Saqlain Mushtaq, who was appointed as the spin bowling coach of Multan Sultans for the upcoming ninth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has decided to withdraw himself due to scheduling reasons.
The franchise has confirmed that the former ECB performance director David Parsons will be Saqlain's replacement.
Parsons, who served as the ECB's national spin bowling coach from 2005 to 2007, has recently been involved in activities beyond cricket. He is currently the performance director for England Netball, taking a temporary break from his full-time role in that capacity.
Interestingly, Parsons has previous experience in Pakistan and has left a positive impression on Sultans owner Ali Tareen. He spent a week at the Multan Sultans academy, formerly known as the Ali Tareen academy, overseeing a group of young spinners in Lodhran, South Punjab.
Coincidentally, one of the spinners he worked with during that time was left-arm wrist-spinner. Faisal Akram.
Faisal will now be back under Parsons' guidance as a part of Multan's squad. "I am especially excited to meet up again with Faisal Akram, with whom I worked in the academy," said Parsons.
Parsons will be assisted by Alex Hartley, the former England Women's spinner.
Remember, Saqlain was named Sultans' spin bowling coach in October 2023.
"We were delighted to have Saqlain Mushtaq on board because there is nothing better than having local experience and a name as big as his. But, some scheduling difficulties had emerged because of which we had to put our partnership on hold. We will definitely make use of his experience at some stage in the future," Sultans' owner and chief executive Ali Khan Tareen said.
Multan Sultans coaching staff
Head coach – Abdul Rehman
Spin bowling coach – David Parsons
Assistant and development coach – Muhammad Wasim
Fast bowling coach – Catherine Dalton
Assistant spin bowling coach – Alex Hartley
Strength and condition and fielding coach – Drikus Saaiman