By Omar Khalid,IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan Friday sacked its struggling coach Geoff Lawson, almost 16 months after he was given the challenging assignment.
Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told IANS that the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has issued instructions for sacking Lawson for his failure to deliver the goods.
Lawson will be paid three months salary as per his contract, sources said.
Pakistan’s legendary batsman Javed Miandad, who has served as Pakistan coach in the past, is a hot favourite to succeed Lawson ahead of the all-important home series against India in Jan-Feb next year.
Saleem Altaf, who has been appointed as PCB’s Director General, has already met Miandad.
However, sources said that the final decision on the new Pakistan coach will be taken in the next few days.
Lawson, a former Australian pacer, has been under fire for failing to inspire the team to win any major event since his appointment last summer. He succeeded the late Bob Woolmer, who tragically died during the World Cup in Jamaica last March. Under Lawson, Pakistan lost back-to-back Test and ODI series against South Africa and India last year and also failed to live up to home expectations at this summer’s Asia Cup.
The high point of Lawson’s stint was when Pakistan reached the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa last September before being beaten by India.
In another major decision, Butt removed Shafqat Naghmi from the important post of PCB Chief Operating Officer.
Butt has issued the instructions to appoint former Pakistan Test cricketer Altaf as Board’s Director-General. It is a new post in the PCB but a board insider said that Altaf has been given the additional powers of a chief operating officer as well. Altaf served as a PCB Director under the previous two PCB bosses Shaharyar Khan and Nasim Ashraf. He was fired by Ashraf for allegedly leaking information, but was later restored by a court order.