HAMBANTOTA: Mickey Arthur, Director of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team, has joined the Pakistan squad in Sri Lanka.
He will stay with the team for the remaining games of the ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan, until the much-anticipated Asia Cup match against arch-rivals India in Kandy on September 2.
The former head coach will also be a part of the coaching setup for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India next month.
Director – Pakistan men's team Mickey Arthur joins the squad in Hambantota 🤝#AFGvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/AH4JTsmudD
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 24, 2023
Pakistan’s head coach Grant Bradburn, before departing for Sri Lanka last week, showed his excitement to have Mickey Arthur with the team in Sri Lanka.
“Mickey Arthur and I have been very good coaching associates and friends for a very long time. We are communicating daily, and he is part of the plan to guide this team in a new direction,” Grant Bradburn said.
“We are looking forward to him [Mickey Arthur] joining us on August 23rd [in Sri Lanka], he will be with us through to the match against India in Kandy. He will later join us for the World Cup in India.”
Mickey Arthur was appointed Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team earlier this year. In this role, Arthur will be involved in designing, formulating and overseeing strategies behind the Pakistan men’s team.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be rejoining the Pakistan cricket team and look forward to working with the group,” Mickey Arthur said after his appointment.
“Since moving on, I have kept a track of the players and their collective performances. This is a talented bunch with the potential to be number one across all formats and my endeavor is to put in place strategies and create an environment that can contribute in further enhancing their performances so that we can extract the best out of them.”
Pakistan team is currently leading the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, after handing them a crushing 142-run loss.
After the conclusion of the ODI series, the Pakistan team will Pakistan will face Nepal in the curtain raiser of the Asia Cup, starting on August 30 at Multan Cricket Stadium.