Yasir Arafat appointed Pakistan's high-performance coach for upcoming New Zealand T20Is
Pakistan's coaching setup has expanded further, with former all-rounder Yasir Arafat being the newest addition as the high-performance coach for the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand.
Arafat will replace Australian Simon Helmot, who is playing the role for the ongoing Australia series, due to Helmot's commitments. Since it is reportedly a late decision by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Arafat will fly directly to New Zealand, with Pakistan's T20I specialists, for the five-match series starting January 12.
The changes have rung thick and fast since Mohammad Hafeez was appointed team director and head coach for the Aussie tour.
Umar Gul was appointed as the fast-bowling coach, Saeed Ajmal the spin-bowling coach, Adam Hollioake the batting coach, and Helmot the high-performance coach.
Arafat applied for the role of Pakistan bowling coach earlier this year and has coaching experience at the junior and domestic levels in England and New Zealand.
In a playing career spanning six years from 2007 to 2012, he played 27 games across formats for Pakistan and picked up 29 wickets. Arafat was also part of Pakistan's T20 World Cup squads in 2007, 2009, and 2012.
The side qualified for the final in 2007 and won the title in 2009 despite Arafat playing only one game in the latter.
The New Zealand series will mark the beginning of Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan's T20I captain
Following the ongoing Test series down under, Pakistan will begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2024, with the five-match series in New Zealand.
The series will be Shaheen Afridi's first assignment as Pakistan's T20I captain following his appointment last month. With Babar Azam stepping down as skipper in all formats, Afridi was handed the role in the shortest format.
Afridi has impressed as the captain of the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, leading them to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
Pakistan also named a 17-member squad for the series, with the recall of wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan and the inclusion of uncapped players Haseebullah and Aamer Jamal being the noticeable move.
The Men in Green endured a dismal 2023 ODI World Cup by missing out on semi-final qualification. However, they have been impressive in the T20I World Cups, with a semi-final and final run in 2021 and 2022.
Pakistan will look to win their second T20 World Cup title at the 2024 edition of the tournament which is set to be hosted by the West Indies and U.S.A in June.