The Pakistan Cricket Board will start their search for a coach to replace Waqar Younis immediately after Eid and the whole process will be handled by a special committee to be constituted by the Board. A PCB official also made it clear that the option of hiring a foreign coach cannot be ruled out as the idea was to find the best candidate to work with the national team. “Whether it is Dav Whatmore or any other foreign coach we are not discounting out anyone. Whatmore is working in India but obviously we can have talks with him,” chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmad was quoted as saying by PTI. He said Pakistan cricket had plenty of experience with foreign coaches in the past so it would be nothing new but the whole decision would rest on the committee that will be tasked with the job of shortlisting suitable candidates. “Obviously we have until early October to finalise things after which the national team has a hectic international schedule starting with the Sri Lankan series in the UAE,” he noted. Waqar has announced that he will step down as coach of the national team after the tour to Zimbabwe. The former Test captain whose work has generally been appreciated in the Pakistan cricket circles barring a few exceptions has cited personal and health reasons for his decision to resign before completing his contract with the board. While Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and senior batsman Younis Khan have been all praise for Waqar’s work as coach with the team, former captains Shahid Afridi and Moin Khan have been among his critics. Moin, a former wicketkeeper-batsman, launched a scathing attack on Waqar terming him as a “yes man” of the board instead of being coach. “A coach is supposed to work with the team and built team spirit not indulge in politics like Waqar did,” Moin said on a private TV channel. The PCB official also refuted reports that the board had got in touch with former captain Javed Miandad for the coaching position. “No we have not had talks with Miandad on this topic and obviously when the committee sits down to short list candidates they can consider him as well.” Miandad has previously had three terms with the national team as coach but every time has stepped down or been told to step down in acrimonious circumstances by the board. Pakistan have employed foreign coaches including Richard Pybus, Bob Woolmer and Geoff Lawson in the past. Lawson, in fact, had recently said that Pakistan should go for a foreign coach but the PCB official said these were his personal views. “The committee has to decide what is best for Pakistan cricket. Our team is in a transition phase and we need to have a long term arrangement,” Ahmad said.
