Foster named Pak bowling coach

Pakistan cricket officials confirmed on Thursday they had appointed Australian Daryl Foster as bowling coach of the national team for next month's tour to England.

"Foster will join the team in England and his initial contract is for two Tests but is extendable up to the one-day series," Pakistan Cricket Board director Munawwar Rana said.

Pakistan leave for England on May 2 with the first of the two Tests starting at Lord's on May 17. The tri-nation one-day series, which also involves Australia, will begin on June 7.

"He will additionally work as team consultant," Rana said about Foster..

"A full-fledged foreign coach for the team will be announced later," Rana said.

Foster coached the former Western Australian team and also had spells with English cricket county Kent.

He is the second foreign coach to be hired by Pakistan. In 1999, English-born, South Africa-based Richard Pybus had a brief term with Pakistan before he was sacked in the wake of a 3-0 whitewash by Australia.

Although the PCB has remained tight-lipped on who would be the coach to replace Javed Miandad, sources in the board say Pybus is one of the top contenders for the job.

"Foster has also been appointed because he helped Shoaib Akhtar to remodel his bowling action," Rana said.

Foster is currently associated with the University of Western Australia in Perth which cleared Akhtar's bowling action.

NOT GUILTY

The PCB said a "final report" from the University of West Australia showed that the bowler, dubbed the "Rawalpindi Express", was not guilty of throwing.

Akhtar has twice been cited over his action.

He was first reported by Australian Darrell Hair and Englishman Peter Willey in Perth in the third Test against Australia in December 1999.

The International Cricket Council confirmed in London that the pair would take charge of the Lord's encounter starting on May 17 -- an announcement which may not please Pakistan, and Akhtar in particular.

New Zealand umpires Doug Cowie and Steve Dunne then reported him during a one-day international against New Zealand in Dunedin at the end of February.

The 16-man Pakistan squad from the 20 probables is expected to be named on Saturday.

Mail Cricket Editor