PCB confirms Michael Smith's appointment as batting coach
Lahore, Aug 4
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of former South Africa first-class cricketer Michael Smith as the new batting coach of the Pakistan men's cricket team for a two-year term.
Smith will join the Pakistan team ahead of the three-match Test series against England, commencing on August 19. He will work with the team across both red-ball and white-ball formats.
The 46-year-old South African, who has featured in 89 first-class matches, 72 List-A matches and 16 T20 matches from 2003 to 2013, has served on the coaching staff in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) with Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and, earlier this season, was Multan Sultans' assistant coach. He has also worked as batting coach with Australia's Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmania and was a coaching consultant for South Africa's KZN Inland and Eastern Province
Pakistan has had frequent changes in the team management, with Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Andrew Puttick and Shafiq serving in the post in the last three years.Their batting has been failing in Test matches as they have lost eight successive Tests abroad, the worst sequence in their history.
Pakistan failed to chase a modest 211-run target in the first Test against the West Indies at Tarouba last week and faces their first series defeat against the West Indies in 26 years.
Pakistan, who are currently playing a Test series against the West Indies, are placed ninth in the ICC World Test Championship standings. They will need to win the rest of their matches to pose a challenge for a top-two spot.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good luck to Michael Smith! Pakistan has some brilliant batting talent, especially in the younger players. But the real issue is mindset - chasing 211 should be a cakewalk for any Test team. Hope he can work on the mental aspect as much as the technical side. 🇵🇰🏏
Eight straight Test losses abroad is a shocking stat. No coach can fix that overnight. The problem is deeper - poor domestic structure, too much focus on T20, and players not being prepared for the longer format. I don't blame Smith; I blame the system that keeps producing these results.
Interesting choice! Smith has PSL experience and knows the players well. That's a positive at least - he won't need time to learn about the team. I just hope the PCB gives him enough freedom to make changes rather than interfering with team selection. 🙏
As a neutral cricket fan, I think Michael Smith is a decent appointment. He's worked with multiple teams and formats, so he has the experience. But the real question is whether Pakistan's batting unit will buy into his methods. The senior players need to step up, not just the coach.
Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure if any coach can save Pakistan's red-ball batting. But credit to Smith for taking up the challenge. The England series will be a proper test - if they can't perform there, then we'll really know where we stand. Best of luck to him! 🏏
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