Lawson to coach Afghanistan at Under-19 World Cup

Geoff Lawson, the former Australia fast bowler, has signed a deal with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to be a consultant coach for the Under-19 World Cup being held in Australia in August.

Lawson will take charge when the team arrives in Australia on July 21, three weeks before the tournament actually begins. In 2007, Lawson had a 15-month coaching stint with Pakistan and a season with the Kochi Tuskers in the IPL last year.

"The idea behind Lawson's appointment was to have an experienced and well-known coach," ACB's high performance program manager Bashir Stanikzai said. "That will automatically boost the morale of these young and talented players."

"They will share the dressing room with a top-class cricketer and coach. We are sure that with Geoff's guidance these players will perform better than they did in the last Under-19 World Cup in 2010 (where they won just one match)," he said.