Former South African cricketer and coach for PSL's Karachi Kings, Mickey Arthur, has been been appointed as Pakistan cricket team's head coach, confirmed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday.
The post was left vacant after Waqar Younis resigned following Pakistan’s disastrous World Twenty20 performance in India, where they triumphed in only one of four matches before crashing out.
The PCB wanted to fill the post before Pakistan's all-important tour of England beginning in July, where they play four Tests, one Twenty20 and five one-day internationals.
Desperate hunt for a new coach
Pakistan’s search for a new national coach hit a fresh roadblock on Thursday as officials said their top pick, Australia’s Stuart Law, turned down the offer to coach the ailing national team.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a two-man committee — comprising ex-captains Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja — to conduct the search for a new coach.
They shortlisted Law and his fellow countryman Dean Jones, England’s Andy Moles and South African Mickey Arthur.
Former England coach Peter Moores had also turned down an opportunity earlier to succeed Waqar Younis as the new Pakistan coach. Moores had said he declined a chance to return to international coaching after England sacked him for the second time last year.
Mickey Arthur's selection as Pakistan's head coach comes after Peter Moores and Stuart Law turned down the offer.
Coaching Pakistan, traditionally a fractious bunch of talented individuals, is one of the toughest jobs in international cricket.
The job is further complicated by the relatively low pay and Pakistan’s security issues, while attempts to build relationships with volatile national players are often hampered by its high turnover.
Pakistan has had four foreign coaches in the past: Richard Pybus (two tenures in 1999 and 2002-03), Bob Woolmer (2004-07), Geoff Lawson (2007-2008) and Dav Whatmore (2012-14).