The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced its decision on Saturday to appoint former Pakistan pace bowler Aaqib Javed as the national team’s fast bowling coach.

“We warmly welcome Aaqib and believe that his immense international experience, both in playing and coaching, will help our bowlers come into good shape ahead of the upcoming major international competitions, such as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Ashley De Silva, the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, said.

Currently, he is serving as the director of cricket operations and head coach of the Lahore Qalandars of the Pakistan Super League.

Javed’s role with Sri Lanka cricket will resume, with immediate effect and will work until the completion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June 2024, the board said.

He has played 163 ODIs and 22 test matches for Pakistan and captured a tally of 236 international wickets. Javed was a member of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning team and worked for several national teams in different coaching capacities.

In the past, he also served as the coach of the UAE national team and worked with the Afghanistan national team in a development role.

As the UAE coach, the team obtained ODI and T20I status and made it to the ICC Men’s 50 Over World Cup in 2015. The team also featured in the qualifiers for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2014.

The former Pakistan pace bowler also coached the Pakistan U19 team to a World Cup win back in 2004 and served as the bowling coach when Pakistan won the 2009 T20 World Cup in England.