Mickey Arthur rejects Pakistan’s approach for head coach job

01/11/2023

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Mickey Arthur has turned down the chance of a second spell as Pakistan's head coach in order to remain Derbyshire's head of cricket. The 54-year-old, who signed a contract extension with Derbyshire last month, was in charge of Pakistan from 2016 to 2019 when they became the top-ranked Test side.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) discussions with Mickey Arthur did not go well as the 54-year-old South African has refused to take up the head coach job for their men’s team. Arthur did not want to sacrifice his full-time assignment at Derbyshire, where he extended his contract until the end of the 2025 season as head of cricket.

The PCB confirmed the development of Arthur’s talks has fallen through on Tuesday, saying they had "been in talks with former national team head coach Mickey Arthur with a view to appointing him as the head coach to guide the side through to the ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025".

"Owing to his long-term contract with Derbyshire, we have also discussed a proposal to act as a consultant to the PCB on a time-sharing basis with Derbyshire. Unfortunately, however, this option is proving difficult to materialise for various reasons on both sides."

Arthur was first appointed by Derbyshire in November 2021 after stepping down from his previous role as Sri Lanka's head coach. He has also taken up the head coach role for South Africa and Australia, along with many domestic T20 sides in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.