaires after Gustavo Kuerten and Nadal. World No.1 🏆 World No.2 It doesn't get much bigger than THIS. — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025 Sinner is chasing his third successive Grand Slam triumph -- and fourth overall -- after winning last year's US Open and retaining his Australian Open crown in January. The world number one has lost just seven matches since the start of 2024 but four of those defeats have come against Alcaraz, including a five-set reverse in last year's Roland Garros semi-finals. Alcaraz holds a 7-4 head-to-head edge over Sinner, winning the Italian Open final in Rome three weeks ago as the latter made his return to competition after a three-month doping ban. The Spaniard warned after that final that Sinner would be an even greater threat in Paris with more matches under his belt, and so it has proved with the Italian yet to drop a set at the French Open. Flawless Run to the Final 🔝 Sinner takes down Djokovic and reaches the #RolandGarros final without dropping a single set. Alcaraz awaits! 🎾🔥 Watch the best moments of this epic clash—highlights presented by @Emirates ✈️#RolandGarros #FlyBetter #Emirates — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025 "He's the best tennis player right now," said Alcaraz. "I mean, he's destroying every opponent." Alcaraz is battle-tested having won just two of his six matches in straight sets but had a shorter outing in the semi-finals than perhaps anticipated after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire. Second seed Alcaraz has little doubt that Sunday's showpiece -- the first Grand Slam men's final between two players born in the 2000s -- will be one to remember. "It's going to be a really great Sunday for fans of tennis," said Alcaraz, who knows he will need to be at his best to deny Sinner a maiden French Open trophy. "I love that battle. But most of the time is just about suffering, because (he pushes) you to the limit." 'It doesn't get any bigger' Sinner is 18-1 this year and has picked up where he left off in Melbourne after a doping controversy which forced him off the courts for the Sunshine Swing in the US and the start of the clay-court season. He twice tested positive for traces of the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March last year, a contamination doping authorities accepted was accidental. Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut. He has looked in prime form in Paris, extending his winning streak in majors to 20 matches to reach a first Roland Garros final. King Carlos is ready to defend his crown 👑 Alcaraz takes down Musetti to book his spot in the #RolandGarros final! 🔥 — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025 Adriano Panatta was the last Italian man to win the French Open in 1976. Sinner dashed Djokovic's hopes of a record-setting 25th Grand Slam on Friday with a fourth straight win over the 38-year-old Serbian, who admitted the loss may have been his final French Open match. With the last remaining member of the old guard out of the picture, the stage is set for Alcaraz and Sinner to embark on the biggest clash so far in their already gripping rivalry. Both are unbeaten in Grand Slam finals, but that will change come Sunday. "The stage, it doesn't get any bigger now. Grand Slam finals against Carlos, it's a special moment for me and for him, too," said Sinner. "The tension you feel before the match and during the match is a little bit different in a way, because we are both very young, we are both different, but talented." Comparisons have already been made between the sport's new rivalry and those shared by the big three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, but Sinner said it was too early for such talk. "It takes time to compare us with the big three," said Sinner. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries, no? This could be potentially one of these, but there are amazing players coming up."
