Outgoing Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur is “extremely disappointed and hurt” after news broke of a parting of ways on Wednesday.
“I did my wholehearted effort to lift Pakistan cricket,” the 51-year-old Arthur told AFP, responding to PCB’s statement earlier in the day.
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Arthur, along with other members of the support staff, was not handed a contract extension after the PCB’s Cricket Committee handed their recommendations to the board following Pakistan’s failure to clinch a semi-final spot in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
August 15 will mark the end of Arthur’s three-year tenure, which started in 2016 when the South African replaced Waqar Younis in the hotseat.
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Under Arthur, Pakistan managed to reach the top of the ICC Test rankings in 2016 before winning the 2017 Champions Trophy, their first major ICC title since the 2009 World T20.
“[The Champions Trophy win] brought on a whole new team of young players,” Arthur said, departing with Pakistan on top of the ICC T20I rankings. “We also became world number one in Twenty20 cricket in this period, which was an achievement.”
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Post the 2017 Champions Trophy win, Pakistan have lost 24 of their last 46 ODIs[/caption]
However, since the 2017 Champions Trophy win, Pakistan have lost 24 of their last 46 ODIs, also losing eight out of the 13 Tests during that period. Their underwhelming performance at the World Cup, where a late resurgence failed to hand them a spot in the final four, has prompted a wave of changes at the top.
PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, while embracing the committee’s proposed reforms, conceded that it was time for “new leadership” and a “fresh approach”.
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“On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, [batting coach] Grant Flower, [trainer] Grant Luden and [bowling coach] Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team,” Mani said in a statement. “We wish them every success in their future endeavours.”
