Waqar Younis, the legendary Pakistan paceman, will replace Jafrul Ehsan as Sylhet Sixers head coach in the next two editions of the Bangladesh Premier League [BPL]. He has signed a two-year deal with the Sylhet-based franchise.

Waqar reportedly said, “Bangladesh is a passionate cricketing nation and it’s really fun working in the circuit. Bangladesh has emerged among the top-eight countries now. They are playing top-class cricket and it's really satisfying for you as a coach to help them grow."

Waqar Younis previously worked as the brand ambassador and mentor for the same team. While he will serve as the head coach, Ehsan will remain a part of the team management.

The chief executive of the franchise—Yasir Obaid said, "We are honored to have a legend in our team. We had him as ambassador and mentor last year and were always [keen] to have him in a full-time role. We couldn't be happier that he finally agreed on a long-term deal with us as head coach."

"I think having someone like Waqar in our team as the head coach is a dream come true. The amount of experience Waqar possess is unbelievable and we are keen to utilize it to the fullest," he added.

According to Obaid, a combination of local and foreign coaches have a great impact on the team. He also talked about the franchise’s dream project of opening an academy in Sylhet in order to support the local talents.

"We feel that in these kinds of tournaments, a mixture of foreign and local coaches in the team management is essential as a reputed foreign coach can have the foresight to address many issues that our local coaches might ignore.

"The arrival of [Daniel] Vettori and the participation of the coaches such as Tom Moody and Mahela Jawayardene suggest that high profile coaches certainly have a huge influence in shaping the team," Obaid said.