The Pakistan Cricket Board have extended head coach Mickey Arthur and the rest of the support staff’s contract until the 2019 World Cup which will be held in England. A PCB official insisted that there is no question of tinkering with the backroom staff and the manager’s post is the only post where change can take place.
“Contracts of the head coach and other support staff have been extended till the World Cup. The only change that can be made in the management is that of the manager,” the official told PTI.
“The PCB will review whether to retain former Test batsman Talat Ali as manager or make a new appointment after the ongoing series against Sri Lanka,” he added.
Arthur was roped in head coach last year and has done a stellar job so far, guiding Pakistan to the top of the Test rankings for a brief period before helping them lift the Champions Trophy against all the odds.
The Men in Green had entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked side and were mauled by India in the first game but went on to win the remaining games to win their maiden Champions Trophy title. But at the same time, Pakistan have shown inconsistent form with Test defeats against the likes of West Indies and most-recently Sri Lanka being the highlights. However, the official said that the board decided to extend Arthur’s tenure due to the success in the Champions Trophy.
“It makes no sense to make changes now as the next important assignment is the World Cup,” he said.
The official also spoke on the rift between Arthur and batsman Umar Akmal which led to the latter being suspended and fined by the PCB. It all began when Akmal alleged that Arthur misbehaved with him at the National Cricket Academy before the PCB decided to probe the matter.
“Arthur told Umar that only contracted players were being trained at the NCA when Umar raised the issue of Salman Butt (having nets at the NCA). The head coach told him to focus on his own fitness and form. Arthur didn’t say anything out of ordinary,” the official said.