by Saj Sadiq (28th June 2013)

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq confirmed to PakPassion.net on Friday that he is yet to hear from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding his potential appointment as batting coach, but would be interested in the role were his services required.

Inzamam, who scored over 20,000 runs for Pakistan and is widely regarded as one of the all-time batting greats, is currently in England representing the famous Lashings Cricket Club alongside Saqlain Mushtaq, Courtney Walsh and Devon Malcolm.

Speculation the PCB are contemplating appointing Inzamam as the permanent batting coach was rife in Pakistan on Thursday, but the former Pakistan captain stated no approach has been made “My phone has been very busy since yesterday with lots of friends mentioning the batting coach role, but let me categorically state that there has been no communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

The PCB appointed Trent Woodhill in the position of batting coach for Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy campaign, but despite receiving positive feedback from the Pakistani batsmen during his three-week stint with the national side, performances from the batting unit were below par as Pakistan failed to reach 180 in any of their innings during the tournament. It’s understood that the PCB are now aiming to appointment a permanent batting coach after the decision of an interim choice backfired.

In a recent interview with PakPassion.net, Inzamam spoke about Woodhill’s appointment and his performance in the role “No coach on this planet can perform miracles in the space of three weeks. I’m just puzzled at what the expectations were. Yes, everyone has a role and everyone has a part to play, but to expect miracles of Woodhill in the space of three weeks was just wishful thinking.”

Inzamam, who during his playing days was described by Imran Khan as the finest player of fast bowling in the world, was appointed batting consultant ahead of Pakistan's successful limited overs series against India just six months ago. However Inzamam's services were deemed surplus to requirements by the PCB before the disastrous tour of South Africa earlier this year and Pakistan were subsequently whitewashed in the Test series, with the batting being widely criticised for the poor showing.

Inzamam further stated that he was interested in working again for the PCB and was ready to enter into discussions if the Board were genuinely interested in appointing him “I’m ready to serve my country again. If the PCB wants me to work as the batting coach then I would be interested in working with the boys. I worked with the batsmen ahead of the tour of India and I felt it went well. We have some very good players who just need some guidance and help. I’m hopeful that I can help our batsmen, young or old, if the Board wants me to assist."

Pakistan's next assignment is the limited-overs series in the Caribbean which commences on 14th July in Guyana