Former head coach Mickey Arthur is reportedly set for a sensational return to Pakistan after Saqlain Mushtaq’s contract expires in February next year.

The development was made after Najam Sethi took charge as the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

His appointment bought a number of changes in the Ramiz-Raja-led setup including the sacking of Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim.

During his first interaction with the media, Sethi hinted at the appointment of a foreign coach as he believes that they are more suited to the national team as compared to the local coach.

“Foreign coaches are more qualified, skillful, and have no affiliation with any particular player, while in our culture our coaches have soft hearts for a few,” said Sethi, while referring to Mickey Arthur’s tenure. “In my previous tenure, we hired Arthur and we became number one in Test and One-day cricket besides winning the Champions Trophy [in 2017].”

Why is Mickey first-choice again?

Arthur coached the national team from 2016 to 2019 during which the Pakistan team won the Champions Trophy. He is currently serving as the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club since November 2021.

Arthur always has good relations with the players, especially with the young lot, which includes Shadab Khan, Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Shan Masood, and others. Some of the players also played under his coaching in English County as well. Apart from that, he has enjoyed healthy working relation with the Sethi-led management.

During his stint with the Pakistan team, Arthur managed to guide the Men in Green to the number-one spots in both Tests and T20Is. Moreover, Pakistan whitewashed Sri Lanka in an ODI and T20 series after losing the Test series. They also managed to win a triangular series among Zimbabwe, Australia and Pakistan.

When Arthur is expected to join the Pakistan team?

According to reports, the South African has accepted Najam Sethi’s offer and is expected to assume charge in the next few days.

Sethi and his 14-member management committee contacted the former South African cricketer about his role in the new set-up.

The former Australia coach is expected to join the team before the Pakistan Super League’s eighth session.

It is worth mentioning here that a decision has reportedly been taken to not extend the contract of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling coach Shaun Tait.