Karachi, Feb. 16 : Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has said the national cricket team needs a `passionate' cricket coach, who can lift the squad after the debacle in Australia.

Akram said it doesn't matter whether the coach is from an other country, but what matters most is that he should make the players gel together.

"What Pakistan needs is a passionate coach who is more involved with the boys and can form an effective strategy for the team. A good coach, foreign or local, with a high energy level is needed in modern cricket," Akram said.

"Foreign or local, the coach should be well versed with modern ideas and techniques and must develop a good rapport with the players," said Akram, who played a great role on Richard Pybus's appointment as Pakistan's first foreign coach.

Backing his former teammate Ijaz Ahmed, he said given the security situation in the country, foreigners would be unwilling to come to Pakistan.

"A foreign coach will not be willing to come to Pakistan and if you want a coach who can train the players only on tour then why not appoint a local man. Now the PCB has given Ijaz a chance. Let's see how he performs," he said.

Ahmed has been appointed as the batting and fielding coach for the Dubai Twenty20 series against England.

The former speedster said Pakistan needs one captain for all the three formats, and added that changing skippers frequently has aggravated issues.

"Pakistan are finding it hard to find one captain, so it would be wise to chose one captain for all three forms of the game. Shahid Afridi or Shoaib Malik, whoever it is, must be appointed for one year," Akram said. (ANI)