LAHORE: In the light of the recommendations made by its cricket committee, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday deci­ded not to extend the three-year contracts of its entire coaching staff of the senior team headed by Mickey Arthur, and it declared that it will advertise for the new appointments.

The PCB in a press statement made the announcement as a result of which besides Arthur, batting coach Grant Flower, trainer Grant Luden and bowling coach Azhar Mahmood will not continue their jobs after Aug 15.

“The PCB today [Wednesday] announced it will be immediately undertaking a robust recruitment process after it decided not to renew the contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden,” the PCB press release stated.

PCB to advertise for fresh appointments

“The PCB cricket committee, which met on Friday, were unanimous in their recommendations for the change. The recommendations were forwarded and discussed with the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani,” the release added.

Interestingly in the lead-up to Wednesday’s announ­cement, there were strong reports that the 51-year-old Arthur will continue at least till next year’s ICC T20 World Cup, as under his coaching Pakistan reached the top in the game’s shortest format.

Pakistan, during Arthur’s tenure (May 2016-July 2019), also improved their ODI ranking from ninth to sixth. The Test team however experienced a disturbing free fall during the same period as they slid from first to seventh spot.

In this year’s 50-over ICC World Cup in England and Wales, though Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to comparatively lesser net-run rate than New Zealand, the way Sarfraz Ahmed-led squad staged a comeback by winning their last four league-stage matches to emerge as strong contenders for the fourth place can be termed commendable.

Moreover during Arthur’s stay in office, the green-shirts also won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England, the prestigious title which eluded Pakistan who had won the World Cup back in 1992, and the ICC World T20 in 2009.

Though the PCB did not mention any significant reason behind its decision of not extending Arthur’s contract and that of his coaching team, it is learnt that it was a tough decision for the PCB. The PCB, it is learnt, was not too happy over the poor show displayed by the national team — which nosedived after winning the ICC Champions Trophy — during the past year or so.

Interestingly, former Pakistan captain and pace bowling legend Wasim Akram, who was also a member of the advisory panel along with Ramiz Raja and Faisal Mirza which nominated Arthur as head coach in May, 2016, is in the PCB cricket committee, which made the recommendations to Mani not to extend the contract of any member of the coaching staff.

Who will make Wasim accountable for this volte-face is a big question to be answered by the PCB. In a recent press statement, former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail has raised the point that the same individuals who picked the national team’s coaching staff are now at the helm to decide the coaches’ future. Considering this, the PCB should first put its own house in order by removing such advisers, Aamir insisted.

“As part of the recruitment process, the PCB will now advertise the four available roles and will invite high-level applications from interested candidates,” added the PCB press release on the coaching positions which now fall vacant.

Meanwhile, Mani said: “I am thankful to the PCB cricket committee for submitting their recommendations following an exhaustive and detailed review process. The committee comprised individuals who possess tremendous acumen, experience and knowledge. The unanimous recommendation of the committee was that it was time for a new leadership and a fresh approach. I am happy to accept their strong recommendations.

“On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Grant Luden and Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team. We wish them every success in their future endeavours.

“The PCB remains committed to its fans and followers and we will do our utmost to ensure that we make decisions that continue to move Pakistan cricket forward in all formats,” the press release quoted Mani as saying.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2019