Lahore: PCB to announce a new coaches for both red and white ball formats for the national team by the end of this month, according to an official of the country’s cricket board who spoke to the Press Trust of India news agency on Friday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also confirmed that, besides South Africa’s Gary Kirsten and Australia’s Jason Gillespie, they had received applications from a couple of reputed coaches by the April 15 deadline.
The PCB official stated that while they are interested in Kirsten and Gillespie, they are also considering the new applicants.
“The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has emphasized that the board will appoint coaches through a proper process, ensuring all commitments are met,” the source added.
The last time the PCB followed due process in appointing coaches was in 2019 when they named Misbah-ul-Haq as the head coach and chief selector of the national side. Since then, they have made all appointments either on a consultancy or interim basis.
Another reliable source within the PCB mentioned that this time, the board will only consider candidates who have applied for the coaching positions for interviews.
“Even in the case of Kirsten and Gillespie, though the board has held direct negotiations with them and they are top candidates for head coaches, they were also asked to apply through due process by the deadline,” the source said.
He acknowledged that with some interesting candidates applying for the head coach’s position, the PCB will need time until the end of the month to reach a decision and make an announcement.
“The PCB chief doesn’t want names disclosed at any stage, and they will only reveal names once announcements are made,” stated the source.
The PCB has also set April 20 as the deadline for candidates interested in applying for assistant coach positions.
“Even Azhar Mahmood has to go through the process, and currently, he was named head coach for the New Zealand series on a consultancy basis,” the source added.