The hosts had faced a crushing 60-run loss to New Zealand in the tournament opener. With only two group stage games remaining, Pakistan are in a dire strait after their defeat to the Kiwis. An early exit from the tournament will be embarrassing since they are hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in 29 years.
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Nazar is a veteran in the Pakistani cricketing circuit, having represented the country in 76 Tests and 122 ODIs. A right-handed batter, the 68-year-old aggregated 4114 runs in the longest format and 2653 of them in 50-overs cricket. Overall, he scored 10 centuries and 33 half-centuries across formats at the international stage. Nazar also chipped in with 66 dismissals in Tests and 111 scalps in ODIs.
Nazar has held consistnet administrative roles ever since he hung his boots in 1989. He has coached the Pakistani national team across a couple of spells from 1993-2001. Later on, he went on to hold that position for Kenya too, and has been involved in a similar capacity for the Lahore Qalandars. Primarily, his expertise could come in handy for Pakistan at the surface in Dubai, since he had briefly taken over coaching duties from Robin Singh for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team in 2023.
Previously, he has headed the National Cricket Academy of Pakistan and also the ICC Global Academy in Dubai. However, given the short nature of the Champions Trophy, it remains to be seen if Nazar could effect enough changes in such a short turnaround time.
