Reliable sources in the board said that though Whatmore had not applied for the coaching position, the board is still keen to sign him.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board has still not given up hope of convincing Australian Dav Whatmore to take over as the coach of their national team.
Reliable sources in the board said that though Whatmore had not applied for the Pakistan coaching position but the board is still keen to sign him.
"Whatmore still remains our first choice and if the Indian cricket board doesn't hire him, we will definitely be approaching him with a contract," a source said.
Whatmore spurned the coaching offer from Pakistan few days back, saying he was more open to lining up with the Indian team.
The former Australian batsman, who led Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup and recently ended a long coaching contract with the Bangladesh team, is one of the most sought-after coaches.
But the source said the Indians now didn't appear keen on signing Whatmore.
"That is why we are hoping we can still sign a contract with him," the source said.
The source said the fact that Pakistan was still considering Whatmore as their first choice was an indication that the applications they had received so far for the coach's job were from low profile foreign coaches.
Zakir Khan, the Director Cricket Operations of the board, refused to give out the names of the candidates who have applied for the job, which was advertised by the board with May 15 as the deadline for sending in applications.
Pakistan is looking for a new coach after the death of Bob Woolmer during the World Cup on March 18.
Zakir said the board had set no date for finalising the appointment of a new coach but would prefer to have him on board by late June before Pakistan plays two one-day games against Scotland and India in England in July.
He said, in the meanwhile, the Pakistani players would be attending three intensive training camps in a bid to improve their fielding and fitness levels.
The camps would be held in Abbotabad from June 10, Quetta July 10 and Karachi July 25.
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