July 17, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 01, 1428

KARACHI, July 16: Pakistan finally ended the month-long suspense over the appointment of national team coach on Monday when Geoff Lawson, the former Australian Test fast bowler, was officially named in what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief described as a ‘popular’ choice’, a clear hint at the fact that the board had conceded to players’ wishes.

The announcement made by the PCB Chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf at a crowded press conference was virtually nothing more than a mere formality since the news of Lawson’s appointment was splashed across the cricketing world early Monday morning.

Lawson, who is a Level III coach, was always the frontrunning candidate for the job, even ahead of his more experienced compatriot Dav Whatmore, the former two-time coach of Sri Lanka who finished a four-year stint with Bangladesh in May.

Lawson, Pakistan’s third foreign coach, succeeds England’s former Test batsman Bob Woolmer who died during the World Cup campaign in the Caribbean last March.

The 49-year-old Lawson was interviewed last month by a PCB search committee along with Whatmore and Richard Done, the current ICC High Performance Manager.

“Of the three Australians who were shortlisted by the PCB, we decided to opt for Lawson as the Pakistan coach,” Dr Nasim said. “But the other two are also outstanding coaches and we have also expressed our commiseration for both Whatmore and Done.”

Although the PCB chief described the decision as extremely difficult, the general feeling in the cricketing circles was that Lawson was the obvious choice from the very outset when the process of finding the next coach had begun.

Lawson got the job because he became popular with his would-be charges when he visited the training-cum-conditioning camp in Abbottabad last month.

Dr Nasim also dispelled the impression that it was Arjuna Ranatunga who influenced the PCB to avoid Whatmore after Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning skipper met Pakistan manager Talat Ali in Scotland earlier this month.

“There is no substance in this because as I’ve already said earlier that we have gone for Lawson because he is a better-suited candidate than Whatmore,” he clarified.

For the second time in successive months Whatmore had to face the humiliation of being overlooked. India, who are without a coach since Greg Chappell’s contract ended after the World Cup, also opted against inviting Whatmore for an interview to fill the vacancy.

In some quarters it was being openly said that the PCB wanted Whatmore as coach because of his past achievements which includes guiding Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and then taking minnows Bangladesh to the second round of the 2007 edition of the mega event.

However, some of the senior Pakistan players expressed their reservations about Whatmore, who has a reputation of a no-nonsense taskmaster. They claimed to have advised the PCB hierarchy that they were much keener on Lawson whose appointment was also endorsed by Talat Ali.

The PCB chairman further said Lawson has been offered almost the same remuneration as was given to the late Bob Woolmer.

“I can assure you, we are giving Lawson more or less the same package which PCB had been giving to Woolmer.”

Lawson, who has been awarded a two-year contract which is open for renewal, is expected to take charge from Aug 15. “We want a coach who can take Pakistan to the 2011 World Cup,” the PCB chief explained.

Monday’s long-awaited announcement ends the PCB’s search for a new coach after Woolmer, who was contracted with Pakistan until June 30, died of natural causes in Jamaica.

The PCB chief claimed the board had received over 30 applications, both within and from outside Pakistan, with coaches from four nationalities applying for the coveted job.

Pakistan has hired no less than 11 coaches in the last 9 years including Bob Woolmer, Richard Pybus, an Englishman based in South Africa, as well as batting legend Javed Miandad who had three stints with the national team, each being marred by controversies.

Meanwhile, speaking to ‘Sky News’ in his hometown of Sydney, Lawson termed the position (of coaching Pakistan) as a wonderful challenge. “It’s such a talented squad they have over there (in Pakistan),” he said. “When you look at the class of players they have, you just have to be excited about being involved with them.”

Although Lawson has had no previous international coaching experience so far, he did coach the leading Australian state side New South Wales after his playing career ended in the 1990s.

“But hopefully, I will bring a fresh approach to the coaching of Pakistan team. Personally, I have analysed a lot of international cricket and will bring in some fresh ideas,” Lawson, a trained optometrist, added.

Lawson also told Cricinfo that a series of events prompted him to take interest in the job. “I got a call asking whether I would be interested. I waited on the findings of Woolmer case because that was important. I came over and met the board and the players. I have to say I was very impressed with the set-up, their ideas and vision. The PCB chief was very impressive.”