Less than a month after becoming the advisor to the PCB chairman on cricket affairs, Waqar Younis' stint has ended, with the former fast bowler now a mentor for one of the five sides in the new domestic competitions the PCB is introducing this season.
Waqar is joined by Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq and Sarfaraz Ahmed as mentors, whose first assignments will be the Champions One-Day Cup, which will run from September 12 to 29 in Faisalabad. The PCB confirmed that Sarfaraz, who is part of the Test squad for the ongoing Bangladesh series, would continue with his playing career.
Waqar was slated to become the board's cricket supremo, a role created to take the burden of cricketing decisions away from the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. He even appeared alongside Naqvi at a press conference in that role, an unveiling of sorts, at Gaddafi Stadium at the time.
Initially the PCB didn't give a reason for why Waqar is no longer in that role and had become a mentor instead, which is a three-year contract and was, in the PCB's words, the result of a "transparent and robust recruitment process". It had been suggested that both parties thought Waqar might be better suited to a team-building role such as this, with more active involvement in the development of a side. The role of the advisor to the chairman is still being advertised.
But at a press conference later in the day in Lahore, Naqvi said Waqar had played a pivotal role in identifying and appointing the other four mentors, before taking on the fifth spot himself. "Waqar Younis assisted us for the last 3-4 weeks," Naqvi said. "He's a great name to have, a great cricketer was on board with us. He helped us finalise the other mentors. He spoke to them, did everything. And then he had to handle the fifth team. So in the first 3-4 weeks, in this entire exercise, he spoke to them, convinced them, to get them on board, and now he will handle the fifth team.
"As per the constitution we couldn't hire him as a mentor straight away, only as an advisor. And now he is a mentor handling an entire team."
In an earlier statement, Naqvi had welcomed "five exceptional champions as mentors" for the Champions Cup teams. "These individuals bring a wealth of cricketing experience, knowledge and expertise, which, combined with their passion for the game we all love, will help the Pakistan Cricket Board identify, develop and nurture the next generation of cricketers across all formats. This initiative will not only benefit the Pakistan men's cricket team but also help bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket."