The post of the Pakistan head coach was left vacant after former Test speedster Waqar Younis resigned following Pakistan’s disastrous World T20 performance in India.
Arthur became Pakistan’s fifth overseas coach. Before him, Richard Pybus of England has served the Pakistan team in 1999 and 2002-03. Bob Woolmer, another British, was in charge of the Pakistan cricket team from 2004 till his death in 2007. Aussie Geoff Lawson also coached Pakistan from 2007 to 2008 and Dav Whatmore from Australia performed duties as Pakistan’s head coach for two years from 2012 to 14.
The upcoming England tour where the Pakistan team will play four Tests, five ODIs and a solitary Twenty20, will be Arthur’s first coaching assignment.
South Africa-born Arthur, who expressed his intention to handle the Pakistan cricketers strictly, has accepted probably the toughest task of his coaching career.
Though Arthur has over 15 years international coaching experience in his kitty, yet the Pakistan bunch of cricketers are set to give him a different kind of challenge to deal with. The Pakistan cricket team, which is known as world’s most unpredictable side, has a long history of disciplinary issues, both on and off the field.
Controversy is not a new word for Pakistan cricket. The Pakistan cricketers are quite consistent in making headlines for wrong reasons, rather than performance.
Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shahzad, Shahid Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, Yasir Shah have been quite ‘busy’ in creating troubles for the team management through their erratic attitude in recent months. Arthur will have to utilize all of his ‘weapons’ to keep the Pakistan cricketers under control.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mickey was sacked by Australia for being too strict with the players but he had done a great job with the South African team.
It’s pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has tried every kind of coaches – young, old, local and foreign etc but nothing proved fruitful. It means, the situation has exceeded all limits and now only a true professional approach with strict rule and regulations can revive Pakistan’s fortunes in cricket.
Arthur had a successful run as South Africa's head coach. He took over as head coach of South Africa in 2005, when the Proteas were ranked third among Test-playing nations and sixth in the one-day format. Four years later, South Africa was ranked No.1 in both formats. Under Mickey, South Africa won Test series in India, England and Australia in 2008.
He was appointed head coach of the Australian cricket team from 2011-2013 and won 10 of his 19 Tests in charge.
Arthur also performed coaching duties in the Caribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League.
A look at Pakistan’s previous cricket coaches:
Mushtaq Mohammad
Former captain Mushtaq Mohammad coached the Pakistan cricket team in the 1980s.
Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam, who played in 47 Tests and four ODIs from 1959 to 1977, was the coach/manager of Pakistan’s World Cup winning team in 1992. In October 2008, Intikhab was once again named manager/coach of the Pakistan cricket team by the PCB, a day after Australian Geoff Lawson was sacked as the national coach of Pakistan.
In 2009, Intikhab was in charge of the team when Pakistan won the Twenty20 World Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka in the final at Lord’s.
Javed Minadad
Miandad was first appointed coach in September 1998. Under his reign Pakistan defeated India in India, won a tri-series in India, the Asian Test Championship and the 1999 Sharjah Cup. Strangely, Miandad faxed his resignation to the PCB in late April 1999, just before the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
In 2000, Miandad was reappointed as coach. During his second reign, Pakistan won the Test series in Sri Lanka. Pakistan lost the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal under his reign. Miandad was removed in April 2001 after Pakistan lost the ODI series in New Zealand.
After Pakistan's dismal show in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, another cleanup operation was undertaken by the PCB, naming Rashid Latif as captain and Javed Miandad as team coach in March 2003. During this reign, Miandad won the home Test series against South Africa. Pakistan lost the home ODI series to India in 2004 and following the loss of the Test series, Miandad was shown the door in June 2004.
Richard Pybus
Richard Pybus was approached and hired four times by Pakistan from 1999 to 2003. Firstly, he was asked to work with the national cricket team only for the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
He was again invited to coach the Pakistan team full-time during the later half of 1999 on a two-year contract but he was sacked prematurely after Pakistan lost the Test series to Australia. Pybus re-joined Pakistan for a third time in September 2001.
PCB Chairman General Tauqir Zia appointed Pybus to coach Pakistan for a fourth time in September 2002 after a series of poor results. His last tenure ended on a disappointing note in the Cricket World Cup 2003 where Pakistan were eliminated in the first round.
Mohsin Khan
Former opening batsman Mohsin Khan was appointed as interim coach of the Pakistan team in October 2011 while the PCB formed a committee to search a certified coach. Under Mohsin, Pakistan outplayed strong England by 3-0 in the Test series in the UAE.
Mohsin Khan was removed as interim coach once Dav Whatmore was selected as Pakistan's permanent coach in early 2012.
Dav Whatmore
Davenell Frederick ‘Dav’ Whatmore was appointed Pakistan head coach on March 4, 2012, for a two-year term. His first assignment was a successful one as Pakistan lifted the Asia Cup after beating Bangladesh in the final. He left the coaching position when his contract ended in 2014.
Moin Khan
Former captain and wicketkeeper Moin Khan was appointed the new head coach of the national team on February 11, 2014, replacing Dav Whatmore for a brief period.
Jeff Lawson
Lawson was appointed as coach of the Pakistan cricket team for two years on July 16 2007. In October 2008, Pakistan Cricket Board’s then chairman Ijaz Butt stated Lawson's contract would not be renewed once his term finishes in April 2009 but he was sacked on October 24, 2008 even before his signed tenure.
Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer was appointed coach of the Pakistan team in 2004. Under Woolmer, Pakistan team drew Test rubber 1–1 against India in 2005 and won the ODI series 4–2. Pakistan also beat England in a home series under Woolmer in 2005.
In the next series against India, Woolmer's side was victorious in the Test series, winning it 1–0; however, the side lost the ODI series 4–1. Pakistan then beat Sri Lanka 2–0 in a 3-match ODI series and achieved a third consecutive Test series win with a 1–0 win in a 2-match Test series with Sri Lanka.
On March 18, 2007, Woolmer died mysteriously in Jamaica, just a few hours after the Pakistan team's unexpected elimination at the hands of Ireland in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis was appointed as the bowling coach for Pakistan team in March 2006. He resigned from this position in January 2007 in protest against the PCB’s decision to retain him only for the Test series against South Africa.
He was re-appointed as Pakistan's bowling coach for their tour of Australia in December 2009. In February 2010, Younis was appointed the head coach of Pakistan after Intikhab Alam was sacked as coach.
Waqar's first job as coach was to lead an inexperienced Pakistan side in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. He guided the defending champions to the semifinal of the tournament before they were eliminated by Australia. Waqar eventually stepped down as Pakistan coach in August 2011 citing personal reasons.
In May 2014, Waqar was reappointed as the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team for a period of two years, commencing from June 2014.
Waqar resigned from the position of head coach of the Pakistani Cricket team, on April 4, 2016, after poor performance in the World T20.
Post a Comment