89
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).
The board’s budget for the head coach salary is reportedly $16,000 to $20,000 per month — much less than similar positions elsewhere.
Foreign coaches balk at touring a country where international cricket has been suspended since an extremist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009.
Who is Mickey Arthur?
Mickey Arthur, 47, was appointed as the Pakistan cricket team's head coach in May 2016.
Arthur had a successful run as South Africa's head coach where he developed and led the implementation of a national high performance coaching framework for the national team.
He took over as head coach of South Africa in 2005 when the Proteas were ranked third among test-playing nations and sixth in the one-day format.
Four years later, South Africa was ranked No.1 in both formats, with 2008 netting South Africa test series wins in India, England and Australia.
He was appointed head coach of the Australian National Cricket Team from 2011-2013 after their home Ashes defeat in 2010-11.
Despite winning 10 of his 19 Tests in charge, he had rifts with many of his senior players, mainly during the infamous homework saga in India in 2012-13, and was sacked after a series loss and replaced by Darren Lehmann
Since then, the South African has worked in both the Caribbean Premier League, where he coached Jamaica Tallawahs in 2014, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where he was in charge of the Dhaka gladiators in 2015, and the Karachi Kings in 2016.
Arthur has also coached domestic sides in South Africa, with Eastern Cape, and Australia, where he coached Western Australia. Arthur holds a Level 4 Coaching Certificate from South Africa.
He played 110 first class games as a batsman in South Africa and won 13 consecutive ODIs, equalling Australia's world record and served on the ICC Cricket Committee from 2008 – 2010.
Mickey Arthur's career highlights
- Played 110 first class games as a batsman in South Africa
- As coach, led the South African national team to world number one rankings across all formats
- Won 13 consecutive ODIs, equaling Australia’s world record
- Served on the ICC Cricket Committee 2008 – 2010
- Developed and led the implementation of a national high performance coaching framework for South Africa, leading to the rise of internationally successful talent.
- Level 4 Coaching Certificate, South Africa
- Karachi Kings, 2016
- Dhaka Gladiators, 2015
- Jamaica Tallawahs, 2014
- Australian National Cricket Team, 2011 – 2013
- South African National Cricket Team, 2005 – 2010
