KARACHI: Afghanistan`s new cricket coach, Rashid Latif, vowed Wednesday to guide the national team to Test status within two years, a day after leaving his Pakistan job over spot-fixing comments.
The 41-year-old former Pakistan cricket captain agreed to take on the head coach role after quitting as the Pakistan national academy`s wicketkeeping coach, and barely a month after resigning as Afghanistan`s batting coach.
He said he was motivated by a swell of support for the game in Afghanistan, and an impressive supply of talent and honesty among the players.
"Cricket is now more popular than the bullet in Afghanistan and I am moved by the interest and the available talent in Afghanistan," Latif told AFP.
"Some of the Afghanistan players are so talented that they can break into any international team and my target will be to guide them to Test status within the next two years."
"They are an exciting team and my thinking and mentality, as a straightforward person, matches that of the Afghan players.
"They, like me, cannot tolerate wrongdoing," said Latif, adding: "I will leave if my chemistry doesn`t work there."
Latif believed "Afghanistan needs cricket to heal the scars of more than 30 years at war".
"It is my experience that with more and more cricket, the scars of war will be healed," said Latif.
Cricket came to Afghanistan when Afghan refugees housed in Pakistan began to play in their camps in the late 1970s. One refugee, Allah Dad Noori, formed the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) in 1995.
Afghanistan shocked the minor nations of the game by finishing fifth in the World Cup 2011 qualifying rounds in South Africa last year. They then won a qualifying round to earn a place in the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies in April-May this year.
Latif said he was not concerned about frequent travel to Afghanistan.
"A lot of people tried to dissuade me from travelling to Afghanistan but it is just like Karachi and I had no fear in Kabul or Jalalabad," said Latif.
The former wicketkeeper-batsman resigned from Pakistan`s national academy on Tuesday after authorities handed him notice over a statement he made about a spot-fixing scandal engulfing his home side.
Pakistani cricket has been rocked by a British investigation into three of its top players -- captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir -- after a tabloid newspaper said they had taken money to bowl no-balls during a Test against England in August.
London police are investigating the claims, but Latif caused consternation last week when he said the International Cricket Council and its anti-corruption unit were "powerless" to fight betting scams.
Latif played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals in an illustrious career that also saw him campaign against corruption in the game.
He had been wicketkeeping coach at the academy since late 2008.
Latif takes over from former Pakistan paceman Kabir Khan, who resigned last month after differences with Afghanistan cricket authorities.
Latif`s first assignment will be next month`s tour of Kenya, where Afghanistan plays a four-day Inter-Continental match and three one-day internationals.
BDST: 1751 HRS, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
