Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer and former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait are competing for the post of Punjab head coach for the upcoming domestic season. Either of them is set to replace Aavishkar Salvi, who took over the reins in August 2022.
According to a report in the Indian Express on Friday, Jaffer and Tait are the two top contenders among the 45 applications received by the state’s cricket association.
“We have received over 45 applicants for the head coach role of the Punjab senior team. Two of the prominent names are former India opener Wasim Jaffer and former Australia speedster Shaun Tait. The process is still underway and we will announce the name by next week,” a Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) official was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
Punjab’s performance under Avishkar Salvi
Under Salvi, Punjab had made it to the knockouts of all three domestic tournaments in the 2022-23 season. They made it to the last four stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and also, the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy.
Punjab defeated Baroda in the final to become the Syed Mushtaq Ali champion last year, ending a 30-year drought. Their last triumph came in the Ranji Trophy 1992-93 season.
Jaffer’s coaching gigs
Jaffer, the highest scorer of in Ranji Trophy, had tried his hands at coaching after retiring from professional cricket in 2020. He had coached Uttarakhand and Odisha and also worked with the Bangladesh U-19 team in the same capacity. Jaffer’s stint with Uttarakhand ended abruptly after unsavoury allegations of communal bias which he denied.
Jaffer, who played 31 Tests and two ODIs for India, was also the batting coach of the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier.
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