Raja suggests not having a coach

Former opening batsman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Rameez Raja has said that following Bob Woolmer’s shocking death, Pakistan should look at not having a coach at all.

Raja, who was instrumental in getting Woolmer on board back in 2004, believes in changing the structure of the support staff, giving more to the captain. He said, “The PCB should take their time and think about not having a coach. There can be confusion about who is in charge with a coach there, so I say give the captain all the authority. They need to put a strong system in place, manage things well and give the reins to a solid captain and make him more responsible.”

Raja added, “We’ve tried various coaches and though they are important, if they were that important the lesser teams would be able to match the better teams in world cricket. Coaches can also retard the thinking of cricketers, especially of a captain because he’s being fed things from his coach all the time. This can stall the development of cricketers or captains.”

Raja also believes that following Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation as the captain, Younis Khan should be asked to step up and be the captain of the Pakistan side, with only an assistant coach to take care of organizing practice sessions.

Pakistan’s former coach, Woolmer, passed away a day after the nation’s shock exit from the 2007 World Cup following Ireland’s upset win over them. He was found unconscious in his hotel room, and was then pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation, with the police believing he was murdered.