PCB hires Saqlain, Bradburn and Asser at key posts in High Performance Centre.

Byline: Mohammad Yaqoob

LAHORE -- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made three more appointments for its newly-introduced project of the National High Performance Centre, bringing in former Test off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq besides relieving Grant Bradburn as fielding coach to hand him a different set of responsibilities at the centre.

The third appointment is that of Asser Malik as operations manager of the High Performance Centre.

Saqlain was appointed as the head of International Player Development while Bradburn will be the head of the High Performance coaching department which is tasked with producing and training new coaches.

The PCB has already appointed former Test left-arm spinner Nadeem Khan as director of the centre.

Saqlain will join the centre on June 10 while both Bradburn and Asser are required to join on June 1. All the appointments have been made for three years.

Saqlain is currently in Pakistan but Bradburn is in his native country New Zealand and due to coronavirus he may not be able to join the centre from June 1.

A PCB spokesman said national team's bowling coach Waqar Younis, who is also in Australia and is not able to travel to Pakistan due to the pandemic, and Bradburn are already working online with the other coaching staff. 'Once the air travel begins, Bradburn will come to Pakistan to join the centre,' the spokesman said.

It seems the appointments have been made in a haste because no cricket activity is on the cards these days due to coronavirus outbreak.

The PCB has plans to start domestic cricket from Sept 14 if the government allows.

Dawn learnt that all the appointments have been made on high salaries as the incumbent PCB management has introduced this high pay structure which has seen so many officials getting appointed for millions of rupees in salaries.

Both Saqlain and Bradburn will also be paid very handsome salaries which will also be in millions.

As for the vacant position of fielding coach, the PCB spokesman said head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has been informed about the changed role of Bradburn and now it was his prerogative to select new fielding coach.

To a question about Saqlain's appointment and his utility as coach, the PCB spokesman said: 'In fact, Saqlain has been the only off-spinner who bowled the 'doosra' with right arm-bend.'

About Asser, the spokesman said that earlier he was working with Multan Sultans, a franchise of the Pakistan Super League, as operational manager. Asser has also been...