The Pakistan coaching set-up has seen another change, with Yasir Arafat joining as high-performance coach for the side’s five-match T20I series in New Zealand. Arafat will replace Simon Helmot for this series only, as Helmot has personal commitments. The PCB made a late decision to bring in Arafat, who will fly directly to New Zealand with Pakistan’s T20I specialists. This move comes after Mohammad Hafeez was appointed team director and head coach for the Australia tour, replacing Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn. Umar Gul was announced as the fast-bowling coach, Saeed Ajmal as the spin-bowling coach, and Adam Hollioake as the batting coach. These appointments are all short-term due to the interim PCB set-up, which lacks the ability to make long-term appointments until formal elections are held. Arafat, who has coaching experience in New Zealand and England, played 27 international matches and was part of Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup squad. The T20I series against New Zealand begins on January 12.
