Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named former Test captain Mohammad Hafeez as the Director of Pakistan men’s side.
The announcement was made after PCB sacked entire coaching staff including director Mickey Arthur, head coach Grant Bradburn and batting coach Andrew Puttick.
All coaches will continue to work in National Cricket Academy while PCB will announce the new coaching staff in due course for the upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel had already resigned from his position earlier this week.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez has started contacting local cricketers for the coaching staff of the Men in Green.
On the other other hand, PCB Chairman Management Committee Zaka Ashraf and Babar Azam met at the PCB headquarters in Lahore today where the latter decided to step down as captain across formats.
Zaka Ashraf was asked to continue as Test captain, while he has been relieved of captaincy in white-ball cricket for him to focus on one format.
After consultation with his family, Babar decided to step down and PCB stands behind his decision.
Chairman PCB Management Committee Zaka Ashraf: “Babar Azam is truly a world-class player and we want him to continue to thrive as a player. He is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him. His batting prowess is a testament to his dedication and skill. He is a role model for the present generation.
“We want to see him grow as a great batter and now without his additional burden of the captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to back him.”
Meanwhile, PCB also confirmed appointment of Shan Masood as the Test captain of Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team, while Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named T20I captain.
Shan has been appointed captain till the end of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. Shan’s first assignment as captain will be a three-match Test series against Australia in Australia starting from 14 December.
Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah will lead Pakistan Men’s Team in the T20I format and his first assignment as captain will be the five-match T20I series in New Zealand from 12 to 21 January.
- Mohammad Hafeez