Ex Pakistan coach, Geoff Lawson tells PakPassion.net that he believes that PCB's quest for a successor to Waqar Younis would be best served to appoint an overseas coach instead of a Pakistani one....

By Saj Sadiq ( October 6, 2011)

To many keen followers of Pakistani cricket, Geoff Lawson’s short stint as coach for Pakistan can best be described as a poisoned chalice. Lawson, who was Pakistan’s coach between July 2007 and October 2008, believes that the Pakistan Cricket Board in their quest for a successor to Waqar Younis would be best served to appoint an overseas coach instead of a Pakistani one.

Speaking to exclusively to PakPassion.net, Lawson stated "The first choice for Pakistan at the moment should be an overseas coach for a number of reasons. A non Pakistani coach won't have the same levels of pressure that someone from within Pakistan will have."

"There is no doubt that there are some good coaches in Pakistan but there is just too much pressure on them within their own system and also there is the issue of the political aspects. I think it's much easier for a well qualified overseas coach to do this job and to focus on making the Pakistan cricket side the best they can be. I think a local candidate always has other problems from outside of just the cricket to deal with. Even in the current environment you would want a foreign coach to be coaching Pakistan and that would be the best option."

Lawson who forged good relationships with the majority of the players during his tenure and remains extremely well liked by the vast majority of Pakistani cricket lovers feels that if an overseas coach is appointed then that individual needs to embrace the different aspects of Pakistan cricket and to gel with the individuals that are part of Pakistani cricket.

"The cultural differences are there, you just have to get used to them. It doesn't matter where you are going to work, whether it's Pakistan, England or Australia there will be differences and it's important to turn those differences into positives by embracing the differences and working with the people around you."

"There are so many wonderful people in Pakistan and that's why I enjoyed my time there. I had good people around me who I could work with and relate to. I appreciated the difference in the culture and really enjoyed the experience."

Three years since Lawson's abrupt removal as coach by chairman Ijaz Butt, the security situation in Pakistan remains a concern with home series having to be played abroad. Lawson who has recently been coaching Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL feels that the most convenient option may be for the foreign coach to just work with the Pakistani players offshore, rather than in Pakistan.

"Things don't seem to be as stable in Pakistan as they were when I was there, so that is going to be an issue if the coach appointed is from outside Pakistan. An overseas candidate in the current climate may be more questioning of the security situation."

"The best way for it to work may be for the foreign coach to work with the team offshore and perhaps spend as little time as possible in Pakistan. I can see this being the agreement with a number of the top class candidates.

Responding to a question about whether the "offshore option" would work given that the individual would not have access to watching domestic cricket Lawson stated "I was lucky during my tenure, I got to see all of the domestic cricket in Pakistan which was wonderful to see. I think it's valuable for a coach to do that, ideally the coach should be watching as much domestic cricket as possible, especially if he is going to have a big part in selection. There are two options to the coach in this scenario and that is to either get the team selected for him and then work with the boys given to him, or if he wants to do the job thoroughly then he has to watch local cricket thoroughly."

Chief Selector Mohsin Khan has been appointed as interim coach for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka whilst reports indicate that 5 candidates have been shortlisted for the role on a permanent basis.