The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recently made the decision to mutually part ways with its foreign coaching staff, comprising Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Andrew Puttick, following the national team's subpar performances, including a disappointing World Cup campaign. This move comes as the PCB seeks to restructure and improve the team's performance.
According to a report in PTI, a senior PCB official revealed on January 9 that Chairman Zaka Ashraf and Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer are set to discuss the final terms of separation with the coaching trio. Following their return from India after the Asia Cup and World Cup, the coaches had chosen to go on vacation and were later notified that their services with the national team were no longer required.
The PCB initially planned for the three coaches to transition to roles at the National Cricket Academy, following the appointment of Mohammad Hafeez as the director of the Pakistan team along with a new coaching staff. However, it was discovered that their contracts did not contain clauses that mandated their permanent assignment to the NCA, as their original agreements were specifically for working with the national team.
As a result, the PCB is set to provide several months' worth of salaries as compensation to Arthur, Bradburn, and Puttick. Additionally, the official confirmed that batting coach Puttick had already informed the PCB of his upcoming commitment with the Afghanistan cricket team prior to signing his contract. Similarly, Bradburn was approached by English county team Glamorgan for a head coach position.
This restructuring follows a challenging period for the Pakistan cricket team, which included a 3-0 whitewash in Australia despite the introduction of new leadership and coaching roles.
The appointments of Arthur, Puttick, and Bradburn were made during Najam Sethi's tenure as the chairman of the cricket management committee in April-May of the previous year. This recent decision by the PCB signifies an effort to recalibrate and strengthen Pakistan's cricketing strategies and performance on the international stage.
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