Sports Desk
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to appoint former cricketer Muhammad Yousuf as the interim head coach of the national men’s team for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, a local news channel reported on Wednesday.
The news channel reported that this decision would likely be taken due to a delay in finalizing the agreement for the head coach role with Australian great Mickey Arthur.
The PCB had earlier confirmed that it has been in talks with former national team head coach Mickey Arthur to appoint him as the head coach to guide the national cricket team through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
After Muhammad Yousuf, Mickey Arthur will likely guide national team
However, owing to Mickey Arthur’s long-term contract with Derbyshire, the cricket governing body has also discussed a proposal to act as a consultant to the national cricket team on a time-sharing basis with Derbyshire.
Unfortunately, the cricket board could not strike a deal with Arthur, so it will likely appoint Muhammad Yousuf.
It is pertinent to mention that the New Zealand series was the last assignment for the current head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling coach Shaun Tait since their contract has expired in February.
Earlier, Muhammad Yousuf’s appointment, previously serving as the team’s batting coach, was determined on a series-to-series basis under the Ramiz Raja-led administration.
His permanent role is the National High-Performance Centre (NHPC) batting coach in Lahore.
