Arthur emerges as strong contender to become new Pakistan coach
The South African was in charge of the Pakistan team for three years in the past
LAHORE: Mickey Arthur has emerged as a strong contender to become the head coach of the Pakistan men’s team, according to sources.
Arthur was in charge of the Pakistan team for three years in the past as well having taken up the mantle in 2016.
However, the PCB had decided to not renew the contracts of Arthur and his support staff, following the team's fifth-place finish at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.
Arthur's tenure with the Pakistan side was a mixed one, featuring several highs and lows. Under his tutelage, Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph in England and also rose to the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings.
It must be noted that English county side Derbyshire had secured the services of head of cricket Mickey Arthur until the end of the 2025 season, earlier in December. The ex-Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka head coach had joined the club in November 2021 on a two-year deal.
Earlier, the chairman of PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi, had hinted that foreign coaches could be hired for the national team in the future.
Sources added that the rest of the members of the committee are also in favour of a foreign coach for the Babar Azam-led unit.
“We will decide about Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Yousuf in an internal meeting tomorrow,” Sethi told media on Friday in Lahore.
“Our local superstars and former players will be employed; we will look after them and find them jobs but they won't be coaching the team.
“When I was in power, we had Mickey Arthur and results were evident. We were world number one in both ODI and Test cricket and we won the Champions Trophy as well.”
The Pakistan men’s cricket team’s coaching staff is led by former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, meanwhile Mohammad Yousuf is the batting coach. Australia’s former pacer Shaun Tait is the team’s bowling coach.
The New Zealand series will be the last assignment for Mushtaq and Tait, since their contract will expire in February, 2023.
Yousuf's appointment as batting coach of the Pakistan men's cricket team was determined on a series-to-series basis under the Ramiz Raja-led administration. His permanent role is the batting coach of the National High Performance Centre (NHPC) in Lahore.
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