IN a rare display of wisdom and prompt decision-making, the PCB has shown the door to head coach Mickey Arthur and three others on the recommendation of its cricket committee after the Pakistan team failed to reach the semi-finals in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup.

The decision, a bold one, has been well-received in cricketing circles and was on the cards after the national team’s below-par campaign at the quadrennial event. For once, it was not a knee-jerk reaction and the performance of each coach was thoroughly debated by the cricket committee comprising legendary names such as Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq, former women’s team captain Urooj Mumtaz and others.

Besides Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden all came under the spotlight for their inability to motivate or train the players well enough for some tough international assignments, the most challenging being the World Cup.

Ultimately, coaches are judged by the balance sheet of the results they achieve; sadly, for Arthur & Co, they showed too many debits and too few credits which eventually led to their ouster. The greatest moment for them was the Champions Trophy victory in England in 2017 that led many to believe that the country had finally unearthed a group of young match winners who would be a force to reckon with at the World Cup. Instead, a downward spiral was witnessed in the past year and a half as Pakistan struggled to put together a winning combination, both in Tests and ODIs.

At the brink of the abyss, retracing one’s steps is always a challenge. Mickey Arthur and the others had enough time to overcome the shortcomings but that did not happen and Pakistan did not make it to the semi-finals.

At this point, Pakistan cricket needs coaches who can inculcate a team culture, work on the players’ mental strength and develop their tactical nous. Talent abounds. It simply needs to be groomed and channelled for success.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2019