NEW PAKISTANI CRICKET COACH

The former Aussie player hasn’t heard anything official from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but he is reported to have made a five-man shortlist along with former England all-rounder Dermot Reeve and local applicant ex-Test fast bowler Aaqib Javed.
Jones would have to deal with a lack of coaching experience to get the job, and said his first challenge, if successful, would be to set up a settled environment and a culture of tough love.
“I believe I’m in the last five,” Jones said recently.
“I’ve always wanted to coach and the opportunity came along so I put my hand up.”
Pakistan cricket has in recent years been hit hard by issues of terrorism, spot-fixing scandals and endured constant disturbances over selection.
But Jones insisted there was no dearth of talent in Pakistan. If successful, he would try to convince former limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi, who quit over differences with former coach Waqar Younis earlier this year, to return and instill a more defensive mindset in the team.
“Ultimately, it comes down to the defensive part of their game that needs to be worked on, and that just comes down to proper drills and attention to detail,” Jones expressed.
“Take out what has happened with the betting scandal, take out the security problems, everyone in the world who knows cricket knows they [Pakistan] have always had a wonderful pool of talent. It’s just a matter of getting the culture right, getting them to take ownership of their actions, working together and who knows, they could win a World Cup in three years time,” the Aussie added.
Fellow Australian Geoff Lawson was sacked as Pakistan coach in 2008, and has urged the country to appoint another foreign coach who can resist political pressure.
“There are always obstacles in any job,” Jones said.
“I’m careful of those [political] factors that might come into it. They [the PCB] are passionate, they don’t like losing and they tend to be reactive instead of proactive on decisions but if you paint the picture early as to where we want to go — we’ve got to find stability, pick our best 16 or 17 players and work with them for the one-dayers and Tests — I think they will do very well.”