LAHORE: Former left-arm pacer Junaid Khan has been named Pakistan U-19 bowling coach, following the unavailability of Rehan Riaz, who has opted out of the ICC U-19 World Cup due to a family emergency.

Junaid, who previously served as the head coach of Islamabad Region, led the team to victory in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy and Hanif Mohammad Cup 2023-24. The 34-year-old cricketer has represented Pakistan in 107 international matches, taking 189 wickets. He played 22 test matches 76 ODIs and nine T20I.

Earlier, former Test all-rounder Yasir Arafat was appointed as the High-Performance Coach of the Pakistan Cricket Team.

Yasir is also part of the team management for the upcoming five T20Is against New Zealand scheduled from 12 to 21 January, 2024 in New Zealand.

The 41-year-old, Yasir, appeared in three Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is for Pakistan. He completed his ECB Level 4 coaching course from Loughborough University, becoming the first Pakistan Test cricketer to do so. He has also worked as bowling coach with county teams like Sussex and Surrey, as well as with Australia’s Big Bash League franchise, Perth Scorchers. Recently, he worked as a bowling coach with the Hong Kong national team.

Besides coaching, Yasir has featured for different T20 teams in league cricket around the globe, including appearances for Otago and Canterbury in New Zealand domestic T20 league cricket.

Yasir is serving as the camp commandant for the team currently underway till 2nd January for the preparation of the tour.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024