KARACHI, June 3: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has been appointed as wicket-keeping coach by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), for training and grooming talented young glovemen of the country.

The Port Qasim Authority (PQA), where Rashid was working as the head of sports, has released him and he has joined the PCB on deputation for three years, according to an official letter made available on Tuesday.

“My objective is to transfer my knowledge in grooming and preparing young wicket-keepers and lift the overall standard of the keepers in domestic circuit,” Rashid, one of the best wicket-keepers of his times, said here.

“My job is to make wicket-keeping a strong department for the country,” adding that glovework is a vital part of the game.

The agile keeper vowed to remain fully devoted for improving the overall standard of wicket-keepers in Pakistan.

“Wicket-keeping is a difficult job. A mentally and physically tough and slim player can be a good wicket-keeper,” Rashid, who played 37 Tests and 166 One-day Internationals for Pakistan after making his Test debut at The Oval in 1992, said.

Rashid further said that he had been preparing the wicket-keepers since January, conducting camps for country’s top wicket-keepers including Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Salman.

Rashid also conducted a training camp that was attended by Sarfraz, Gulraiz Sadaf and Naeem Anjum.

The former Test captain said he also supervised a camp for the Pakistan under-15 boys who went to play in a global contest in West Indies.

Rashid is leaving for England on Wednesday to play club cricket and train young wicket-keepers there.—APP