PCB look to Greg Chappell to revive Pakistan fortunes

In view of the national cricket team’s pathetic performance in international cricket as well the growing menace of indiscipline and player-power, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again decided to hire a foreign coach with hard-nosed Australian legend Greg Chappell topping the list of candidates in running for the post.

Well-informed sources told Dawn that PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had discussed the idea with his think-tank and it was decided to give Chappell top priority, given his high credentials as a tough task master.

The experts believe that the Pakistan team, which is currently ranked at a poor 7th in both the Tests and the ODIs, is quite talented and strong on paper and only groupings among the players mars its progress.

Pakistan could not even win a single Test or ODI series in 2009-2010, losing successive games to Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia last year.

Sources said Chappell is also keen to avail such an offer and if the two parties agreed on the terms and conditions, he may well join the Pakistan team as coach before the England tour in July.

Chappell earlier coached India from 2005-2007 but his numerous clashes with senior players including then skipper Sourav Ganguly and the subsequent first round loss of the Indian team in the 2007 World Cup forced him to quit the high-profile job.

Pakistan, too, has not had much success with the foreign coaches in the past with England’s Bob Woolmer (late) and Australia’s Geoff Lawson failing to revive the team’s fortunes during their respective tenures in the past six years or so.

Chappell was one of the finest Test captains who led the Australian team from 1975-77 and then again from 1979-83. He played 87 Tests scoring 7110 runs at excellent average 53.86 and 74 ODIs, scoring 2331 at 40.18. Chappell had also acted as Cricket Australia selector for a short term.