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We are looking to appoint full-time professional coach: Ashraf

While admiring the efforts of interim coach Mohsin Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf says the time has come for them to appoint a "professional" and "qualified" coach with the national team.

Hyderabad (Pakistan): While admiring the efforts of interim coach Mohsin Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Zaka Ashraf says the time has come for them to appoint a "professional" and "qualified" coach with the national team.
"I have great respect for Mohsin and he has done a good job as coach but after the England series we are looking to appoint a full-time professional and qualified coach," Ashraf told reporters on Sunday. "Mohsin is not a qualified coach and we need to have a qualified and professional coach keeping in mind the future. We need to become one of the top teams in the world," he added. Asked about the possible appointment of Australian Dav Whatmore as the new head coach after the England series, Ashraf said the decision would be taken by the coaches committee appointed by the board to scrutinise, identify and recommend names of potential candidates. Whatmore, who had also coached Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is due to reach Lahore around January 15th to finalise the terms and conditions of his contract with the board. The PCB chief said the committee headed by Intikhab Alam had been working for the last three to four months. The post has been left vacant since Waqar Younis stepped down in September on health and personal grounds, leaving Mohsin to manage the team in three successive series. About leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, Ashraf said that the board had nothing personal against him. "There is an issue that needs to be sorted out by the player and the integrity committee. I can assure you as soon as the integrity committee clears him he will play for Pakistan," Ashraf added. Talking about Indo-Pak bilateral cricket relations, Ashraf said there were things being done at the government and diplomatic level and soon some concrete development should take place. He pointed out that Pakistan and India can resume bilateral ties once there is clearance from both governments. PTI