Lawson, Done join race for Pak cricket coach's job

Former Australian Test pacers Geoff Lawson and Richard Done have joined the race for the job of Pakistan cricket coach.

Former Australian Test pacers Geoff Lawson and Richard Done have joined the race for the job of Pakistan cricket coach even as their compatriot Dav Whatmore was being reported as the favourite just a couple of days ago.

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Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday confirmed that discussions had been held with both these Australians and infact they had been invited to come down and meet with Chairman Naseem Ashraf in Islamabad.

Since the death of former coach Bob Woolmer during the World Cup, speculations have been rife about who would be the next coach of the Pakistan team.

Ashraf himself has made it clear on a number of occasions that he was looking at a young, qualified foreign coach as he believed they did not carry any extra baggage with them in the team which was an issue with local coaches.

The Board itself has conducted the entire process of selecting a new coach very secretively for reasons best known to them unlike Sri Lanka and India where they have been open about who will be their new coaches (SL has already appointed Baylis). So the process of name dropping has continued unabated.

Lawson was expected to arrive in the country by Sunday, the "Dawn" newspaper reported on Saturday.

"It's a significant challenge. Pakistan is an unpredictable side and they are a under achieving team with plenty of talent. I am flattered I have been invited I have certainly not chased it," Lawson was quoted as saying by the paper.