Stuart Law becomes latest foreigner to turn down Pakistan’s offer
KARACHI: When Waqar Younis stepped down as Pakistan’s coach after his team’s catastrophic showing at the ICC World Twenty20 championship in India, the country’s cricket chiefs might not have anticipated that replacing the former Test pacer would be a very tough task.
But they know now as almost all the foreign coaches they have sounded out or have offered the job, have declined a job widely seen as one of the toughest in international cricket.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wants to replace Waqar with a foreigner but so far it has failed to rope in anybody despite offering the job to the likes of England’s Peter Moores, Australian Tom Moody and South Africa’s Paddy Upton. All of them turned down PCB’s offer.
And the latest to join that list is former Australia cricketer Stuart Law.
PCB chief Shaharyar Khan has said that Law, the former Bangladesh and Sri Lankan team coach, has said that he won’t be able to join the Men in Green immediately. “Yes, there are hurdles in the way of signing on Stuart Law as head coach,” Shaharyar was quoted as saying in a report.
“He had applied for a coaching position with us but he has now conveyed he is more interested in a consultant’s position and that he wouldn’t be able to join the team immediately.”
Shaharyar confirmed that the PCB Board of Governors (BOG) unanimously picked the former Australian batsman as the first choice, with former New Zealand coach Andy Moles as the second choice.
He also confirmed that the board is now in talks with Moles along with Dean Jones, the former Australia Test batsman and coach of Pakistan Super League (PSL) inaugural edition’s winner Islamabad United.
“We are now also talking to Moles and Jones although the BOG had some reservations over some candidates,” he said.
Shaharyar said the board wants to announce the new head coach within few days, so he can join the team for the preparation for the England tour, which is due to start later next month.
“We want the new coach to join the team before the tour to England from next month.
“Once the head coach is appointed we will also finalise the rest of the support staff with him,” he added.
To find Waqar’s successor, PCB formed a two-man committee — comprising ex-captains Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja — to conduct the search.
They shortlisted Law and his fellow countryman Dean Jones, England’s Andy Moles and South African Mickey Arthur.
Pakistan has had four foreign coaches in the past: Richard Pybus (two tenures in 1999 and 2002-03), Bob Woolmer (2004-07), Geoff Lawson (2007-2008) and Dav Whatmore (2012-14).
The board’s budget for the head coach salary is reportedly $16,000 to $20,000 per month — much less than similar positions elsewhere.
Meanwhile, foreign coaches balk at touring a country where international cricket has been suspended since an extremist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009.
While Jones has no experience of coaching an international team, Moles had stints with Hong Kong, Kenya, Scotland, New Zealand and Afghanistan.
Arthur successfully coached his native South Africa for five years (2005-2010) before migrating to Australia.
He was appointed Australia’s coach in 2013 but was sacked mid-way through the Ashes that same year.
Former Pakistan players Aaqib Javed and Mohsin Khan have refused to apply, alleging favouritism in the process.
Javed resigned as United Arab Emirates coach last month and is now involved with the Pakistan Super League’s Lahore franchise.
Mohsin had an interim stint in 2012 and under him Pakistan beat then world number one England 3-0, but lost the one-day series.
The only local coach in the running is paceman Mohammad Akram, a former Pakistan bowling coach who also served at the national cricket academy in Lahore.
