PCB in discussion with Arthur to bring him back as Pakistan coach

Pakistan Cricket Board’s new management, led by Najam Sethi, after replacing Ramiz Raja as the board chairman, has decided to bring in sweeping changes to the board. After restoring the 2014 constitution, he now has decided to bring in Mickey Arthur to the team as the Head coach. The former Pakistan coach left PCB in unceremonious terms and then joined Sri Lankan Cricket before leaving that role for a coaching stint in county cricket with Derbyshire.

Under Arthur, Pakistan had gone on to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 and also became the No.1 T20 side in the world for a while. Even though Arthur hasn’t given any confirmation yet, it is likely that he would be back in the helm considering his good relationship with Sethi. Arthur was brought on board in 2016 when Sethi was serving his previous term as PCB chair.

After three days of silence, Ramiz Raja launched a scathing attack on the PCB board over his sacking and replacing him with Najam Sethi and changing the Board's constitution as he said the recent turn of events have 'bulldozed' Pakistan cricket as a whole.

Following Pakistan's 3-0 whitewash against England, their first ever in Tests on home soil, Raja and the selection panel headed by Mohammad Wasim was sacked. The current Pakistan government under Shehbaz Sharif, appointed Najam Sethi as the interim chair. Former captain Shahid Afridi was appointed as the interim chief selector with Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum as the other selection panel members.

"It has been made out as if a messiah (Sethi) has come, who will take the game to new heights. We know what he is up to. He wants limelight at any cost. He has nothing to do with cricket, and has never lifted a bat. They have changed me midway," Raja said in a YouTube interaction on Monday.

"To accommodate one person, Sethi to be precise, they had to change the entire constitution (of the PCB). I have not seen this anywhere in the world. It has been done in the middle of a season, when teams are visiting Pakistan. They have changed the chief selector, who had played Test cricket. At 2 am in the night, he (Sethi) tweets that Ramiz Raja is gone. This is my playing field. It hurts," he added.

Raja claimed that Sethi is in favour of replacing current head coach Saqlain Mushtaq with former coach Mickey Arthur. "In the middle of the season they are bringing Mickey Arthur. Saqlain Mushtaq's tenure was ending anyway in January. Saqlain has played over 50 (49) Tests, he is a legend. This is no way to treat the cricketers," he said.