Mohammad Hafeez is all set to take on dual roles as Pakistan’s head coach and team director during the upcoming tours of Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez, a former Pakistan allrounder, will be taking over the responsibilities that were previously held by Mickey Arthur and Babar Azam.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to merge the roles of team director and head coach into one position, which Hafeez will be handling for the three Test matches in Australia and the five T20Is in New Zealand in December and January.
This is a significant promotion for Hafeez, who has no prior coaching experience and last played for Pakistan two years ago. However, the PCB sees the roles of team director and head coach as redundant and has decided to do away with the separate positions.
The recent developments in Pakistan cricket have been eventful, with Babar Azam resigning as captain and subsequently being replaced by Shan Masood in Tests and Shaheen Afridi in T20Is. Additionally, Arthur and Grant Bradburn have seen their roles reduced, and Hafeez’s appointment as head coach completes the coaching staff picture.
Pakistan is scheduled to depart for Australia on November 30 and will play a warm-up game against the Prime Minister’s XI before the first Test in Perth on December 14. Following the Test series in Australia, Pakistan will also play five T20Is in New Zealand.
