PCB appoints Whatmore as new coach

Australian Dav Whatmore hasbeen appointed Pakistans head coach for two years, the PakistanCricket Board (PCB) announced on Sunday.Englishman Julian Fountain would be the fielding coach, thePCB said. The two men would take immediate charge of the teamand prepare them for the Asia Cup tournament later this month.We have reached an agreement with Whatmore who will be thenew coach of the Pakistan team for the next two years, PCBchairman Zaka Ashraf told reporters.We feel that a foreign coach can best exploit the talentavailable in Pakistan cricket.Whatmore, who led Sri Lanka to victory at the 1996 WorldCup, said he was looking forward to the challenge, adding: Wewill do our best to produce the best results with our availabletalent and I am confident of good results.Whatmore, 57, played seven tests for Australia and enjoyed asuccessful coaching spell with Bangladesh, leading them to theirfirst test match and subsequent series win in 2005.Pakistan have had three foreign coaches in the past - Englishmen Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer and Australian GeoffLawson.Chief selector Mohsin Khan had been in place as interimPakistan coach after Waqar Younis resigned in September forpersonal and health reasons.--Reuters