Coaching a national cricket team is a dream job for many. But for Mickey Arthur, it might be akin to walking the plank. The 47-year old from South Africa was appointed coach of the Pakistan cricket team on Friday. He was clearly not the first choice: after his predecessor Waqar Younis resigned following Pakistan's dismal show at the World Twenty20 in April, the Pakistan Cricket Board searched high and low for a replacement, even putting up an advertisement on the Careers page of their official website.
Arthur accepted an opportunity which at least four others had rejected – the PCB had approached Peter Moore, Tom Moody, Paddy Upton and Stuart Law, all of whom politely declined. And it is not hard to see why. Considering the exasperating way in which Pakistani cricket operates, it is probably the worst job in the cricketing world.
The mad world of Pakistani cricket
Let’s start with Waqar Younis, the man who was in the hot seat before Arthur. He was one of Pakistan’s most successful bowlers in his playing days, but when he was appointed in a coaching position in 2010 in his first tenure, he must have realised that it was a thankless task. A few months after he was appointed coach, Younis must have watched in horror as the entire spectacle of the spot-fixing scandal unfolded around him on a tour to England. His captain Salman Butt, frontline pace bowler Mohammad Asif and young tearaway talent Mohammad Amir were all banned for their involvement in the scandal.
Just when things looked somewhat settled, another controversy flared up. On the eve of a One Day International against South Africa in Dubai in October that year, Younis discovered that a young, upcoming talented wicket-keeper called Zulqarnain Halder had fled the team hotel and was seeking asylum in the United Kingdom because of threats to his life.
Things were less eventful when Younis returned in 2014 for his second tenure – in fact, results actively improved in Test cricket under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq. But as Pakistan’s stock fell in limited overs cricket with dismal performances in the 2016 Asia Cup and the World Twenty20, fingers started being pointed and the usual blame games resurfaced. Amid much speculation that he would be sacked, Younis officially announced his resignation from the post on April 4.
PCB's revolving door policy
The appointment and sacking of coaches in the Pakistani cricket setup often depend on the whims and fancies of whichever faction is at the helm at the PCB. Geoff Lawson, a former Australian cricketer, succeeded the late Bob Woolmer in 2007 as the Pakistan coach. He was appointed by Nasim Ashraf, the then chairman of PCB. Two years later, Ashraf was replaced by Ijaz Butt who unceremoniously threw out the Australian, saying, “We have no utility for Lawson.”
Worse was the fate of Richard Pybus, Pakistan’s first foreign coach who was one of the assistant coaches during Pakistan’s run to the 1999 World Cup final. He was offered a two-year contract, but 24 hours after he had signed, there was a military coup and the contract was terminated. Three weeks later, he was sacked. Pybus did return to coach Pakistan three more times but was sacked each time.
Of course, the biggest and most obvious elephant in the room is the tragic case of Bob Woolmer. The much-celebrated coach from England was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his hotel room in Jamaica in 2007, just a day after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup in a shock loss to Ireland. Despite many investigations, the cause of his death was never conclusively proved.
It is this tinderbox that awaits Mickey Arthur. And the omens are not good – Arthur already shares an acrimonious history with Pakistani cricket. In 2010, Arthur alleged that an ODI between Pakistan and South Africa in 2007 had “a strong suspicion of match-fixing in it”. The PCB did not take too kindly to this and immediately slapped him with a legal notice. Little was heard about that affair thereafter, but six years later, Arthur has been appointed as Pakistan's coach. No doubt it is a fine opportunity, but considering the history of his predecessors, he will no doubt be hoping, in true Star Wars style, that the force is with him.
