Finally sports activities are resuming after almost three months lockdown due to Covid-19. Football leagues in some European countries have begun - albeit in empty stadiums. International cricket activities are also starting with the series between England and the West Indies.

The West Indies have reached England. It is the first international sports team to arrive in the UK since March 2020.

England is also scheduled to host Pakistan for three Tests from July 30, which will be followed by three Twenty20 Internationals in August and September.

Pakistan drew the last Test series against England 1-1 in 2018. In 2019, the Green-shirts lost all five ODIs and the one-off Twenty20 International.

Keeping in mind the previous results and English conditions, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) started the preparation to make a winning combination for the upcoming tour.

The management has decided to make supporting staff stronger and aggressive. Former skipper Younis Khan and ex-leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed have been added to the coaching staff.

Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had made a few appointments for its newly-introduced project of the National High Performance Centre (HPC).

Former spin great and doosra inventor Saqlain Mushtaq was appointed as the head of International Player Development. Saqlain, a Level III coach, will be responsible for identifying, developing and preparing players who could go on to become world-class cricketers.

Another appointment was that of Grant Bradburn of New Zealand as fielding coach of the Pakistan national side. Bradburn previously served as Pakistan national team fielding coach for three years.

Younis is Pakistan’s most successful Test batsman with 10,099 runs in 118 Tests in his 17-year career. He is the first Pakistani and 12th overall to score a hundred against all Test opponents.

He is also Pakistan’s best fielder and 13th overall in the history of Test cricket with 139 catches.

Nobody has any doubt about the abilities of Younis. He is hardworking and dedicated, and always does his best for the country. His vast international experience will surely be useful for the youngsters.

Younis, along with Misbah-ul-Haq, was the backbone of Pakistan batting in Test cricket in the last decade.

Former and current cricketers like Wasim Akram, Amir Sohail, Muhammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, and Kamran Akmal hailed the appointment of Younis.

The appointment of Mushtaq as spin bowling coach and mentor could also help Pakistan on the tour of England as ‘Mushi’ has a vast experience of playing county cricket. Besides, he has guided England and the West Indies in the past as a spin-bowling coach.

Mushtaq took 185 wickets in 52 Tests for Pakistan. He was part of the Pakistan team which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

Mushtaq also played for Sussex. He was the leading wicket-taker in the County Championship for five successive seasons, and helped the county win the competition in 2003, 2006 and 2007.

In 2008, the England and Wales Cricket Board appointed Mushtaq as a spin-bowling coach until 2014. His major success as bowling coach was to prepare Graeme Swann as a leading spin bowler for England cricket team.

He was also appointed bowling coach of Surrey County Cricket Club for a brief period in 2012. He was also the Delhi Daredevils bowling coach for the 2013 IPL season.

From 2014 to 2016, Mushataq remained the bowling consultant for Pakistan national cricket team when Waqar Younis was the head coach. In April 2016, he was named the head coach of National Cricket Academy.

In November 2018 Mushtaq was appointed as an assistant coach and spin consultant of West Indies cricket team ahead of the tour of Bangladesh.

Fans hope that the heavy duty coaching staff consisting of Misbah, Waqar, Younis and Mushtaq can turn a bunch of young talented players into a world-beating side.

khurams87@yahoo.com