Shane Watson is in contention to coach Pakistan

New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board has considered the former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson as the prime contender for the post of head coach of the national men’s team.

Pakistan is currently without a head coach and expects to recruit one before their home white-ball series against New Zealand in April. The PCB wants someone to fill the job permanently rather than temporarily, as was the case when former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was appointed for tours of Australia and New Zealand in December and January, as per ESPNCricinfo.

Watson is presently in Pakistan, having a stint as coach with Pakistan Super League (PSL) Quetta Gladiators this year. He has overseen the franchise’s resurgence, and they are on track to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Earlier this week, newly appointed PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated that the board was in communication with “a few different options” and the board will leave nothing unturned to get the best training staff for Pakistan. The former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy is among those options too and is highly popular in the country owing to his stint as a captain for PSL team Peshawar Zalmi.

The administrative turmoil of the PCB has hampered Pakistan’s coach appointment process. After an underwhelming World Cup, former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf chose to replace Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn from their positions of Director of Cricket and head coach respectively, appointing Hafeez to take charge of the tours to Australia and New Zealand despite lacking coaching experience. Arthur and Bradburn were appointed only during the brief tenure of Ashraf’s predecessor, Najam Sethi.