Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson is one of the leading contenders for the position of head coach in the Pakistan cricket team. Watson is currently serving as the head coach of the Quetta Gladiators franchise in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) and a report carried by Cricket Pakistan suggests there are indeed discussions between Watson and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the possibility of the 42-year-old taking over as the head coach.
The same report reckons that once an agreement is finalised, Watson will meet the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The meeting with the PCB official would be to finalise both the short-term and long-term arrangements if both the parties reach an agreement. An official anncouncement of Watson's appointment could thus be appointed soon. It is pertinent to note that even though Wastson has never coached an international side in the past, he is not new to coaching, having taken up several coaching roles in franchise cricket in the past.
In case Watson gets appointed, his first coaching assignment would include a series against New Zealand. The schedule of the New Zealand-Pakistan series has not been announced yet. Pakistan will welcome New Zealand for this series which is likely to increase five T20Is in April. As per the information available as of now, the BlackCaps could reach Pakistan on April 14 with the series opener set to be played on April 18.
Shane Watson International Career
Shane Watson went on to represented Australia in 59 Test matches, 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is. He is widely regarded as one of the finest all-rounders with 3731, 5757 and 1462 in Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively while also scalping 75, 168 and 48 wickets in them. Watson won the ODI World Cup twice with Australia while also playing a part in their ICC Champions Trophy victories in 2006 and 2009. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Watson was most recently associated with Delhi Capitals as their assistant coach.