The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made changes to its coaching framework with the hiring of Michael Smith as the new batting coach of the Pakistan men’s team. The former South Africa first class cricketer has inked a two-year deal and will play in both Test and limited-overs cricket.
Smith is likely to start his job before the three-match Test series Pakistan’s next series against England, which begins on 19th August.
Fill the position of Batting Coach for Pakistan in the long vacation.
Pakistan didn’t have a permanent full time batting coach for months and months. Former captain and national selector Asad Shafiq sometimes complemented the batting unit while the PCB has appointed specialist batsman Michael Smith to the job.
This comes on the heels of Pakistan’s batting woes in the recent Test series against the West Indies, including a dramatic performance at the Tarouba Test where calls were raised to appoint a dedicated batting coach.
Michael Smith has extensive experience in coaching and instructing.
Smith has never had the opportunity to coach at international level, but has gained a strong coaching reputation over the years. The 46 year old coach holds a Level 4 qualification and has coached at both domestic and, Francais, level in various countries.
He has coached the Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans. He has also been involved with the batting coaching of Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmania, as well as consulting jobs with South African domestic teams, KZN Inland and Eastern Province.
Career Upliftment Before Coaching – Strong FCB.
Smith played a successful domestic career from 2003 to 2013 before taking up coaching. The right-handed man touched the ball in 89 first-class games, 72 List A and 16 T20s to build a career of 7,029 runs in all three formats.
As an active cricketer, he collected nine centuries and 40 half-centuries, making him a dependable batsman in South African domestic cricket.
England Series Presents Immediate Challenge
In the upcoming three-Test series with England, Smith will get his first taste of Pakistan. The coaching staff will be hoping his arrival will provide them with some consistency in a unit that has struggled in recent years.
Pakistan will also be seeking to pull off an impressive turnaround in overseas Test cricket after suffering a string of failures since the 2023-24 tour of Australia, losing eight consecutive away Tests. Smith will have the chance of making a significant contribution in the England series to lift the spirits of the batters, and give them confidence early on.
