Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur grumbles over the way his exit was handled

Pakistan are all set to resume their cricket on Friday when they take on Sri Lanka in the first ODI in their home. The two teams will be playing three 50-over games and all of them will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi. The Men in Green overhauled their coaching set-up by bringing in former captain Misbah-ul-Haq in twin roles of coach and chief selector after a poor show at the ICC World Cup.

While Pakistan are looking forward to winning their first ODI series of the year, former coach Mickey Arthur was left as a dissenting soul. The South African-born said he felt betrayed by the way the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) handled his exit. Arthur coached Pakistan for three years between 2016 and 2019 but was removed after the team failed to make the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in an interview, Mickey Arthur said: “I guess the only disappointment I have out of the whole lot is that there were some people I really trusted who ultimately didn’t follow through. I’m not talking about the hierarchy, I’m talking about people on the cricket committee that I did trust who sort of said one thing and ultimately did another. So that was the disappointing aspect of it.”

It was under Arthur’s tutelage that Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 thumping India in the final by 180 runs. He also saw the side going up the ranks in different formats but eventually a poor performance in the 50-over World Cup saw him falling.

Arthur praises Misbah and Wasim Akram

Mickey Arthur, however, praised his successor and the likes of Wasim Akram who he thought understands international cricket very well. He called Misbah-ul-Haq a good guy who he felt will do good. “I said Misbah would be outstanding because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is — Misbah is an outstanding individual make no mistake about that,” the 51-year-old said. Misbah had served as the captain when Arthur was the coach.

“And I sort of said, I thought Wasim Akram would be good to get on the committee because I think Wasim just understands the international game so well. He carries a huge stature in international cricket.”

“Those were guys I endorsed and guys I really enjoyed. As I say, they had a job to do and they decided it was in the best interests of Pakistan cricket to go with a fresh set of eyes. And it just happened to be that Misbah was on the committee that didn’t renew our contracts and becomes this heir-apparent,” he added.

Pakistan have failed to win a single match in their last two bilateral ODI series – against Australia and England – and will look to kick off the upcoming series with a win.

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