The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently unveiled a 17-member team management for Pakistan's upcoming Test tour in Australia, scheduled from December 14 to January 7. While Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal were previously appointed as the pace and spin coaches, respectively, the board announced additional support staff members joining the team.
Adam Hollioake, a former England cricketer, will take on the role of batting coach, while Simon Grant Helmot assumes the position of high-performance coach during the tour. However, the announcement surprised and frustrated many Pakistan cricket fans, who questioned the necessity of all these positions for the touring team.
“Wow. Isn’t it a bit odd to announce this? Also, if they have that many jobs going, do you reckon I can get one? Random Team Shouty Man would suit me very nicely,” wrote one user on X.
It's worth noting that the PCB released head coach Grant Bradburn, team director Mickey Arthur, and batting coach Andrew Puttick following the team's disappointing performance in the 2023 World Cup held in India. Additionally, former South African pacer Morne Morkel resigned as the team's bowling coach just two days after the tournament's conclusion.
Mohammad Hafeez is eagerly anticipating the challenge of their three-Test tour in Australia. Despite Pakistan's history of losing their last 14 consecutive Tests in the country, Hafeez, who serves as the team director and essentially the head coach, emphasises the need for a change in perspective. He encourages the team to embrace modern, aggressive cricket and view their losing streak in Australia as an opportunity rather than a setback, despite never having played a Test match in Australia himself.
"When there is an excitement in your challenge, when there is a nothing-to-lose opportunity and a lot to gain, you're winning," Hafeez said. "As a team our goal is not what history says but what we can go out there and achieve. The mindset is very clear - this is a very exciting challenge ahead of us and, together, we can bring better results. I can't answer for past results, but from here on you will see inshallah better results for Pakistan," said Hafeez
Earlier, Pakistan had named an 18-member squad for the upcoming Test series against Australia:
Pakistan squad for Australia Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.