Shane Watson Yet to Finalize Pakistan Head Coach Role Despite PCB Meeting Salary Demands
Former Australian All-Rounder Weighing Options Amidst Commitments
Even if the PCB has agreed to pay him what he wants, former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who is expected to become the next head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, is still undecided.
The biggest fee ever paid to a foreign coach, $2 million a year, or around 46 million rupees a month, is what Watson has reportedly sought, according to board sources.
Watson's demands are significantly more than the salaries of former foreign coaches in Pakistan, like Richard Pybus, Bob Woolmer, Geoff Lawson, Dav Whatmore, Grant Bradburn, and Mickey Arthur.
"In addition to his Major League Baseball obligations in the USA, he has a young family in Australia. He is therefore considering his alternatives because the board wants him to spend as much time as possible in Pakistan assisting them in identifying and developing local talent, the source added.
He acknowledged that the regular turnover in the coaching staff and PCB was the reason Watson was taking his time to sign the deal.
Although Watson has dabbled in coaching roles in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he currently coaches the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that he would prefer a foreign coaching setup to run the team with the full support of the board.
Despite being nominated as the minister of interior, Naqvi has stated he will continue to serve on the board and has no plans to leave it.
It will not be the first occasion, though, that a PCB official has had a government job, and the source stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) was in favor of Naqvi carrying out the dual function.
In addition to appointing six Punjabi government administrators to serve on the board on a deputation basis, Naqvi declared he would not be receiving a salary in his capacity as interior minister.
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