LAHORE, Oct 27: While trading expressions of satisfaction, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and former national coach Geoff Lawson bid farewell to each other on Monday after the issue of former Australian Test pace bowler’s dues was amicably settled.

Lawson will return to his native country on the first available flight.

Though the PCB did not meet any of Lawson’s demands regarding dues, it fulfilled all the contractual obligations.

Sources said that after receiving the letter of termination on Oct 24, Lawson demanded two things in writing. However, the PCB rejected saying that had no legal position.

The first demand was that the PCB should have given him one-month notice while the second one was that another salary of three months amounting to $43,750 should be paid to him in addition to the advanced salary he had already taken for the period ending on Dec 31, 2008.

But the PCB lawyer Shan Gul said he had perused Lawson’s comments and he was of the opinion that the same were absolutely unwarranted and devoid of any legal foundation whatsoever.

“Clause 11 of his agreement with the PCB is abundantly clear and envisages no one-month written notice as has been uncorrected noted by Lawson. In fact, the requirement of notice has been dispensed with by allowing payment of money in lieu thereof.

“The second objection of Mr Lawson (about three months salary in addition), is based on the legally abhorred and disapproved doctrine of “unjust enrichment”. Mr Lawson wants us to enrich him unjustly by making payment to him over and above what is actually due to him. Since, Lawson has already drawn advance salary till 31 Dec, 2008 and since his services are no more required at the PCB, therefore, to pay him over and above that amount would not only be unjust but also illegal and shall tantamount to cheating the PCB kitty,” the lawyer said.

Lawson had a brief meeting with Director General PCB Saleem Altaf in the afternoon as all issues were settled amicably.

Later, Lawson told reporters that his meeting with Saleem was held in a very pleasant atmosphere.

“I am very happy because we have good terms and all my financial issues have been resolved,” Lawson said. “In future, I will visit Pakistan to see the beautiful parts of the country and I have good wishes both for the board and its officials,” he expressed.

“I spent wonderful time here but it is sad for me to leave the association of such good people,” he stated.

“It was great to see players such as Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and youngsters like Salman Butt in action from the dressing room and I wish great future for them,” he added.

About his future programme, Lawson said: “I have a number of plans after going back to Australia. I have some coaching offers as well as commentary. But I will decide about any of these after going back to Australia.”

The former Test paceman further said that he had gained good experience in Pakistan, where cultural norms were different from those existing in Australia.

Meanwhile, Saleem said there was no issue with Lawson and all the contractual obligations had been fulfilled.

The PCB had paid an amount of $30,000 to Lawson as a bonus for facilitating the team reach the final of the four-nation Twenty20 event in Canada recently. Sri Lanka along with two weak teams — Zimbabwe and Canada — were the other participants in that tournament.

According to the terms and conditions, Lawson would have received another amount of $80,000 had Pakistan won that competition. Pakistan lost the final to Sri Lanka.

Saleem said Lawson’s hand-picked trainer David Dwyer would stay with the PCB.

“I with Pakistan’s [new] coach Intikhab Alam met Dwyer to apprise us of the players’ match fitness. Dwyer will stay with the team to continue his job,” he added.

AP adds: Lawson gave his conditional backing to Shoaib Malik as captain of the national team.

“If he [Malik] gets some experience, he could prove to be a good captain,” Lawson said on Monday.

Malik was appointed captain after Pakistan made a first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB’s newly chairman, has said that the captain’s performance will be reviewed before the home series against India in January.