Woolmer admits interest in England coaching role
CRICKET coach Bob Woolmer could turn his back on Pakistan and take the reigns at England – eight years after he turned them down.
The former England player’s contract with Pakistan ends this June and although the Pakistan Cricket Board are keen for him to sign an extension he admitted in an interview with The Times newspaper that he would be open to offers should the England Cricket Board come knocking.
“I will be open to offers after the World Cup”, Woolmer said.
“I would be foolish not to be. I have always been proud of playing for England and just missed out on coaching them as the timing was not right. I was part of a side that beat Australia as a player and have a yearning to do do as a coach.”
Referring to his coaching role with Pakistan, Woolmer added: “The job is probably not finished and Sharayar Khan told me before he stood down as chairman of the Pakistan Board that they would like me to stay on.”
Pakistan have grown as a team since Woolmer took over in 2004 but the past year has seen the country hit with a number of controversies.
The team forfeited their fourth Test against England after accusations of ball tampering and the row over bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif looks set to continue with a hearing into the way their appeals were handled into doping.
As news of Woolmer’s link to England surfaced, the PCB were forced into damage control after TV channels in Pakistan broadcast what looked to be a heated exchange between Woolmer and bowler Shoaib Akhtar during the teams second Test against South Africa.
The PCB said they were launching an inquiry into the spat.
