Pakistan should abolish coaching role: Rameez Raja

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Rameez Raja said Pakistan should consider operating without a coach following the death of Bob Woolmer.

Raja, who had convinced Woolmer to take up the coaching assignment with Pakistan in 2004, believes more control should be given to the team's captain.

"The PCB should take their time and think about not having a coach," former Pakistan captain Raja told Reuters. "There can be confusion about who is in charge with a coach there, so I say give the captain all the authority.

"They need to put a strong system in place, manage things well and give the reins to a solid captain and make him more responsible."

Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room on March 18 the day after his team were eliminated from the World Cup following a shock defeat by Ireland. He was pronounced dead in hospital later that day. Jamaican police are treating the death as murder.

With Inzamam-ul-Haq also relinquishing the test and one-day captaincy following Pakistan's poor showing, Raja believes that the time is right to made radical decisions which could change the fortunes of the team.

"We've tried various coaches and though they are important, if they were that important the lesser teams would be able to match the better teams in world cricket," he said.

STALL DEVELOPMENT

"Coaches

can also retard the thinking of cricketers, especially of a captain because he's being fed things from his coach all the time. This can stall the development of cricketers or captains."

Raja feels vice-captain Younis Khan should be appointed as the new skipper and also given charge of all team matters, aided by a low-profile assistant coach to organise things like nets.

He feels his ideas will resolve the issue of finding an adequate replacement for Woolmer.

Pakistan under-19 coach Aaqib Javed and cricket academy head Mudassar Nazar have both been suggested as candidates but Raja did not back them as candidates.

"As far as their cricket abilities go I have no issues but as man management skills are concerned I have an issue or two. I don't know if they are ready yet in terms of man management," he said.

"From past experience we've tried Pakistani coaches and it's still a young art at that level. That is why Bob Woolmer was so crucial to this team. He knew man-management and would look at the positives out of a defeat.

"If they make Younis Khan captain it would improve the team. He may come over as mercurial and temperamental but if they appoint him long term I'm sure he will be able to work out his negativities."