Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday appointed former spinner Nadeem Khan as the Director of High Performance.
"Nadeem was one of the 16 candidates who had applied for the role and was subsequently interviewed by Iqbal Qasim (Chairman, Cricket Committee), Wasim Akram (Member, Cricket Committee), David Parsons (Ex-Performance Director - ECB) and Wasim Khan (Chief Executive, PCB)," PCB said in a statement.
The position of Director of High Performance was created during a restructuring process and following the departures of Director - Academies, Mudassar Nazar, and Director - Domestic Cricket Operations, Haroon Rashid, who will finish their time at the PCB on May 31.
The Director of High Performance will be responsible for managing and overseeing both the departments as the PCB believes the new structure will serve the game and cricketers in a more seamless way.
Following his appointment, Nadeem has resigned as coordinator of national men's selection committee with immediate effect. Nadeem's replacement will be announced in due course.
Before turning into a successful administrator, 50-year-old Nadeem played first-class cricket from 1986-87 to 2002-03. During this period, he played two Tests, two ODIs and 153 first-class matches. The highlights of Nadeem's international career have been the wicket of Brian Lara, who was stumped by Rashid Latif during the 1993 Antigua Test, and the run-out of Sachin Tendulkar in the famous Kolkata Test in 1999.
"One of my key objectives will be to identify the assets at a young stage through the High-Performance Centres and then monitor their growth, development and progression through our domestic programmes. I have some big shoes to fill but I am looking forward to making a significant and mengful contribution during my time with the PCB," Nadeem said.
PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan welcomed Nadeem Khan and said, "Director of High Performance is a critical role in the PCB's Strategic Plan and Nadeem has demonstrated over the past three decades that he is the best candidate to help us achieve our objective of supporting a merit-based, quality-focused first-class cricket and high-performance system."
( With inputs from ANI )
