Nothing less than a major Test series win or one-day title and a place among the
top three in ICC rankings during new coach Geoff Lawson's two-year contract would
be acceptable to the Pakistan Cricket Board.
PCB Chairman Naseem Ashraf said Lawson would be given certain targets to
meet during his two-year tenure.
"We know that improvement will come gradually but at the
same time we can't ignore the present. We would like to see the team win at
least one major series or a one-day title under Lawson," he told reporters
in Islamabad.
"If he can get our team into the top three ICC rankings
we would like to see his contract extended," Ashraf said.
Lawson, who replaced late Bob Woolmer, will join the
team around August 20 and his first assignment will be the Twenty20 World Cup
in South Africa in September.
"We had clearly told him during interview that he would
have to bring us at least one trophy or clinch us one major series during his
stint with us," Ashraf said.
The major international one-day tournaments in 2008 are Champions
Trophy and Asia Cup while Pakistan will play home Test series against
South Africa and Australia in 2007-08 season and also tour India in November
and December this year.
The Pakistan team's rankings have slipped to sixth in Tests
and fourth in the one-dayers and Ashraf said the Board's target was to see the
team start winning consistently and finish among the top three teams.
He said Pakistan team is right now a cohesive unit, without
discrimination of seniors or juniors, under a young leader Shoaib Malik,
who is physically fit and provides inspiration to the players.
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