PCB and Foreign Coaches: Rollercoaster Ride of Controversies

The PCB has had quite a mixed history with its foreign coaches, where successes were well accompanied by major controversies. Right from the days of triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 to the very recent resignation of head coach Gary Kirsten, controversies over PCB’s treatment of foreign coaches have often led to doubts about its way of treating foreign expertise.

This blog explores a couple of the foreign coaches the nation of Pakistan has gone through, looking into each specific circumstance regarding that tenure and how new developments reflect ongoing problems in the board.

Mickey Arthur

The tenure at Pakistan as head coach with Mickey Arthur from 2016 to 2019 marked a period equally balanced with successes and eventually the fall. A great milestone was achieved when, under his command, Pakistan won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, but it only worked momentarily to raise the spirits of the players.

The PCB soon decided to shift its innings away from Arthur, deposing him after a disastrous campaign in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Pakistan did not reach the semifinals. However, some were appreciative of Arthur’s decision, and most believed that he had an excellent base for the team. His exit also raised one thing, that is, the PCB has an infamous streak regarding foreign coaches which results in less stability of the team.

Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten was appointed and welcomed since people expected him to perform for Pakistan what he performed for India and took them to win the 2011 World Cup. However, this optimism was short-lived. In October 2024, Kirsten resigned in a row over the selection of the team, where he had a disagreement with the PCB over team selection powers.

He was frustrated over the board’s decision to assign selection responsibilities solely to a selection committee, which reduced the role of the head coach. His resignation once again brought to the fore the PCB’s chronic problem of not giving its foreign coaches adequate authority and autonomy.

Jason Gillespie

Jason Gillespie took up the head coaching position for the Test team in April 2024, while Kirsten took over around the same time for white-ball formats. It was then expected that the future of Pakistan’s cricket would be guided by the experience and knowledge of Gillespie, who is the latest casualty of the system under Kirsten, as well.

Gillespie said he thought more of a “match-day analyst,” which wasn’t what he signed for, and his statement mirrored previous coaches’ frustrations against PCB’s treatment of foreign experts and their inability to decide on critical matters that come before the team.

Following Kirsten’s departure, there was a buzz around the name of former Pakistani cricketer Aaqib Javed as being the favourite to take on the job. The PCB selected Gillespie for the post instead. The back-and-forth over coaching posts, again and again, is the PCB’s inability to create a stable body and constantly failing to create clear channels of communication and decision-making over foreign coaches.

Grant Flower

Grant Flower was the batting coach of Pakistan from 2014 to 2019. He had to experience many challenges during his term. Though not a head coach, Flower had to bear the pressure of turning a batting lineup into success every time.

His stint was also marred with criticism of player performances mainly in high-stakes games. With marked success, he bid adieu to the PCB after the 2019 World Cup as a manifestation of various support and guidance problems concerning foreign coaches.

Mark Coles

Mark Coles was the head coach of the Pakistan women’s cricket team for a very short period. He was heavily criticized for his poor understanding and lack of support from the PCB in terms of resources and management of the team. His exit again pointed out systemic problems in the PCB, which not only affect the men’s teams but also portray a pattern of neglecting coaching staff.

Mickey Arthur

In 2023 April, Mickey Arthur once again returned to the board as a director for the national team but soon problems arose due to structural changes in the PCB. As per reports, he stayed connected with the team over online meetings but the continued change in the leadership within the PCB really bothered him. He said:

“Hafeez was the team director like Mickey and had to manage things, which he did in a professional way. At critical situations during international tours, Mickey had to fly and he had refused to join Pakistan because of his contract with Derbyshire county. He was basically coaching online. I have all my respect for him, but how can you do coaching on Zoom?”

In 2023, he targeted the PCB management and said that progress is being obstructed solely because no one is discussing anything with anyone. Again, his eventual exit sparked further questions about PCB’s seriousness in supporting the coaching staff.

“At the end of the World Cup we went back to Lahore,” Arthur tells ESPNcricinfo in his first interview since his exit. “We had planned the whole Australian tour, so much so that we had thought about teams and combinations. We arrived in Pakistan and there was silence initially.

“And then Zaka wanted a review meeting of the World Cup. We went to that, I did a presentation, Rehan [ul Haq, the team manager] did a presentation. Grant [Bradburn, the head coach] spoke, the whole management team was in this meeting.

“There was a recess and we were starting a camp two days later. I was still on the balcony organising with Usman Wahla what our logistics were going to be. And I wondered why there was such a break in this review. And then I got a little whisper in my ear that Zaka wanted to see me in a separate office in the museum at the HPC [High Performance Centre]. I went in, he asked me a whole lot of questions and then he said, ‘look, we’re going to remove the whole support staff and captain, basically, and that was it.’”

PCB and foreign coaches: The never-ending cycle of maltreatment

The history of foreign coaches at the helm of PCB has been riddled with instability and bad management. Under the management of Zaka Ashraf including the removal of coaches such as Mickey Arthur, the PCB started to build controversies.

However, he faced his share of controversies with frequent changes in the PCB coaching staff. The Pakistan Cricket Board seems to follow the same routine every time a new chairman comes, like Mohsin Naqvi, the decision was to once again import foreign expertise hoping that different takes by such veterans would revive the team.

The recent controversies involving Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie have once again questioned the treatment of foreign coaches at the hands of PCB. Frequent changes and lack of support indicate the existence of systemic issues in the board. If it wishes to be consistent at the international level, then the PCB needs to rethink its approach to hiring and retaining foreign expertise.

There have been highs and lows within the PCB’s relationship with foreign coaches. Each visit of a coach brings his lesson, but somehow the core issues of communication, authority, and support remain a concern for this board.

To develop Pakistan cricket and to create a stable future in the game, these need to be addressed. It needs to understand the importance of allowing its foreign coaches adequate autonomy in their operations, and the proper support to thrive, lest it repeats its history that has been one of dissatisfaction and shake-up.