Who will be Pakistan team head coach?
Mohammad Hafeez will take on the dual roles of Pakistan team director and head coach for the upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand. Following Babar Azam’s resignation as captain following the team’s humiliating departure from World Cup 2023, the cricket team administration reshuffled.
In December and January, Hafeez will be in charge of three Test matches in Australia and five Twenty20 Internationals in New Zealand. According to Cricinfo, Hafeez has no coaching experience as of yet, but the current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) leadership “considers the two roles superfluous.”
Until this year, PCB has not chosen a team director. Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi agreed to an arrangement with Mickey Arthur, who assumed the post remotely. When Arthur was not with the team for specific series and tournaments, he supervised the players under Grant Bradburn’s supervision.
“When both Arthur and Bradburn were with the side, it was felt there was no distinct difference between their specific jobs, something that has prompted the current PCB administration to do away with the extra role,” according to Cricinfo.
Pakistan cricket was restructured significantly, with Shan Masood named Test captain and Shaheen Afridi named T20I captain. Furthermore, the role of chief selector is still open, with Wahab Riaz dominating the competition.
The Pakistan side will go for Australia on November 30 and play a warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI from December 6 to 9 at the Manuka Oval. The first Test will begin on December 14 in Perth.
Pakistan tour of Australia
First Test: Dec 14-18, Perth Stadium
Second Test: Dec 26-30, MCG
Third Test: Jan 3-7, SCG
Pakistan tour of New Zealand
First T20I: Jan 12 , Auckland
Second T20I: Jan 14, Hamilton
Third T20I: Jan 17, Dunedin
Fourth T20I: Jan 19, Christchurch
Fifth T20I: Jan 21, Christchurch
