KARACHI, May 2: Aaqib Javed, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief coach, has been invited by Bangladesh to become their bowling coach.

Aaqib, who played a vital role in Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 World Cup, was offered the post during Pakistan Academy’s recent tour to Bangladesh.

In an interview with Dawn on Wednesday, the former paceman said he needed time to ponder over the offer made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials.

“The BCB officials came up with the offer during an informal chat while we were in Dhaka. But I plainly told them to give me at least a couple of weeks to think about it,” Aaqib said. “I don’t want to make any hasty decision due to my other commitments.”

Aaqib, who claimed 54 wickets in 22 Tests and another 182 in 163 One-day Internationals, is seen as one of the leading candidates for the post of Pakistan coach and is also backed for the job by a number of ex-national players.

But the amiable Aaqib, who has guided Pakistan to successive Under-19 World Cup titles in 2004 and 2006, remained nonchalant about such a prospect. “Why should I worry or lose my sleep over it?” he asked. “But if the offer comes my way, I’ll certainly consider taking up the challenge as a great honour.”

The PCB has already placed an advertisement in print and electronic media for the post of national coach that fell vacant following the mysterious death of Bob Woolmer during the just-concluded World Cup in the West Indies.

Dr Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chief, had reportedly backed Aaqib’s credentials during a meeting of the ad hoc committee in Lahore last month, although it was also revealed that the national side may still end up having a foreign coach in the wake of World Cup exodus which saw several high-profile names part company with their respective teams.

Meanwhile, Aaqib, who took up coaching seven years ago, termed the academy trip to Bangladesh highly satisfactory. During the three-week tour, the young Pakistanis chalked up an innings victory in a four-day fixture in Fatullah after having lost the first game by 77 runs in Mirpur.

In the triangular one-day series, Pakistan Academy defeated their Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan counterparts once and lost one game each against them. In the final, Aaqib’s charges scored a narrow five-run win over their hosts.

“Overall, it was a successful tour. Remarkably, our captain Fawad Alam lost all seven tosses. But the lads enjoyed the experience of having to play in adverse conditions,” Aaqib noted.

The coach singled out rookie left-arm paceman Najaf Shah for special praise. “Najaf was simply outstanding throughout the tour. He could be a future star. Other guys like Khurram Manzoor, Sarfraz Ahmed, Atif Maqbool and Fawad also performed brilliantly. These youngsters need to be encouraged.”