Mickey Arthur is about to commence a project which will make him smile some days and want to tear his hair out on other days. Whether this project is practically possible and successful will largely depend on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s support and backing for Arthur and whether they are prepared to allow him to change part of the culture and inner workings of Pakistan cricket.

By Saj Sadiq (6th June, 2016)

In early 2012 when Dav Whatmore took over as coach of the Pakistan cricket team, he received some excellent advice in the shape of an open letter from a previous coach, Geoff Lawson. Whilst most of the words of wisdom imparted by Lawson centred on handling some of the Pakistani media and their tendencies to blow things out of sensible proportion, as well as humorous quirks of life in Pakistan, there were some parts of that letter which Mickey Arthur will be well advised to read and absorb post-haste.

If the latest reports are any guide, the recently appointed Head Coach of Pakistan may arrive in Lahore in the first week of June although meeting up with the squad in England in the middle of June is also a possibility and if there is one important piece of advice from the former coach that Arthur can take in and put to good use, then that must be about not listening to external pressures and being his own man. To that extent, Arthur who may well have been a second choice due to the refusal of Australian Stuart Law to take up this position will arrive well prepared on his own. In a recent interview, Mickey Arthur clearly stated that he would not be swayed by external influences and if his record with previous employers in Australia and South Africa is any indicator, then this will not be an issue for him. How the local establishment and the Pakistani cricketers will handle this is another story altogether and will be intriguing.

Forty-eight-year-old Arthur will also be aware of Pakistan cricket’s recent past in the wake of the World Twenty20 fiasco which could be described as fractious at best. The previous incumbent and one of Pakistan’s most well-known former cricketers, Waqar Younis left in a storm of recriminations caused by the team’s inability to improve their ratings in the limited over formats, as well as some broken relationships with players. The Pakistan Cricket Board's politics, with its own internal struggles and problems will be something Arthur will need to confront and deal with almost as soon as he commences his role.

The Pakistan team will soon be embarking on what promises to be a very difficult tour of England and if the manner in which the home side are busy dismantling the visiting Sri Lankans is any guide, Mickey Arthur will have to put his thinking cap on and find his feet very quickly, as patience in Pakistani cricketing circles is not a common commodity. He will of course be helped by an important and influential figure, Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain who has set off a few minor storms and shown great courage by discarding the evergreen but ageing Shahid Afridi and more importantly, given his marching orders to Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal for disciplinary reasons.

It would appear that in Inzamam’s declaration of dislike for players who cannot tow the company line and/or are unable to work in unison with the team and its management, Mickey Arthur has found a soul-mate which can surely only mean good things for Pakistan. His much maligned and ridiculed attempts to put in place some order when in charge of the Australia team, where he is reported to have asked players to literally do their homework as a means of improving themselves, however, may not quite work with the local players in Pakistan. What it does suggest though, is a desire to inculcate professionalism and responsibility which could well make the difference to the fortunes of the Pakistan team as it prepares for the difficult tour ahead.

With a calm and trusted hand at the helm of the Pakistan cricket team by his side in the form of Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mickey Arthur’s transition with a team which is famous for its talent, ability to self-destruct and inconsistent performances may well turn out to be smooth one. Both Inzamam and Misbah can be trusted allies to provide the new Head Coach with the input he will need to quickly come to terms with his new assignment. Inzamam in particular seems to have the ear of the PCB hierarchy, so Arthur can count on him for good advice and also the iron-hand which seems to be a necessity when dealing with some Pakistani players.

So what can Pakistan expect in return from Mickey Arthur? Whilst Pakistan’s Test ranking may be a source of comfort, the same cannot be said of the situation in the Limited Overs formats. Ranked as number seven in ODIs and ninth in T20Is, it would be fair to expect Mickey Arthur to create conditions within the team for a substantial improvement in these numbers. As luck would have it, in Mickey Arthur Pakistan have a practitioner with a proven track record who, as coach of South Africa between 2005 and 2010, led them to the number one ranking across all formats and turned them into a dominant force in world cricket. Success-starved Pakistan cricket followers will be hoping for a repeat performance from Arthur.

Arthur embarks on a project which will make him smile some days and want to tear his hair out on other days. In the shape of Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfraz Ahmed and Azhar Ali, Mickey Arthur has reliable and approachable captains who will be prepared to work with him for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. Whether this project is practically possible and successful will largely depend on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s support and backing for Arthur and whether they are prepared to allow him to change part of the culture and inner workings of Pakistan cricket.

Whatever direction the Pakistan team heads in the coming months under Arthur, this will undoubtedly prove to be Mickey Arthur’s greatest cricketing challenge so far. Only time will tell if it ends in smiles or tears.

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