Arthur set to visit Pakistan next week

LAHORE: Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur is set to visit the country next week ahead of his formal appointment as a consultant to the national team, disclosed PCB management committee chairman Najam Sethi.

In an interview with a local cricket website, Sethi revealed Arthur was scheduled to arrive in Lahore on April 18 during Pakistan’s home white-ball series against New Zealand.

“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,” he said.

“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 added. Sethi also opened up on his preference to rope in foreign coaches rather than former national players and local coaches. “I stand by my opinion that foreign coaches stay away from politics.

They are also usually more professional. Pakistan also has good professional coaches available, but in our culture, friendships carry significant weight in decision-making,” he said. “In professional cricket, where you compete at the highest level, these things should not be present. It is important to fully embrace professional ethics.

Therefore, it is necessary to have foreign coaches,” he said. It may be noted here that PCB recently announced a fresh coaching panel for the Pakistan cricket team for the series against Black Caps, which included Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick as head and batting coaches, respectively.