No end to Pakistan's musical chair; Azhar Mahmood appointed acting Test coach after Aqib's woeful ouster
There is no end to the musical chairs within the support staff of the Pakistan men's cricket team. On Monday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the appointment of Azhar Mahmood as the acting red-ball coach. The former Pakistan all-rounder takes over the new role following a long stint as the bowling and assistant coach of the men's side. The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the appointment of Azhar Mahmood as the acting Test coach. (AFP)
Azhar Mahmood will stay in the role of acting Test coach until the conclusion of his current contract. The 50-year-old takes over from Aaqib Javed as the Test coach.
Aaqib Javed had taken over as the Pakistan Test coach on an interim basis after Jason Gillespie stepped down following disagreements with Javed and the PCB.
"A seasoned cricketing mind, Azhar Mahmood steps into the role with an impressive portfolio of experience. Having served as the assistant head coach of the national side, Azhar has long been a pivotal part of the team's strategic core. His deep knowledge of the game, combined with hands-on international exposure and proven success in the English county circuit, make him exceptionally well-suited for this position," the PCB said in an official release.
Also Read: Ex-Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie takes brutal dig at PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi
"His red-ball pedigree is underscored by two County Championship titles—an achievement that speaks volumes about his leadership, tactical acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence. The PCB is confident that under Azhar's guidance, the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength, discipline and performance on the global stage," the statement added. Mahmood's first assignment as Test coach
Mahmood's first task as the Test coach will be to ready the side for their upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) assignment against South Africa.
The Proteas will tour Pakistan for a two-match Test series later this year. Pakistan has failed to make it to the final of the WTC three times in a row.
In the last WTC cycle, Pakistan finished at the bottom of the standings. The hosts defeated England at home, but they lost the series against Bangladesh.
Pakistan also faced defeat in the away series against South Africa.
Earlier, Gary Kirsten had also stepped down as Pakistan's white-ball coach. "It was a tumultuous few months. I realised quite quickly I wasn't going to have much of an influence. Once I was taken off selection and asked to take a team and not be able to shape the team, it became very difficult as a coach then to have any sort of positive influence on the group," Kirsten told Wisden.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Steve Smith trained in a baseball cage in New York to be fit for Australia's Caribbean test
Australian batter Steve Smith's quick recovery from a 'compound dislocation' in the little finger of his right hand, and his sooner-than-expected return to the squad for the second Test against the West Indies, has a baseball twist to it. Smith has suffered an injury to his right little finger while trying to take a difficult catch off South African captain Temba Bavuma at first slip during the World Test Championship final at Lord's earlier this month. The 36-year-old former Australian skipper immediately left London after his wound was cleaned, stitched, and his finger was placed in a splint. Instead of waiting for the injury to heal by itself, he decided to hit the 'baseball cage' in New York, where he owns an apartment. The injury forced him to miss the opening game of the three-Test series against the Caribbean in Barbados from June 25 to 27, which Australia won by 159 runs. In New York, he began by facing tennis balls and other soft balls in the nets before facing the hard cricket ball. 'My mate actually told me about it, which was ideal because it was pretty warm there (in New York),' Smith was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo. 'Underneath this bridge there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there, so it was good to be in the shade, it was pretty hot there,' he said. ALSO READ | Azhar Mahmood named acting head coach of Pakistan Test side ahead of new WTC cycle Smith sent the footage of his batting to the Australian medical staff in the Caribbean, who were happy with his progress. The report added that Smith had his stitches removed on Sunday and his finger now only has a thinner splint as he gears up for his return for the second Test at St George's from July 3. 'For me, it'll just feel like training as normal, I think. I don't really feel any pain or anything. (I'm) just getting used to the splint on and the slight limited movement. 'It's not too bad, I've got a lot of movement there now, so that feels good. Hitting the ball felt completely fine,' said Smith 'Fielding some balls in front of the wicket will probably be the strangest thing for me, I don't think I've ever done that in a Test match. Fielding at either probably mid-on or mid-off or fine leg, is a bit different to standing at the second or first slip,' he added. Smith, meanwhile, backed the new players in the Australian side, including opener Sam Konstas, to come good in the second Test. 'These guys are good players, there's been a lot of talk around it but... we just need to give them an opportunity,' said Smith. 'It doesn't always come around straight away. We've just got to give them an opportunity and let them get used to playing in these conditions and in international cricket. These guys have some really good talent and I think they have bright futures,' he added.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Once a star player of Preity Zinta's Punjab Kings, he becomes new Pakistan head coach of Test team, his name is…
Azhar Mahmood turned out for Punjab Kings in IPL 2012 and 2013 season. (Source: X) Pakistan Cricket Board are finally appointed new head coach for their red-ball team. While former New Zealand and RCB head coach Mike Hesson is currently the white-ball coach of the Pakistan team for ODIs and T20 matches, former Pakistani and Punjab Kings all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has been given the charge of the Test team. The PCB on Monday announced that Mahmood will take over from Jason Gilliespie officially till the end of his current contract – which is there until April 2026. Mahmood had signed a two-year contract with the PCB in April 2024, back then as an assistant coach for all three formats to the game. He was supposed to assists Gillespie (Tests) and former South Africa and Team India head coach Gary Kirsten (white ball). However, both Gillespie and Kirsten ended their contracts prematurely. 'The Pakistan Cricket Board today announces Azhar Mahmood as the acting red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men's team. Azhar will serve in this role until the conclusion of his current contract,' the PCB said in a statement. 🚨 AZHAR MAHMOOD HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS INTERIM RED-BALL HEAD COACH OF PAKISTAN -He will continue to work on this position until the conclusion of his existing contract with the PCB. — junaiz (@dhillow_) June 30, 2025 'A seasoned cricketing mind, Azhar Mahmood steps into the role with an impressive portfolio of experience. Having served as the assistant head coach of the national side, Azhar has long been a pivotal part of the team's strategic core. His deep knowledge of the game, combined with hands-on international exposure and proven success in the English county circuit, make him exceptionally well-suited for this position,' the PCB added. Mahmood turned out for Preity Zinta co-owned Punjab Kings in the IPL 2012 and 2013 season. He was also signed up by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2015 season but he only played in one match that year. Former PBKS (Kings XI Punjab back then), Mahmood claimed 29 wickets in two season – 14 and 15 wickets – respectively in the 22 matches that he played. He also scored 388 runs in 23 IPL matches with two fifties and a best of 80. The PCB highlighted Mahmood's achievements in winning County Championship titles for Surrey as their assistant coach. 'His red-ball pedigree is underscored by two County Championship titles — an achievement that speaks volumes about his leadership, tactical acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence,' the PCB statement read. 'The PCB is confident that under Azhar's guidance, the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength, discipline and performance on the global stage,' the statement added. Mahmood, who is 50 years of age, played in 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan between 1996 and 2007. He scored a century of Test debut against South Africa in Rawalpindi back in 1997. He claimed 123 wickets in ODIs while scoring 1521 runs and 39 wickets in Tests with 900 runs, including 3 centuries and 1 fifty.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Azhar Mahmood named new Pakistan red-ball head coach
Karachi, June 30 (UNI) Pakistan have announced former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as their new acting red-ball head coach. Azhar steps into the new role following a long stint as bowling coach and assistant head coach of Pakistan's men's side and will serve in this position until the conclusion of his current contract. Pakistan are confident Azhar can thrive in the role given his expertise as a player and coach prior. "A seasoned cricketing mind, Azhar Mahmood steps into the role with an impressive portfolio of experience," Pakistan said via a release. "Having served as the assistant head coach of the national side, Azhar has long been a pivotal part of the team's strategic core. His deep knowledge of the game, combined with hands-on international exposure and proven success in the English county circuit, make him exceptionally well-suited for this position. "His red-ball pedigree is underscored by two County Championship titles—an achievement that speaks volumes about his leadership, tactical acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence. "The PCB is confident that under Azhar's guidance, the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength, discipline and performance on the global stage." Former fast bowler and 1992 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup winner Aaqib Javed had been fulfilling the role as red-ball coach following the departure of Australian Jason Gillespie towards the end of last year. Mahmood's first task will be readying the side for their upcoming assignment for the new ICC World Test Championship cycle, which is scheduled to be when South Africa visit Pakistan for a two-match series later this year. UNI BM
