Intikhab’s contract finalized, Saleem Malik to be academy’s chief coach

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalized the contract with the new coach Intikhab Alam while this ahs been decided to appoint former captain Saleem Malik as chief coach of the National Cricket Academy.

The PCB sources told that the cricket board has made a two-year contract with coach Intikhab Alam under which he would be paid an annual salary of six million rupees besides other perks.

Intikhab Alam will get an additional amount of Rs 1,000,000 on winning the final of the ICC event and Rs 500,000 on qualifying for the final.

He will not be allowed to write column for any newspaper or magazine and take part in commentary for electronic media.

Meanwhile, former captain Saleem Malik has been assigned the responsibility of the chief coach of the PCB’s National Cricket Academy. This post was vacated after the appointment of Aaqib Javed as assistant coach of the national cricket team.

Intikhab prefers domestic games over camps

Intikhab Alam, the new Pakistan coach, has given preference to match experience in domestic tournaments over camps to prepare for the home series against India in January next year. Intikhab took over from Geoff Lawson in late October and his first assignment will be the ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi starting November 12.

"I would say there is no better way to prepare national team probables than to make them play every competitive match of the forthcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy,"

Intikhab told the Karachi-based News.

"It is useless organising and arranging long-duration camps when the top domestic competition is in progress."

Pakistan's national players are currently participating in the Pentangular Trophy, a provincial four-day domestic tournament, which will be followed by the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the country's premier first-class competition.

Intikhab said even though Pakistan have played no Test cricket since early this year they have an advantage over India, who have played 11 Tests, including the ongoing one in Delhi, as well as four ODI series.

"[India] must be feeling exhausted by the time they play the series against Pakistan starting at the turn of year. By the time the Indians will be here, the probables after playing good and hard domestic cricket would be in a better position to deliver."

Intikhab, who coached Pakistan during their victorious World Cup campaign in 1992 and then again in 2000, said the job was about man management.

"Most of the boys emerging to the forefront already have the knowledge of basic coaching. What a coach does is to make slight adjustments in the technique of a player if he goes wrong somewhere or to work mentally on him if he has got a habit of committing the same mistake regularly. A coach is the one who earns respect from the boys leading by example. Cricket is all about discipline, patience and training and learning in a friendly atmosphere."

Intikhab said he was fortunate to have played alongside Ijaz Butt, the current Pakistan board chairman.

"It is always easy to do your job when you feel you would not get interrupted."

Intikhab Alam appointed Pakistan’s new cricket coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named former captain and manager Intikhab Alam as the new national cricket coach on Saturday, a day after Australian Geoff Lawson was sacked.

Intikhab Alam will take the helm for Pakistan's upcoming series of three one-day
internationals against the West Indies in November at the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi.

"We have appointed Intikhab as the coach as we found him to be the suitable candidate,"

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said.

"He will accompany the team to Abu Dhabi for the one-day internationals against the West Indies."

The PCB sacked former Australian Test fast bowler Lawson on Friday after a string of poor results. He had spent just 15 months in the job, regarded as one of the toughest in world cricket.

The 66-year-old Intikhab Alam has also been Pakistan coach and manager on several occasions, most notably during Pakistan's World Cup title win in 1992. Former captain and master batsman Javed Miandad was also a candidate for the post.

Butt said the length of Intikhab's contract was expected to be decided next week.

"We would like to appoint Alam for a two-year contract, but we have to get final approval from the members of the governing board,"

said Butt, who took over as chairman earlier this month.

Intikhab said he would try to do his best for Pakistan.

"It's a big responsibility,"

he said.

"It is not an easy job and I have taken up this assignment as a big challenge,"

said Alam, who will abandon his contract with Punjab in India, where he was to take over this month.

Intikhab Alam said discipline would be his top priority for the controversy-hit Pakistan side.

"I will try to maintain discipline because no player is bigger than the game and discipline has been our problem, so that will be my top priority,"

said Intikhab, who played 47 Tests between 1959-75 and also led Pakistan in 17 Tests.

As a quality leg-spinner he took 125 wickets, his first coming on his first delivery in Test cricket against Australia in 1959.