The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to announce its new coaching panel by the end of this month as reported by a few reliable reports. Since Mohsin Naqvi’s arrival as the chairman, the board has been looking for foreign coaches, however, faced disappointment.
Many notable names including Darren Sammy and Shane Watson turned down the offers due to prior commitments. Though there is no official confirmation, according to Geo Super, the board will announce South Africa’s Gary Kirsten as the white-ball coach and Australia’s Jason Gillespie as the red-ball coach.
As per Geo Super’s source:
“Even in Kirsten and Gillispie’s case though, the board has held direct negotiations with them, and they remain top candidates to be appointed head coaches, they were also told to apply through due process by the deadline,” the source added.
“The PCB chief doesn’t want names disclosed at any stage, and names would only be revealed once announcements are made,”
The Press Trust of India has also reported that the PCB has received a few other applications apart from Kirsten and Gillespie. According to the report, the board will soon finalize the names. A PCB official was quoted as saying:
“The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that the long-term appointments of coaches will be done through a due process and the board would meet all commitments,”
It is pertinent to mention that previous PCB management chaired by Zaka Ashraf dismissed contracts of all foreign staff after the World Cup 2023. Coaches including Andrew Puttick, Grant Bradburn, and director Mickey Arthur were dispelled from their respective roles.
Mohsin, upon his appointment, started looking for foreign coaches to fill in the void. He has emphasized forming a local-foreign coaching entity to help the Pakistan team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan are currently locking horns with New Zealand in a five-match T20I series at home.
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