Mohammad Hafeez To Serve As Pakistan's Head Coach For Tours Of Australia And New Zealand

Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will serve as the head coach for their upcoming tours of Australia and New Zealand. According to media reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will merge the roles of the director and coach for the grueling three-Test tour of Australia in December 2023, followed by a limited-overs visit to New Zealand in January 2024.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made some drastic calls following the national men's team's early exit in the 2023 World Cup. The Men in Green managed only 4 wins out of 9 games and faced an improbable equation ahead of their final league game against England in Kolkata. Pakistan's poor World Cup campaign prompted Babar Azam to step down as captain across formats.

However, it's worth noticed that Hafeez has no coaching experience at any level thus far. The PCB announced that the roles of Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn will be reduced significantly, with PCB claiming they will be 'reassigned' without any further clarification. Left-arm speedster Wahab Riaz, who retired from international cricket in August, is the frontrunner to become the Chief selector.

Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi to begin their captaincy stints against Australia and New Zealand, respectively:

Meanwhile, the PCB has appointed opening batter Shan Masood as Babar's successor in red-ball cricket, while Afridi will replace him for T20Is. Pakistan will play 3 Tests Down Under, starting with the opening one in Perth on December 14th.

Afridi, who has led Lahore Qalandars to back-to-back PSL titles, will start his stint against New Zealand, where Pakistan will play five T20Is in January 2024.