Yasir Arafat Joins Pakistan Coaching Team for T20I Series in New Zealand
He takes over from Simon Helmot, who is leaving the team due to personal commitments.
There’s a new addition to the Pakistan coaching team as Yasir Arafat joins for the team’s five-match T20I series in New Zealand. Arafat will take on the role of high-performance coach, replacing Simon Helmot in the current position.
The PCB made a relatively late decision, and Yasir Arafat will directly fly to New Zealand with Pakistan’s T20I specialists. Currently, he is assigned to the national side for just the upcoming series. Simon Helmot, initially part of the coaching staff for the ongoing Australia series, is stepping back due to personal commitments, as per a PCB source.
This represents another change in Pakistan’s coaching setup since Mohammad Hafeez took on the role of team director and head coach for the tour of Australia. This change replaced Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn. While Arthur and Bradburn are still associated with the PCB, they haven’t traveled to Australia and haven’t been assigned to other roles as of now.
After Mohammad Hafeez took over, Umar Gul was appointed as the fast-bowling coach, Saeed Ajmal as the spin-bowling coach, Adam Hollioake as the batting coach, and Helmot as the high-performance coach. These appointments were temporary due to the current circumstances. The PCB is operating in an interim capacity, and formal elections haven’t taken place yet, limiting the authority to make long-term coaching appointments.
Arafat, with coaching experience in New Zealand and England, played 27 international matches, including 13 T20Is. He was a member of Pakistan’s successful 2009 T20 World Cup squad, although he played in just one game during the tournament.
The T20I series against New Zealand kicks off on January 12, concluding with the final game on January 21.
