Misbah-ul-Haq in lead for potential red ball head coaches

LAHORE: Following the appointment of Mike Hesson as Pakistan’s white ball head coach, preparations are now underway to appoint a head coach for the longest format, sources claimed on Wednesday.

Reports claim that multiple former cricketers are being considered for the role, with Misbah-ul-Haq reportedly being the front-runner. He previously coached in all three formats between 2019 and 2021.

Fromer captain and current team director of the Quetta Gladiators, Sarfaraz Ahmed, is another name being considered. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PBC) will reportedly finalise their choice within the next few days.

Current coach Aqib Javed took over the test side following Jason Gillespie’s resignation this past December. Gillespie’s departure was prefaced by the PCB’s decision to remove coaches and captains from the selection committee, as well as the choice to not renew Tim Nielson’s contract.

Also read: Mike Hesson appointed Pakistan’s white ball coach

Pakistan have struggled in recent years in the longest format. In the ten-test series since 2022, Pakistan have only won two. Gillespie took over as coach in April of 2024, and presided over three series during his tenure.

Under Gillespie, Pakistan lost against Bangladesh and South Africa, but managed to beat England. Since then, Pakistan have played one test series against West Indies under Javed, which they drew.

With Pakistan’s 2025-27 Test Championship campaign officially beginning against South Africa later this year, they will be looking for strong direction from their coach in the hopes of improving on their poor form. In the last WTC cycle, the men in green finished in last place, only winning 27.98 per cent of the points up for grabs.

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