Image Credit- AP
One of the PCB’s top
candidates for the men’s national team head coaching position is former
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson.
The team is in need of a head coach before New Zealand’s April visit to
Pakistan for a white-ball series. Currently, the team does not have a head
coach. As seen when Mohammad Hafeez was appointed for tours of Australia and
New Zealand in December and January, it is thought that the PCB is keen to find
a permanent replacement for Hafeez.
Watson was named
coach of the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL this season, and he is presently in
Pakistan. The team, who are expected to make the playoffs for the first time in
five years, has undergone a transformation under his direction.
Daren Sammy, the former captain of the West Indies, is another player the PCB
is interested in, in addition to Watson. If he receives an offer, it is not yet
certain that he will take the position.
With his small
family, he resides in Sydney and leads a hectic year-round routine. In addition
to his duties as an Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council
commentator for Star Sports, he is the coach of the San Francisco Unicorns in
Major League Cricket. He formerly served as an assistant for the Delhi Capitals
in the Indian Premier League for two seasons under Ricky Ponting.
It is understood that the PCB was impressed by both his contributions to the
Gladiators and the interpersonal connections he was able to make. However, how
long the PCB insists the head coach stay in Pakistan will determine the chances
of the two sides coming to an agreement.
The volatility of
the PCB’s administrative side has affected Pakistan’s appointment of coaches.
After a lacklustre World Cup, former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf made the decision
to fire Bradburn and Arthur and assign Hafeez, who had never coached before, to
take the team to Australia and New Zealand. Bradburn and Arthur were also only
appointed during the brief tenure of Ashraf’s predecessor, Najam Sethi.