Mickey Arthur set to be named Pakistan’s consultant team director, Morne Morkel likely to be bowling coach - Reports
Mickey Arthur, former head coach of the Pakistan men's cricket team, is set to be appointed as a consultant team director by the Pakistan Cricket Board, according to reports. PCB chairman Najam Sethi hinted in January that Arthur could return to the national team as a consultant.
Grant Bradburn is likely to be named as the team's head coach. Further, former South African pacer Morne Morkel could be the bowling coach and Andrew Puttick the batting coach.
According to Cricket Pakistan, some of the foreign coaches are expected to join the Pakistan team ahead of the home series against New Zealand. The Kiwis will tour Pakistan for five T20Is and five ODIs from April 14 to May 7. Apart from the newly appointed ones, physio Cliffe Deacon and strength and conditioning coach Drikus Saaiman are the two foreign coaches already part of the Pakistan national team.
The report adds that Mickey Arthur will visit Pakistan for a short period before returning to Derbyshire fto fulfil his head coach duties. Morkel, meanwhile, will not be part of the coaching staff for the series against New Zealand due to his Indian Premier League commitments.
There are no details about the duration of the contracts for the foreign coaches.
Mickey Arthur’s association with Pakistan cricket
Arthur, 54, previously served as Pakistan’s head coach for three years, from 2016 to 2019. During his tenure, Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, beating India in a lopsided final.
The PCB, though, did not renew the contracts of Arthur and his support staff after Pakistan finished a disappointing fifth at the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan's cricket board had earlier confirmed that they were in talks with Arthur to bring him back as head coach. However, owing to Arthur’s long-term contract with Derbyshire, both parties seem to have settled on a consultant role.
According to reports in the Pakistani media, the PCB has almost finalised all details with regards to the coaching staff, and an official announcement on the same is expected soon.