Azhar Ali appointed Head of PCB's Youth Development

[BouncerGuy]

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has been appointed as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Head of Youth Development following a recruitment process. This role will be an extension of Azhar’s existing responsibilities, as he also serves as a member of the Men’s National Selection Committee.

Azhar, a celebrated figure in Pakistan cricket, began his journey at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2002 before transitioning to the senior national team. Over a distinguished career spanning 2010 to 2022, he earned 97 Test and 53 ODI caps. He captained the national side in nine Tests and 31 ODIs, and was a key member of Pakistan's historic ICC Champions Trophy-winning squad in 2017.

As the Head of Youth Development, Azhar has been tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players.

Azhar Ali:

“I am honored and excited to take on this important role. Having risen through the age-group ranks and played extensive club and domestic cricket, I understand the critical role grassroots development plays in shaping future stars.

“Significant strides have already been made in this area and I look forward to working with my colleagues to further elevate our youth development programme further. Our goal is to identify promising talent and equip them with the tools to excel at the highest level.”

The PCB congratulated Azhar Ali on his appointment and expressed confidence that his experience and vision will significantly contribute to the growth and success of youth cricket in Pakistan.

 

[mominsaigol]

At this point who cares. At this point, Our next coach/ director/youth manager or whatever might be Sharukh Khan.

Yei halat hain abhi

 

[RidiculousMan]

I think this a good appointment

 

[mominsaigol]

I think this a good appointment

I like azhar Ali, I actually respect him but qith all due respect what's the point man?

Pcb is a circus clown, all these appointments are just dil khush rakhnei walei appointments.

Infact for 5 to 10 years now I can't recall any individual being appointed for any position make a difference

 

[Kianig89]

So another one from tuk tuk brigade joins PCB

 

[Sunny_majoka]

How many appointments are remaining in PCB

 

[TheSultan]

there goes hopes of our youth becoming modern players.

Another line of tukaholics coming back

 

[FearlessRoar]

SR of 74.45 in ODIs and SR of 104.67 in T20s and will he develop youth?

 

[TeymurBlake]

As long as he solidifies players technique & helps develop the art of grinding out innings however if not, then It's a pointless role.

 

[Local.Dada]

One of the rare Pakistani cricketers who looks educated/ intelligent, articulate, has a sense of decorum and non-controversial. On those qualities alone he should be the right fit to guide young Pakistani cricketers. One of the most boring batsmen of all time but effective and has a good record in the highest form of the game.

How long he will last is a different matter but good positive appointment

 

[Hawkeye]

As a person and cricketer he was top notch, one of the very few educated and sane minds in Pakistan cricket in recent times.

I don’t think he’s there to tell kids how to grind innings in Tests. If he does that’s all fine too.

I’m sure he’s also aware of today’s white ball batting standards and if he has any batting coach responsibility, he will correctly guide batters to play accelerated knocks. Though he’s not an expert in it.

But I think this is mostly just about developing overall as a cricketer and being there as a guide for young players rather than teaching white ball cricket. The latter is not his expertise.

 

[Nasty Naz]

SR of 74.45 in ODIs and SR of 104.67 in T20s and will he develop youth?

Playing and coaching are two entirely separate things. Top players generally aren't great at coaching and we this across sports.

Azhar Ali seems like a smart guy and honestly, with his limited talent & skill set, he got the most out of his career due to his hard work. Look at the talent Umar Akmal had and the limited talent Azhar had and how contrasting their careers are. Instilling good work habits and helping kids get the most out of their skill set is something Azhar can help it.

With these positions, the question becomes what does the work really entail and how long does he hold the position? To get any effective results, you need consistency in the process & coaching but everything seems to change every 3 months under this chaos so in the end, it may just be irrelevant.

 

[Bewal Express]

Let's hope he doesn't see this as an opportunity to get paid to do nothing, which is pretty much the modus operandi for 99% of the PCB staff

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Let's hope he doesn't see this as an opportunity to get paid to do nothing, which is pretty much the modus operandi for 99% of the PCB staff

Isn't everyone in PCB doing just that already?

 

[offstump]

Over the years I’ve come to realize all these roles make zero difference because there’s no system or support to go behind it. Azhar is tasked with reforming youth cricket from the grassroots level, are they giving him a team? Funding? How many years does he have to do this? We already know the answers to these questions. The best he can do is identify 3-5 youth cricketers and solely focus on them.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Over the years I’ve come to realize all these roles make zero difference because there’s no system or support to go behind it. Azhar is tasked with reforming youth cricket from the grassroots level, are they giving him a team? Funding? How many years does he have to do this? We already know the answers to these questions. The best he can do is identify 3-5 youth cricketers and solely focus on them.

A lot of these guys are very lazy. They talk big but never follow through.

 

[BouncerGuy]

We have PCB hiring on these posts but the results have not been fruitful. Not sure what Azhar is gonna bring to the table.

 

[ayemgilani86]

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has been appointed as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Head of Youth Development following a recruitment process. This role will be an extension of Azhar’s existing responsibilities, as he also serves as a member of the Men’s National Selection Committee.

Azhar, a celebrated figure in Pakistan cricket, began his journey at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2002 before transitioning to the senior national team. Over a distinguished career spanning 2010 to 2022, he earned 97 Test and 53 ODI caps. He captained the national side in nine Tests and 31 ODIs, and was a key member of Pakistan's historic ICC Champions Trophy-winning squad in 2017.

As the Head of Youth Development, Azhar has been tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players.

Azhar Ali:

“I am honored and excited to take on this important role. Having risen through the age-group ranks and played extensive club and domestic cricket, I understand the critical role grassroots development plays in shaping future stars.

“Significant strides have already been made in this area and I look forward to working with my colleagues to further elevate our youth development programme further. Our goal is to identify promising talent and equip them with the tools to excel at the highest level.”

The PCB congratulated Azhar Ali on his appointment and expressed confidence that his experience and vision will significantly contribute to the growth and success of youth cricket in Pakistan.

Mr Team man lol, hoarded his batting position we never even tested any other player with a higher ceiling during his time his place was never under pressure and now he is reaping more rewards for being in Misbah chamcha camp like everyone in PCB taking dual roles . Excited for the tola of Misbah Azhar and Asad Shafiq defenders to come up again and tell us how great Pak cricket is let alone the country

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Hopefully Azahar will be able to create positive impact at a junior level.