LAHORE - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday appointed former Pakistan pacer Azhar Mahmood as the head coach for the Pakistan men’s cricket team for their forthcoming T20 International (T20I) series against New Zealand.
This five-match series, set to commence from April 18 to 27, will see matches hosted in the cities of Rawalpindi and Lahore. Azhar Mahmood, whose cricket career includes participation in 164 international matches, has notched up 162 wickets and contributed 2,421 runs. This isn’t his first tenure with the Pakistan men’s cricket team, as he has already served as the bowling coach from 2016 to 2019.
Alongside Azhar Mahmood, Wahab Riaz will undertake the role of senior team manager, with Mohammad Yousuf stepping in as the batting coach, and Saeed Ajmal, maintaining his position as the spin bowling coach following his recent coaching stints in Australia and New Zealand.
The Pakistan team’s support personnel for the New Zealand T20Is include Wahab Riaz (senior team manager), Mansoor Rana (team manager), Azhar Mahmood (head coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Saeed Ajmal (spin bowling coach), Aftab Khan (field coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Raza Kitchlew (media and digital manager), Zain Maqsood (videographer), Dr Khurram Sarwar (doctor), and Mohammad Imran (masseur).
Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team will be announced in a news conference on Tuesday (April 9, 2024) at 2:15pm (not 12:45 as advised earlier). The media conference will be held on Level 2, Gaddafi Stadium Far End Building.
SELECTION COMMITTEE MEETS MEN’S CRICKETERS
The national selection committee on Monday met Pakistan cricketers who featured in Kakul physical training camp at a local hotel in Islamabad. Among the 29 players who featured in the camp, only Mohammad Rizwan was not present, as he had left for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah on Sunday night.
In the meeting, the selection committee took the players in confidence regarding the selection policy, which includes rotation policy and providing opportunities to new players. The national selection committee members present at the meeting were Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Bilal Afzal, Hasan Cheema, Mohammad Yousuf and Wahab Riaz. Usman Wahla – Director International Cricket Operations also attended the meeting.
New Zealand men’s team are set to arrive in Islamabad on April 14 to feature in a five-match T20I series, commencing from April 18 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. After the series, Pakistan men’s team will travel to Ireland and England to feature in T20I series following which the team will travel to USA and West Indies to feature in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
