Pakistan unlikely to get new coach before next year

Karachi: Pakistan`s cricket team is unlikely to get a new coach before the Test and ODI series against England in the United Arab Emirates next year in January.

Insiders in the board also said while Dav Whatmore was a leading candidate to take over as head coach of the team, there were still some other candidates in the run who had not been identified. "It seems unlikely that the PCB will appoint the new coaching staff before the series against England. Since the committee appointed to shortlist, interview and recommend the final list of coaches for appointment has yet to complete its work," one well-informed source said. The source expressed surprise over a recent statement from one of the committee members, Colonel Naushad Ali who is also associate manager of the Pakistan team in their ongoing series against Bangladesh. Naushad had told the media that the committee, which is headed by Intikhab Alam, had finalised its candidate for the position of head coach and for the other specialist coaching positions for batting, bowling and fielding. "This seems unlikely because the word in the board is that the committee is yet to finalise its list of coaching staff. Even negotiations with Whatmore have not been held for quite a few days now," the source said. The names of Julian Fountain, Aaqib Javed and Mohsin Khan are being touted to be appointed on the coaching staff under the supervision of Dav Whatmore. But the source pointed out that the PCB itself was facing a dicey situation. "The team is doing well at present under the supervision of Mohsin Khan the interim coach. There is uncertainty over whether it would be a good idea to change a winning management combination before a crucial series like the one against England and bring in a new coaching set-up," the source disclosed. Even Pakistan`s former captain Shahid Afridi, on returning home after the one-day series in Bangladesh, supported retaining the same management and coach for the series against England insisting that Mohsin had done a good job. The source said that it was most likely that the board Chairman Zaka Ashraf will have a word with the players and officials on a planned visit to Bangladesh on the coaching issue. "Ashraf is due to visit Bangladesh for the test series and he will most certainly have a word with the captain, coach, manager and other senior players on the coaching issue," the source said. PTI