The Pakistan cricket board has taken a surprising turn as they have named former pace bowler Azhar Mehmood as their new head coach for the five-match T20 series against New Zealand.
Mehmood, an experienced campaigner with both international and coaching experience, is set to take charge of the series, which starts on April 18.
Mehmood has also served as a bowling coach for Pakistan and is currently coaching Islamabad United.
In an official statement, PCB said, “Azhar Mehmood has represented Pakistan in 164 matches, picking up 162 wickets.”
Apart from this, Wahab Riaz has been given the role of team manager, and Mohammad Yusuf and Saeed Ajmal will continue in their roles as spin bowling coaches.
Earlier, there were speculations about Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie being appointed as new coaches, but there hasn’t been any confirmation regarding the same.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s announcement for the series is set to be made on April 9, with Babar Azam returning as captain of the team.
Pakistan team player support personnel for New Zealand T20Is:
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), and Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach)
