Lawson appointed Pakistan cricket coach

MELBOURNE:  Former Australian pace bowler Geoff Lawson has been appointed Pakistan's new cricket coach.
    
Lawson said he received a call from the Pakistan Cricket Board yesterday confirming he would be appointed as full-time successor to Bob Woolmer, who died in Jamaica during the World Cup in March.
    
He beat fellow Australians Dav Whatmore and Richard Done to get the job.
    
"It's a challenge," Lawson told Sky News. "I think it's a wonderful challenge to have because it's such a talented squad they have over there."
    
"When you look at the class of players they have, you've just got to be excited about being involved with them," he said.
    
The 49-year-old Lawson, who took 180 wickets in 46 Tests between 1980-1989, has never coached before at international level.
    
"The Board has decided to go along with Lawson as his appointment was backed by the players and also manager Talat Ali in recent meetings with the Board chairman," a PCB source had said last week.
    
"The players felt that Lawson had a very positive attitude towards the game and was an easy person to get along with," the source said.
    
Lawson, a trained optometrist, had been working with the New South Wales state side and worked as commentator since retiring from the game.
    
The former paceman added that he might go to the Pakistan cricket academy in Lahore next month to prepare for the Twenty20 world championship to be held in South Africa in September.