Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur likely to take over as Sri Lanka coach

He has had a forgettable last few months and eventually lost his job as the head coach of the Pakistan cricket team after the ICC World Cup. But given his credentials. Mickey Arthur was never going to be away from the game for long and now is likely to become the head coach of yet another Asian team — Sri Lanka. The current coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, though is yet to be fired officially.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the 51-year-old South African-born Arthur is yet to sign a contract with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) but the officials have expressed confidence that he will take up as the islanders’ head coach before the upcoming Test series against Pakistan.

The two-match series will be played in Rawalpindi and Karachi from December 11 and 19, respectively. It will be after over 10 years that Pakistan will be hosting a Test series on its soil as it remained sidelined as an international host since a terror attack happened against a visiting Lankan side in 2009.

The SLC has been on the hunt for a new coach since the team’s disappointing performance in the World Cup. It approached several high-profile names including former England cricketer and coach Mark Ramprakash whose stint ended in June. But now the SLC seems to have zeroed in on Arthur who has a solid experience as a coach at international, franchise and even school level.

“We are having discussions with Mickey. We think we will be able to reach an agreement,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva was quoted as saying.

SLC CEO praises Mickey Arthur

Arthur, a former first-class batsman in South Africa, has coached his own country besides Australia before taking over the responsibility of Pakistan in 2016. His most successful moment came in June 2017 when the Men in Green lifted the Champions Trophy, defeating arch-rivals India in a one-sided final at Lord’s.

“He had won the 2017 Champions Trophy with Pakistan, and had also taken Pakistan to the No. 1 spot in T20s. He’s a well-known coach and he’s been around for a while,” de Silva added.

However, a consistently poor show over the year saw Arthur facing a backlash and was replaced by former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq who also took over as the chief selector.