Basit may join Pak team as batting consultant

Former Pakistan Test batsman Basit Ali has been summoned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to Lahore and is likely to be given the task of a batting consultant with the national cricket team for the upcoming World Twenty20 in India.

Basit, who is presently the national junior chief selector, is expected to be told to join the national team as batting consultant. “The PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan and Najam Sethi have both spoken to Basit and called him to Lahore,” a source said.

“They spoke to Basit after Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan advised Shaharyar and Sethi to utilise the services of Basit for the national team to resolve the batting issues,” the source said.

He said that Younis, who met with Shaharyar on Saturday, and Misbah also said that Basit was well aware of the domestic cricket set-up and the players, and could be a big help to the national team as batting consultant.

“Basit is expected to get this responsibility for the World T20 as the PCB is concerned over the repeated failures of the batsmen, especially after recent Asia Cup.”

Basit, 45, played 19 Tests and 50 One-day Internationals and has been coach of the Sui Northern Gas team in domestic cricket, which won the national first class title for the last three years.

The source said national T20 captain Shahid Afridi had also agreed to utilising Basit's services in the World T20.

“Younis also suggested to the PCB Chairman that he should look at hiring a foreign coach for the team in future as Pakistan had done well when Bob Woolmer was coach between 2004-2007,” the source stated.