PCB chairman Najam Sethi confirms Mickey Arthur's return to Pakistan's set-up

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi confirmed the return of Mickey Arthur as Pakistan's head coach while speaking to the media on Monday, January 23. Current head coach and former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq has decided that he would not be getting his coaching contract renewed with the men's national side.

Following the shift in management and the exit doors shown to former PCB chief Ramiz Raja, it is no secret that the newly appointed chairman has been keen to bring back Arthur as the men's team head coach. Sethi confirmed the news while speaking to the media and stated he was personally in negotiations over a deal with Arthur for the role. 

“I am personally in negotiations with Mickey (Arthur) and we have resolved 90 percent of issues. Hopefully, we will very soon share the news that Mickey will be joining us. I would like him to build his own team of coaches once he is here,” told Najam in the press conference. 

Second stint with Pakistan on the cards for Mickey Arthur

The 54-year-old Arthur joined English county side Derbyshire as the head coach ahead of the 2022 season and also took the same role for Dambulla Aura in the recently concluded Lanka Premier League (LPL). He was also the coach for Pakistan's national team during 2016-19 in which he helped the side clinch the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and claim the no.1 spot in ICC T20I rankings.

However, as a result of the poor outings in the 2019 World Cup, the PCB decided to terminate his contract with immediate effect. With his second stint with the Pakistan national team on the cards as confirmed by the PCB chief, Arthur is likely to announce his contract termination with Derbyshire in the coming weeks. 

Apart from sharing the news on Arthur's appointment, Sethi also appointed former batter Haroon Rasheed as the chief of the national selection committee. He is set to replace former star all-rounder Shahid Afridi who held the post on an interim basis earlier.