Pakistan will do without the coaching skills of Geoff Boycott during their lour of England.

The former England opener, a popular figure with cricket followers. was recently drafted in by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for specialist batting coaching clinics with both up and coming and established players, prompting speculation that he might land the job of coaching the Test team in the wake of Pakistani hero Javed Miandad's acrimonious departure.

It was not to be and instead of going for a man who played in 108 Tests (hey have reverted to Richard Pybus. a 36-year-old former medium-pace bowler with English minor county Suffolk, who nevertheless has a solid coaching record behind him

Recalled just last week Pybus, who guided Pakistan to the final of the World Cup. confirmed ahead of the tourists' opening match against British Universities here al Trent Bridge 1 riday that there would be no place in the set-up for outspoken Yorkshire great Boycott.

You don t want too many cooks in the same soup," was Py-bus" explanation lor Boycott's absence.

Pybus will be reccising a help ing hand on the two-Test trip from former Kent coach Daryl Foster. The Australian has already worked on helping fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar modify his suspect action and will be employed on a consultancy basis.

Pybus, who has coached Border in South African provincial cricket, admitted he was glad to be back and said it had not taken him long to readjust.

"My issues were never with the players, we have a different cricket Board now and the players are happy with them.

"There were circumstances in Pakistan last time, a military coup and a change of board but I am upbeat now. I've always had a good relationship with the players and the mood in the camp is excellent.

"What made me interested in working with Pakistan again was (hat I d heard some very good things about the present Board and they have a long-term perspective, they arc a looking for a consistency of personnel which is usually a basis for success."

To western eyes, the return of P\bus who went on Pakistan's Australia tour in 1999 but was still axed that same year, may seem improbable. But no-one, it appears. in Pakistan cricket is anyone until they've been sacked al least once and sometimes twice.

After all, on this tour Pakistan are captained by fast bowler Waqar Younis whose spell in the international wilderness he attributed to the intervention of fellow’ tourist and former new ball partner Wasim Akram.

Meanwhile Wasim, who knows what it's like to be sacked from the captaincy, will have lo gel used to the sight of former captain Rashid Latif behind the stumps once again, even though the wicketkeeper co-operated with a corruption inquiry which named the leftarm quick and several leading Pakistan cricketers.

Set against that background Pybus' return looks posi lively predictable. I Ie is upbeat, pointing out (hat with plenty of English county experience in his squad, the players know whal lo expect.

"We’ve just got to make sure we keep an eye on the youngsters and make they sure they don't wander around in T-shirls when it's minus five degrees," he said.