Mudassar Nazar to take over as PCB's director of academies

Karachi: Former Test all-rounder Mudassar Nazar is set to take over as director of academies in the Pakistan Cricket Board, which has created the position to streamline and groom new talent in the country and to improve the domestic cricket structure.

Nazar, 60, has submitted his documents with PCB which, in its Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday, specifically removed the requirement of a candidate being a qualified graduate to be eligible for the position.

"With the condition of being a graduate removed Mudassar is now set to be appointed to this new position," an official in the board told PTI.

Mudassar has been working as coach in the ICC global cricket academy in Dubai for the last few years and the official said he had agreed to resign from the position to come to Pakistan.

"He was the unanimous choice because of his background in coaching and cricket administration with the ICC and national teams," the official said.

Mudassar, who played 76 Tests as an opener and 122 one-day internationals, has coached the Pakistan senior and A teams in the past and was national team coach in 2001/2002.

He also served as director of the National Cricket Academy in Lahore before moving to Dubai.

The decision to appoint the former player is one of several steps being taken by the PCB to restructure its cricket system owing to the national team's disastrous performances in the Asia Cup and World T20.

Yesterday, in the latest ICC ODI rankings, Pakistan slipped to ninth position and will now have to ensure it finishes among the top seven rankings at the cut off date of September 30, 2017, date for the 2019 World Cup.

In T20s, Pakistan is placed seventh, but improved its rankings to third in the Test format.