The presence of Younis Khan in Pakistan's coaching staff is a source of encouragement, according to head coach Misbah-ul-Haq. Younis was roped in as Pakistan's batting coach earlier in the month alongwith Mushtaq Ahmed as the team's spin-bowling coach.
The additions rounded up Pakistan's star-studded coaching staff with former captains Misbah and Waqar Younis being head coach and fast bowling coach respectively.
"His presence is a huge source of encouragement for me," said Misbah in an online press conference on Friday while announcing Pakistan's squad for their upcoming tour of England.
"We obviously have played a lot of cricket together but more importantly many of the players have had partnerships with Younis in the middle. So he understands a lot of them and knows how they play," he said.
"The likes of Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Asad Shafiq have all played with Younis. So there is a lot of understanding on both sides because of that. The players also know that as a batsman he has been able to score runs all around the world.
"We all know how strong his work ethic is. He is very hard working and very focused on the task at hand."
Pakistan have chosen a 29-man squad for the tour of England that is scheduled to be held from towards the end of August. Misbah, who is also chief selector and formerly held the portfolio of batting coach as well, said that he needed a strong coaching staff to manage a squad as big as this for the lengthy period that they would be spending in England.
"We need to share our workload effectively in this situation to cover everything and so it will be a great help for me. Mushy bhai is also there alongwith Younis and so a staff such as this will be helpful to look after a big squad such as this," said Misbah.
( With inputs from IANS )
