Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted his disappointment in not being rewarded with a contract renewal after being let down by people he ‘trusted’.
Arthur’s three-year tenure with Pakistan came to an end last month with the board choosing to appoint Misbah-ul-Haq in his stead. Misbah was part of the three-member Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cricket committee which reviewed Arthur’s tenure with the Men in Green following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
The committee, which also included former pacer Wasim Akram, opted against renewing Arthur’s contract despite his desire to continue for another two years. Ultimately, Misbah was appointed in a dual role of head coach and chief selector of the Pakistan team after tendering in his resignation from the cricket committee.
“I said Misbah would be outstanding (for the cricket committee) because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is – Misbah is an outstanding individual make no mistake about that,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo’s Stump Mic podcast.
“And I sort of said, I thought Wasim Akram would be good to get on the committee because I think Wasim just understands the international game so well. He carries a huge stature in international cricket.
“Those were guys I endorsed and guys I really enjoyed. As I say, they had a job to do and they decided it was in the best interests of Pakistan cricket to go with a fresh set of eyes. And it just happened to be that Misbah was on the committee that didn’t renew our contracts and becomes this heir-apparent.”
Arthur was let go along with batting coach Grant Flower and bowling coach Azhar Mahmood with Waqar Younis replacing the latter in his role. While not taking any direct names, the South African felt certain members of the cricket committee had breached his trust.
“I guess the only disappointment I have out of the whole lot is that there were some people I really trusted who ultimately didn’t follow through,” he said.
“I’m not talking about the hierarchy; I’m talking about people on the cricket committee that I did trust who sort of said one thing and ultimately did another.
“So that was the disappointing aspect of it.”
Meanwhile, Misbah’s first major assignment as coach and selector is set to get underway on Friday when Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series opener against Sri Lanka at Karachi.
