Woolmer good for the team: Waqar

Pakistan's experiment with foreign coaches may not have worked in the past but legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis believes that the appointment of Bob Woolmer could arrest the sliding fortunes of the team as the Englishman has a "very good reputation".

Waqar said Woolmer had the credentials to turn the team around provided the Pakistan Cricket Board gave him ample time to work with the team.

"We had foreign coaches in the past, but it didn't work. Woolmer has a very good reputation, he did well with Warwickshire and South Africa. The PCB has relied on him and I think he can do it," Waqar told a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday.

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When asked whether Woolmer could be successful considering that Pakistani coaches had been sacked so often in the past, the former captain said "I do agree that coaches have been sacked, you cannot deny that fact. It has happened. But the PCB has given a longer tenure to Woolmer".

The PCB unceremoniously sacked Javed Miandad after the team's humiliating defeats in the one-dayers and Tests against India and appointed Woolmer on a three-year contract, saying that they needed a coach who was well-acquainted with technology.

Waqar, one of the pioneers of the art of reverse swing, admitted that the Pakistan team was struggling at the moment and it needed a great effort to rejuvenate the team.

"We are struggling at the moment. The PCB is trying out different things to raise the standard. We have a new cricket academy in Lahore, I hope it will provide a good base," he said.