PCB offers coach's job to Waqar Younis

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday said former captain Waqar Younis has been offered the head coach's position, while Ijaz Ahmed has been identified for the fielding coach's job.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt told a press conference in Lahore that the board very much wanted Waqar to take over as the head coach and was awaiting his response.

"We would like him to coach the national team and we have made him an offer. We are now waiting for a response from him," Butt said.

He also confirmed that Ijaz Ahmed would be offered the fielding coach's job.

Waqar was the bowling and fielding coach during the recent tour of Australia where Pakistan lost all the Test and one-day matches.

Today's announcement brings down curtain on the tenure of Intikhab Alam as chief coach of the team although he still has eight months remaining in his two-year coaching contract with the board.

Butt said PCB had initially tried to hire a foreign coach and had approached former Australian captain Greg Chappell in this regard.

"Chappell couldn't commit to us because of his commitments with Cricket Australia. But we have still decided to hire a foreign coach to work as consultant with the team on series-to-series basis when required," he said.

Butt said he had held detailed discussions with Waqar who had shown interest in coaching the Pakistan team.

Waqar retired in 2003 after captaining Pakistan in the World Cup and is now settled in Sydney with his family and works as a television commentator.

Last week the former pacer said he was ready to take on a full-time coaching position with the team and prepared to give his full time to the new job.

Waqar is rated as one of the country's top fast bowlers, having taken 373 wickets in 87 Tests and another 416 wickets in 262 One-Day Internationals.