HYDERABAD, Jan 23: Pakistani coach Geoff Lawson still remembers his 1982 outing to Pakistan’s Niaz Stadium where Jalaluddin claimed his third consecutive scalp to stage world cricket’s first hat-trick.

“Yes, I do remember that match because mine was the third wicket of that hat-trick.

“It was very hard at that time to have a lengthy drive. It took us six hours to reach Hyderabad and then back to Karachi,” Lawson told Dawn after net practice at the stadium here on Wednesday evening.

It was the first One-day International match which was played at the Niaz Stadium on Sept 20, 1982. In that match, Pakistan had defeated Australia by 59 runs.

He said he was trying hard to groom a perfect combination of players in the team.

When asked would he be able to make Pakistan as formidable as Australia is, he said, “its not that easy but it will take three years or so to make Pakistan team stronger.”

The coach said youngsters were being chance in the team.

He avoided answering a direct question regarding future of speedster Shoaib Akhtar.