As things stand, there is no formal agreement between Arthur and the PCB, an agreement in principle has been reached. It is also understood that as team manager, Arthur will not be with the Pakistani team at all times, nor will he travel with them, but will only link up during important assignments. This is to ensure that Arthur can continue to work with Derbyshire on the English county circuit.
Arafat, now 40, has worked in coaching roles with Sussex in England and with the Hong Kong men’s team, and recently completed the ECB’s Level 4 coaching course.
Although he played just 27 games in the international arena, across all formats, he has a wealth of domestic cricket experience, playing 207 first-class games, 257 List A games and 226 T20 games in a career that spanned over two decades. Along the way, he played in Scotland, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, as well as Pakistan. His last representative match was a first-class affair for MCC, in Kirtipur against Nepal in 2019.
The PCB is trying to establish the coaching staff after a review at both the administrative and cricket level late last year. Shaun Tait was the last Pakistani bowling coach, in the staff led by Saqlain Mushtaq. His next series is at the end of March against Afghanistan in Sharjah, and will be followed by a tour of New Zealand.
