After the struggles of players during Australia’s recent tour, Pakistan has reappointed Shahid Aslam as the batting coach for the national limited-overs team. Aslam has previously served the Pakistan team in various roles, including assistant coach, fielding coach, and assistant manager. For the past two years, he has been working as a coach at the High-Performance Centre in Lahore. Earlier, former Test captain Mohammad Yousuf was serving as the national team’s batting coach but was later made a national selector. However, Yousuf eventually stepped down from both roles and returned to the High-Performance Centre.
Recently, Yousuf also resigned from his position at the High-Performance Centre, but the PCB rejected his resignation. Based on the recommendation of interim limited-overs coach Aaqib Javed, Aslam has now been appointed as the batting coach. On Monday, the PCB named Aaqib as the head coach of the limited-overs team until the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for early next year. This decision came after Australia’s Jason Gillespie declined the offer to coach Pakistan in all formats. Along with his interim head coach role, Javed will continue as part of the national selection panel. The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed this development on Monday.
The PCB stated that Javed will handle the team’s head coach responsibilities while the board continues its search for a permanent candidate. An official noted, “The PCB aims to complete the appointment process for a new coach by the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which runs from February 19 to March 9.”
Javed brings significant coaching experience, including his tenure as the head coach of Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and his recent role as Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling coach. He was handed the responsibility after Pakistan’s limited-overs head coach Gary Kirsten resigned. Following Kirsten’s departure, Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s Test coach, stepped in as interim coach for the Australia tour.