Pakistan have pledged to keep faith with coach Bob Woolmer for the long term as he attempts to turn the team around.

"He is there to change the culture and thinking in the team and to make it a more professional outfit. We are prepared to give him time to get results," PCB chief executive Ramiz Raja told Reuters on Friday.

Woolmer, who took over as coach last month from former Test captain Javed Miandad, was angry with the performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup tournament on Wednesday.

Pakistan were dismissed for 122, their lowest one-day score against Sri Lanka, as they lost by seven wickets.

"When we appointed him...we knew it would take time for him to put in a proper system," Raja said.

"The problem unfortunately has always been that the talent we have has never corresponded with our performances."

Woolmer's appointment on a three-year contract until the 2007 World Cup has been criticised in sections of the Pakistan media, with some former players questioning the wisdom of hiring another foreign coach.

A previous experiment with South African coach Richard Pybus ended in disappointment. He was sacked after Pakistan were eliminated in the first round of the 2003 World Cup.

Miandad took over after the tournament before departing mid-way through a two-year contract after his team lost a home series against India in April.

But Raja insisted Woolmer, a former England batsman and South Africa coach, was there to stay.

"He is our best hope of turning things around. With the talent we have, we should be up there. Unfortunately due to number of reasons this has not happened and our performances have not been consistent."

In the last 10 years, Pakistan has had eight different coaches in Intikhab Alam, Mushtaq Muhammad, Wasim Raja, Haroon Rasheed, Javed Miandad, Mudassar Nazar, Richard Pybus and now Woolmer.

Many have had several attempts at the job, with Miandad appointed three times between 1998 and 2004 and Pybus tried out twice.

Pakistan must beat India in the Asia Cup on Sunday to remain in contention for a place in the final. They play Bangladesh in their last match on Thursday.