On January 18, the PCB declared the resignations of Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn & Andrew Puttick from their coaching positions at Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.
In April 2023, Mickey Arthur assumed the role of director for the Pakistan men’s team, while Bradburn and Puttick were appointed as head coach and batting coach, respectively.
According to a statement from the PCB, all three individuals communicated their decision to step down from their roles by the end of January 2024. The departure was described as amicable and mutually agreed upon by the involved parties.
Mickey Arthur will continue to serve as Derbyshire’s head coach, a position he managed alongside his responsibilities with the Pakistan team. Bradburn recently signed a three-year contract as Glamorgan’s head coach, and Puttick took on the role of Afghanistan’s batting coach.
After Pakistan’s inability to reach the semi-finals in the 2023 World Cup, the three coaches namely Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn & Andrew Puttick faced uncertainty as the PCB’s temporary management committee lacked the authority to relieve them of their duties. Their roles were reassigned, and none of them accompanied the team on their recent Test tour of Australia. Mohammad Hafeez assumed the dual roles of team director and head coach, with Adam Hollioake serving as the batting coach. Unfortunately, Pakistan lost all three Tests in Australia.The current scenario finds the team in New Zealand for a five-match T20I series, where they are currently trailing 3-0.
In 2023, Pakistan’s cricket journey featured notable Test performances, including a home draw against New Zealand and a 2-0 victory against Sri Lanka away. However, the year concluded with a series loss to Australia. In T20Is, Pakistan experienced their first-ever bilateral series defeat (1-2) to Afghanistan and managed only a draw against New Zealand. In ODIs, they briefly claimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings but faced challenges in the ODI World Cup, losing five out of nine games and falling short of the semi-finals.
Following the World Cup exit, Pakistan underwent significant changes, including adjustments to the captaincy and coaching staff. Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez assumed the dual role of Team Director and Head Coach for the Test series against Australia. Adam Hollioake took on the role of batting coach, while Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal were appointed as fast-bowling and spin-bowling coaches, respectively.
