PCB places ad seeking separate head coaches for red, white-ball formats

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Saturday placed an advertisement seeking separate bids for the post of national team's head coach for red and white-ball formats.

"We are seeking applications from dynamic individuals who will deliver integrated coaching support to our national team across different formats," the board's press release said, adding that the applications can be submitted till 5pm on April 15.

For both posts, the PCB is seeking individuals possessing at least Level III Cricket Coaching Accreditation along with a minimum five years experience in coaching international and domestic teams.

The development comes as the key post, along with others, was left vacant after Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn and Andrew Puttick, were transferred to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore after a change in their portfolios in November 2023, left their respective positions in January this year.

The board, in its bid to appoint the Green Shirts' head coach, has reached out to various former cricketers including the likes of former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, Australia's Shane Watson and New Zealand's Luke Ronchi.

Sammy, who is also Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi's head coach, had turned down the PCB's offer owing to his existing contract with the West Indies board wherein he is serving as the side’s head coach in one-day internationals (ODIs) and T20Is.

Before that, the board's attempt to rope in Watson failed to materialise after the ex-cricketer declined the offer following the information leak in the media regarding the board's proposed package.

He also cited his willingness to honour his current coaching and commentary commitments including an Indian Premier League (IPL) commentary stint and his role as the head coach of Major League Cricket side San Francisco Unicorns.

Following the setback, the PCB then reached out to Ronchi for the said post. The ex-Kiwi cricketer has asked for some time to mull over the prospects of coaching the Men in Green.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Gary Kirsten and Australia’s Justice Langer were also among the names being mulled by PCB for the job.