Saqlain pitches for full-time spin role

Saqlain Mushtaq has called on the ECB to appoint a full-time spin bowling coach to work with the England team and said he would “love to” fill the role.

While Saqlain, the former Pakistan offspinner, is hardly impartial in such matters – he is currently fulfilling such a job on a brief consultancy basis – he makes a strong case both with his words and his record.

Having joined up with the squad after the two Tests in Bangladesh, he has presided over a sharp improvement in the performance of Adil Rashid, in particular, and argues that the importance of spin bowling is undervalued compared to other disciplines.

“It is very important to have a full-time spin coach,” Saqlain, who leaves the tour after the third Test in Mohali, said. “If you look at the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and the highest wicket-taker in one-day cricket, they are spinners.

“And it is not just in the subcontinent, but when you go abroad on the fourth and fifth day of the Test match the spinners are the main bowlers. The whole team relies on them so spin is a main thing and you have to have a full-time coach for the spin … not just for the main team but on the county circuit as well. I believe that.

“It is not just to look after the spinners; it is to help the batsmen as well as to how the spinners think about the batsmen.”

While the ECB does already employ various bowling coaches – former England offspinner Peter Such is the lead spin bowling coach – it has become common practice for the England team to be accompanied only by a fast-bowling coach when on tour. Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner, was also engaged on a part-time consultancy basis in …

continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com