Former Pakistan leg-spinner-turned England spin bowling coach, Mushtaq Ahmed, has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to persist with the combination of newly appointed captain Salman Butt and coach Waqar Younis.

Mushtaq will find himself on the opposite side to his compatriots when the four-Test series gets underway at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

"Salman is lucky. He has Waqar Younis as coach. It is very important for a young captain to have a very good, mature coach. Personally, I think this is a good combination," The Daily Times quoted Mushtaq, as saying.

"Maybe it will take some time. A young captain has to make his mistakes sometimes, and that's why the coach will play a huge role. But overall, as long as they both have a freedom, I think it can work," he added.

He further said that international teams' decision to not visit Pakistan following an armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March last year is a key factor in the side's erratic form.

"Naturally, they will struggle - for consistency - because they do not have that home advantage," Mushtaq said.

"Just imagine how much it must hurt - that no team wants to come to my country. That really hurts. You are always away from your family, hardly spending any time in Pakistan. That is hard," he added. (ANI)