Saqlain Mushtaq applies for Pakistan's U-19 head coach job

The 42-year-old Saqlain, who is currently working as the spin consultant with the England team for the Ashes, confirmed that he will appear for the interview in Karachi next Monday.

Saqlain Mushtaq is currently at Lord's for the second Ashes Test as England's spin consultant.

Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has thrown his hat into the ring for the position of Pakistan’s U-19 team head coach.

The 42-year-old Saqlain, who is currently working as the spin consultant with the England team for the Ashes, confirmed to  Sportstar  that he will appear for the interview in Karachi next Monday.

“I have applied for the coaching position and the Pakistan Cricket Board has asked me to appear for the interview next week. I have worked with some of the top international teams and I can definitely contribute to Pakistan cricket,” Saqlain said.

In his long and illustrious career, the spin legend scalped 496 wickets in 49 Tests and 169 ODIs. The 42-year-old applied for the position after the PCB put out an advertisement, seeking applications for the position of the head coach for the U-19 team ahead of next year’s World Cup.

The 42-year-old offie is an ECB Level-three coach and has already worked with the New Zealand, Australia, West Indies and Bangladesh national senior teams as spin consultant. He was also part of the England support staff when the team won the World Cup last month.

In an interview to this publication during the World Cup, Saqlain had indicated that he was keen on taking up coaching roles in Pakistan.

“I have played fair amount of international cricket and have a lot of experience of working with international teams. I am sure that will help me in working with the youngsters from Pakistan,” Saqlain said.

Last week, the PCB parted ways with its senior team head coach, Mickey Arthur. And the Board is set to invite applications for the senior team coaching roles after the Eid holidays.

Asked whether he was also considering involving with the senior team, Saqlain said: “As of now, I am thinking about the U-19 role. Let’s see what happens later. One can’t predict the future.”

In the past, there were reports that Misbah-ul Haq could be brought in as the U-19 coach, but finally, that did not work out.

Ever since Ehsan Mani took charge as the head of PCB, the board has made it a point that it wants a high-profile candidate to work with the junior team, on the lines of BCCI’s decision to appoint former captain Rahul Dravid as the coach of its national under-19 and A teams.