England Cricket Board (ECB) has hired Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistani spinner as the spin bowling consultant for a period of two years. Mushtaq confirmed the story to Express News and also revealed that he will assist England Lions and England U19 team during his tenure,
“I have signed the contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). I will be asked to work 100 days per year where I will assist the Lions and the U19 team apart from the national team. I will assist players in camps and will also tour with the national team.”
Mushtaq had previously travelled with England team to India during the Test series against the hosts. His contract was supposed to end after the completion of the first Test but after a superb performance by England spinners in the drawn Rajkot game, Mushtaq’s contract was extended.
Saqlain Mushtaq, a veteran of 49 Tests and 169 ODIs, had earlier opined that England should have a permanent spin bowling coach and incidentally, the responsibility to train England spin bowlers landed in his favour.
Champions Trophy 2017 will be the first big tournament for Mushtaq where the finalist of last time mini-World Cup would like to put their hands on an ICC trophy after a period of seven years. Along with that, Mushtaq will have a big challenge to prepare the spinners for the upcoming Ashes that will kick off later this year in Australia. Poms will go as defending champions in the historical series.