Pakistan pioneered idea of having full-time cricket coach, says Alam - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam has said that the idea of having a full time coach for the national cricket team was first conceived in the country. In an interview to The News, Alam said the idea of having a full time coach in the national cricket squad was given by the then cricket administrator, Nur Khan in 1980. " It was in 1980 that Air Marshal (retired) Nur Khan came out with this idea of having a cricket manager. He was of the idea that the team can benefit from an official similar to the managers attached with international football teams," Alam said. He said that it was Pakistan , which started the practice of having a full-time coach which was then picked up by Australia and New Zealand . Alam recalled that the then captain, Imran Khan, was not so enthusiastic about having a coach, but later he too approved it. " It turned out to be a wonderful idea. I mean the captain soon realised that he had much more time to spend with his players, preparing team strategy and such stuff. The manager used to take care of the other things which were previously the responsibility of the captain," he said.