Miandad can replace Intikhab as Pakistan coach

Miandad can replace Intikhab as Pakistan coachKarachi, Nov 14 : The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling to replace the current national team coach Intikhab Alam with former captain and coach Javed Miandad.

According to a source, most players are unhappy with Intikhab and the officials are considering to appoint Miandad after the Test series against New Zealand.

Miandad was PCB's first choice as the Pakistan coach after chairman Ijaz Butt sacked Australian Geoff Lawson last October. However, at that time Miandad was unwilling to take the responsibility. He was later appointed the PCB's director general.

The source said about eight-nine players complained about the attitude of captain Younis Khan and Intikhab when they met Butt last month after the Champions Trophy.

The players, including the seniors, were unhappy with Intikhab because they thought he always sided with Younis. Butt, however, decided to stick with Younis and Intikhab for the One-day series against New Zealand.

Following their 1-2 defeat against the Kiwis, Younis decided to take a break and senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf was named the captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand starting in Dunedin Nov 25.

The sources said the senior players of the Pakistan team are now pushing for a new coach for the series against Australia which begins with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne later this year.

Miandad has emerged as a strong candidate for the post. Some influential members of the PCB's governing board are backing Miandad and are expected to push for his case when Butt returns home from England next week.(IANS)