Mickey Arthur declines PCB's offer to become Pakistan head coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed that Mickey Arthur has turned down its offer to become the national cricket team’s head coach until ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

In a statement today, the cricket board said it had been in talks with Arthur to appoint him as head coach “to guide the side through to the ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.”

Arthur, who coached the team from 2016 to 2019, made Pakistan number one in Test and One-day cricket besides winning the Champions Trophy in 2017. During his tenure, Pakistan’s current stars, such as Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi received consistent chances to prove their mettle. However, his contract was not renewed after Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup 2019 from the group stages.

“Owing to his long-term contract with Derbyshire, we have also discussed a proposal to act as a consultant to the PCB on a time-sharing basis with Derbyshire. Unfortunately, however, this option is proving difficult to materialise for various reasons on both sides,” the statement added.

The board said it would continue its search for the right person for the slot of the national team head coach and some top names are already under consideration.