The embattled Pakistani team may have to take the field in Wednesday's do-or-die Asia Cup match against India without captain Shoaib Malik, who has been laid low by dehydration.
Buoyed by the tri-series triumph over India, Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is confident that his team would once again prove a handful for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men in the Asia Cup starting June 24 in Karachi. The Australian said his team's prospects were very good in the coming tournament after the final victory over India in Dhaka last week.
New coach Geoff Lawson has described India vs Pakistan as the mother of all battles in cricket.
The former Pakistan captain softened his stance on newly-appointed coach Geoff Lawson, saying he has 'no ego' hassles in working with the Australian.
Board chairman Nasim Ashraf told a news conference that Lawson had been preferred over two other short-listed candidates, Dav Whatmore and Richard Done.
The 49-year-old told Sky News that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had contacted him on Sunday and confirmed he would be appointed as full-time successor to Bob Woolmer.
The former Pakistan captain said Dav Whatmore has a lot of experience working in the cricket set-up in the region.
Injury-prone fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been advised by Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson to play only one-day internationals so he can prolong his career.
"We need eight wickets tomorrow and our job will be to get those eight wickets as quickly as possible. If India set a target, then we will go after it," Lawson told reporters.
Former fast bowler Geoff Lawson believes the current Indian attack is one the best he has seen in a long time and will challenge the Australian batsmen in the four-Test series.
Former Australia player Stuart Law has been confirmed as the Pakistan Cricket Board's first choice for the post of national team chief coach.
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore will not seek an extension to his two-year contract when it expires in February, the Australian has told the Pakistan Cricket Board.
'I'm doing my best to make the number six spot my own, that's all I can do.'
Former Australia pacer Geoff Lawson has heaped praise on in-form India's Test captain Virat Kohli, saying the star batsman is "arguably the number one batsman in the world". "Kohli at the moment, is arguably the number one batsman in the world. He is in the form of his life. I was impressed with him when I saw him on the first tour to Australia (in 2011-12)," Lawson told reporters in Mumbai on Saturday. "He was (among) the few Indian batsmen who took on the challenge of playing on the bouncy Australian wickets," said the former Australia fast bowler, who is on a short coaching sting at the Payyade Sports Club in suburban Kandivili.
Geoff Lawson, on Monday, expressed anguish at the hapless lot of the bowlers in T20 cricket around the world, especially in the Indian Premier League
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Former Australian cricketer Geoff Lawson feels India would need a combination of tight technique and tough minds to get the better of the Aussies.
A recall for one-Test paceman Pat Cummins has been a long time coming but New South Wales captain Moises Henriques believes it still might be too soon for the bowler he considers a "freak of nature".
- 'Time Indian cricket looked beyond Fletcher' - 'Their bowling has been pretty inconsistent'
Snapped up for Rs 1.7 crore, Gurinder Sandhu is highly rated by Ricky Ponting.
There was general consensus in Australia on Wednesday that retaining the Ashes this year got a little bit harder after the appointment of wily compatriot Trevor Bayliss as England's new head coach.
Phillip Hughes' death after being hit by a bouncer has left Ian Chappell shocked like most of the cricket world and the former Australian captain feels his country's pacers would find it tough to use the short-pitched delivery in the upcoming Test series against India.
'When cricketers, coaches, captains, managers, franchise owners focus on the prize, they forget the process.' 'You can't win every game. Getting better is all about making mistakes.'
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