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Mohsin Khan will continue as temporary coach of Pakistan for the series against England next month, Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman has said. The choice to carry on with Mohsin, who is also the head of selectors, has been made because the PCB is yet to recognize and hire a full-time coach. "The current coaching team will continue to work for the England series as well," Ashraf said. "We have yet to take a decision on the appointment of the new coaching staff.

It is not my call to name a coach as I have appointed a specialist team of former Test cricketers to decide. I have told them to find the best candidate." The England series will be Mohsin's third assignment as national coach. He was first appointed acting coach after Waqar Younis stepped down citing medical reasons in August. The PCB had been probable to name their new coach following the Bangladesh series. Ashraf did not provide a reason for the delay.

The search committee was formed in late August to find Waqar's successor and though it arrived at a shortlist of five candidates a month later, no full-time trainer has yet been appointed. The committee was constituted by the previous PCB chairman Ijaz Butt but the process was delayed as Butt finished his three-year tenure and was replaced by Ashraf in October. England will play three Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20s on their two-month tour of the UAE.

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Pakistan Cricket Board has allowed nine of it's top players to sign up for the Bangladesh Twenty20 premier league ahead of the all significant series against England in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As many as five players from the national side with Younis Khan, Muhammad Hafeez, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat have been allowed to sign up for different clubs in the league, which starts from December 26.

Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir and Wahab Riaz, who are presently out of the team, are the other players who have been given a go-ahead to play in the league. "Yes some of the players will not return home with the team from Dhaka this month and will stay back to play a few match of the Bangladesh premier league before they join the team for the England series," ."The players are being paid well by the clubs in the league and some clubs are also involved in signing up Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul," he said.

Cricket analysts, however, questioned the understanding behind allowing the players to sign up for the league before the England series. "The Pakistan team will hardly have 12 to 13 days, after returning home, before they go to the UAE for the England Tests. In this period obviously a training camp will be held and there is a possibility that the board might appoint the new coaching staff headed by Dav Whatmore," an analyst said. He pointed out; in contrast, England team will be reaching UAE on January 3 to prepare for the Test series.

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