Mickey Arthur will reportedly join the Pakistan cricket team briefly next week during which he will officially be unveiled as the team’s new consultant according to Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) head Najam Sethi.
Sethi unveiled this plan during an interview with a private cricket news website according to The News.
Two of the foreign coaches have already arrived in Lahore, while Mickey Arthur is coming on April 18. He will also take charge in one or two matches of the series against the Kiwis, Sethi was quoted as saying.
The main purpose of his visit is to prepare his team, train them and brief them. He will also discuss his plans with Babar Azam and other players, he continued.
Arthur will reportedly also be in the dugout for a couple of matches against New Zealand.
Najam Sethi has remained adamant about handing Mickey Arthur the reins of the Pakistan cricket team but the South African/Australian coach only agreed to a consultancy role with the Green Shirts due to his coaching commitments with Derbyshire Cricket Club.
PCB found a workaround for the issue by allowing the 54-year-old to assemble a staff of his choosing which will report to him while he takes charge of important series like the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup later this year.
Arthur’s role is described as similar to that of Rob Key with the England and Wales Cricket Board, meaning all cricketing departments report to him which probably makes him the most powerful man in Pakistan cricket behind Najam Sethi.