Mickey Arthur named new Pakistan coach

Former coach of South Africa and Australia Mickey Arthur has been appointed as the new coach of Pakistan. The appointment comes following massive speculation over who would be appointed between Andy Moles and Dean Jones. Arthur replaces former Pakistani skipper, Waqar Younis after the latter turned in his resignation following Pakistan’s horrific World T20 campaign.

Arthur “has confirmed his acceptance of the post of Head Coach of the Pakistan National Cricket team,” the PCB said in a statement, replacing Waqar Younis who resigned after a disastrous ICC World Twenty20 last month.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has been in the market for a replacement for Waqar Younis for almost a month now. Shahryar Khan also mentioned a few names, who were in contention for the role of the head coach. At the time, it seemed as though former Australian batsman Dean Jones was the front runner with the likes of Andy Moles and Stuart Law also in contention. The latter, who also served as the coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team for a short while was out of contention a day before the news was announced.

However, at the moment, it seems as though Shahryar Khan and the stuffed shirts behind the PCB have come to the conclusion that Mickey Arthur is the man to lead them out of the mess they are in. An official statement released by the PCB read: “Following detailed consultations on this matter at the last Board of Governors’ meeting and further telephone consultations by the PCB Chairman with BOG members, discussions with Mickey Arthur were initiated and he has confirmed his acceptance of the post of Head Coach of the Pakistan National Cricket team.”

Although Mickey Arthur was immensely successful in his stint with South Africa, his time with Australia wasn’t as successful. He was rather unceremoniously sacked two weeks before the Ashes series started in England in June 2013, with two years to run on his contract, and replaced by Darren Lehmann. He subsequently sued Cricket Australia for up to A$4 million, claiming there had been a deliberate campaign against him.

Details of the contract are yet to be revealed.