Mickey Arthur appointed Pakistan men's cricket team director Archives

Mickey Arthur links up Pakistan squad in Sri Lanka

HAMBANTOTA: Mickey Arthur, Director of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team, has joined the Pakistan squad in Sri Lanka.

He will stay with the team for the remaining games of the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan, until the much-anticipated Asia Cup match against arch-rivals India in Kandy on September 2.

The former head coach will also be a part of the coaching setup for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India next month.

Director – Pakistan men's team Mickey Arthur joins the squad in Hambantota 🤝#AFGvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/AH4JTsmudD

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 24, 2023

Pakistan’s head coach Grant Bradburn, before departing for Sri Lanka last week, showed his excitement to have Mickey Arthur with the team in Sri Lanka.

“Mickey Arthur and I have been very good coaching associates and friends for a very long time. We are communicating daily, and he is part of the plan to guide this team in a new direction,” Grant Bradburn said.

“We are looking forward to him [Mickey Arthur] joining us on August 23rd [in Sri Lanka], he will be with us through to the match against India in Kandy. He will later join us for the World Cup in India.”

Mickey Arthur was appointed Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team earlier this year. In this role, Arthur will be involved in designing, formulating and overseeing strategies behind the Pakistan men’s team.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be rejoining the Pakistan cricket team and look forward to working with the group,” Mickey Arthur said after his appointment.

“Since moving on, I have kept a track of the players and their collective performances. This is a talented bunch with the potential to be number one across all formats and my endeavor is to put in place strategies and create an environment that can contribute in further enhancing their performances so that we can extract the best out of them.”

Pakistan team is currently leading the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, after handing them a crushing 142-run loss.

After the conclusion of the ODI series, the Pakistan team will Pakistan will face Nepal in the curtain raiser of the Asia Cup, starting on August 30 at Multan Cricket Stadium.

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Head coach Grant Bradburn aims for improvement in the ‘middle overs’

Pakistan men’s cricket team’s head coach Grant Bradburn is aiming for more improvement, specifically in the middle overs ahead of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India.

Bradburn, while talking to the media on the sidelines of the national team’s training camp for the ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup spoke about the team’s preparation.

“Cricket is changing rapidly, it’s a dynamic high-scoring game and we are planning according to that, as we want to be at the front and centre at the style of that brand of cricket,” said Grant Bradburn.

“A glimpse of that was seen in the series against New Zealand,” he added.

He emphasized the importance of scoring runs and taking wickets in the middle overs in ODI cricket.

“We are very clear about the fact that we need to score faster in the middle overs. We haven’t been as successful in the middle overs in ODIs as we should have been.

“Not only with the bat but with the ball too, we need to pick more wickets in the middle phase of the innings.

“You saw the way the boys played in Sri Lanka during the Test series. They are looking to play in an aggressive style, and that’s exactly what we demand.

Grant Bradburn also shed light on the dynamics of his relationship with the team director Mickey Arthur.

“Mickey Arthur and I are very good coaching associates and friends for a very long time. We are communicating daily, and he is part of the plan to guide this team in a new direction,” Bradburn added.

The head coach also stressed the team is solely focused on the series against Afghanistan.

“We are just thinking about the next week and the next game. The first match against Afghanistan will be very crucial as they are a tough side,” Grant Bradburn said.

Pakistan team is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka on August 22, 24 and 26. The first two ODI will take place in Hambantota, while the third game will be played in Colombo.

The upcoming series is the first bilateral ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before that, they played only four ODIs and Pakistan remained unbeaten in all.

Afterwards, the Pakistan team will Pakistan will face Nepal in the curtain raiser of the Asia Cup, starting on August 30 at Multan Cricket Stadium.

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Mickey Arthur appointed Director of Pakistan men’s cricket team

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed Mickey Arthur’s appointment as the Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. In this role, Arthur will be involved in designing, formulating and overseeing strategies behind the Pakistan men’s team.

The 54-year-old will also be a part of the coaching staff for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, away tour to Australia and home series against the West Indies. He will also be present with the side for Pakistan’s matches against India in the ACC Asia Cup.

During his time from 2016 to 2019, Arthur coached Pakistan to No.1 in Tests and T20Is, and also helped the side to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Najam Sethi, Chair of PCB Management Committee: “I am pleased that Mickey has formally rejoined the Pakistan men’s cricket team with an enhanced role in which he will be responsible for formulating and implementing strategies for the upcoming assignments across all formats. Furthermore, he will also be responsible for strengthening the national team culture, identifying and grooming future stars so that we can strengthen our bench-strength and strategically secure our future.

“Having lived and worked in Pakistan during his previous tenure, Mickey knows the current players, the structure and the system at the back of his hand. I am sure he will incorporate learnings from the previous tenure so that he can have an even more successful second term.”

Mickey Arthur: “I am absolutely thrilled to be rejoining the Pakistan cricket team and look forward to working with the group.