Ex-players oppose Arthur’s hiring as part-time coach

ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) closes in on a consultancy deal with former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur, experts believe that such an arrangement is not workable in the longer run.

A former Test cricketer, who is also in talks with the PCB for an assignment, said that coaching is a full time job.

“Even the consultancy is a full time job as a consultant needs to stay focused on his job. Wearing two hats at a time would only complicate the matter and create odd situations for the team members. The idea is not workable in the longer run,” the cricketer, while requesting anonymity, said. He added that the Pakistan team required a full-time head coach.

“What the team requires is a full-time head coach who stays with the team at home during camp training and on every engagement abroad. Whether he is a foreigner or a local, he should be with the selected members of the national team throughout the year.” Even former Test cricketers Shahid Afridi and Aaqib Javed were against such an idea. “There are better coaches available within Pakistan. The PCB must hire one of the home-grown coaches,” Afridi said.

“Coaching is a full time job. If you are a coach of a well-recognised team, you must devote full time to help the team get better results,” Aaqib Javed said while opposing such an idea. The PCB has kept on shifting its stance on Arthur, first claiming that he has accepted the head coach job and then announced that he was only available for major events but PCB was in no mood to hire a part-timer.

Again, the PCB came with a new version and that Arthur would now be available as a consultant-guiding the team from English County Derbyshire where he has already been hired for a coaching stint.