Saqlain Mushtaq is the current Pakistan cricket coach. The former player played 49 Test matches and 169 ODIs for Pakistan before announcing his retirement in 2004.
He took over as the coach last year after Misbah Ul Haq‘s sudden decision to step down from the post. Over the last two decades, the team has changed several coaches, some of whom enjoyed success. The likes of Javed Miandad and Mickey Arthur are some of the coaches under whom Pakistan registered a few famous victories.
Pakistan cricket coach: Full list
| HEAD COACH | TENURE |
| Javed Miandad | 1998 – 1999, 2000 – 2001, 2003 – 2004 |
| Mushtaq Ahmed | 1999 – 1999 |
| Richard Pybus | 1999, 2002 – 2003 |
| Mudassar Nazar | 2001 – 2022 |
| Bob Woolmer | 2004 – 2007 |
| Geoff Lawson | 2007 to 2008 |
| Intikhab Alam | 2008 to 2010 |
| Mohsin Khan | 2011 – 2012 |
| Dav Whatmore | 2012 to 2014 |
| Moin Khan | 2014 |
| Mickey Arthur | 2016 – 2019 |
| Misbah Ul Haq | 2019 – 2021 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | 2021 – 2022 |
Javed Miandad – 1998- 1999, 2000 – 2001, 2003 – 2004
Javed Miandad has coached the Pakistan Cricket Team over three occasions. He was first appointed coach in September 1998. During his first stint as the head coach, Pakistan defeated India in India, won the Asian Test Championship and the 1999 Sharjah Cup among a few other wins. But Miandad wrote his resignation letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board in April 1999, just before the ODI World Cup for reasons not known. In 2000, Miandad was reappointed as the head coach and in his second tenure, Pakistan won the Sharjah Cup, Asia Cup and the West Indies tri-series. But in 2001, Miandad was sacked after Pakistan lost the ODI series in New Zealand.
But he was once again promoted to head coach in 2003, a position he held until June 2014 when he was sacked. In his third stint as head coach, Miandad led the team to a win in the Sharjah Cup, and home Test series against South Africa but Pakistan lost the home ODI series to India in 2004. That marked the end of his tenure and was replaced by Bob Woolmer.
Mushtaq Ahmed – 1999
Soon after Miandad stepped down in 1999, Mushtaq Ahmed was brought in as coach two weeks before the World Cup in England. Despite the sudden appointment, Ahmed did well as a coach in the World Cup, where Pakistan reached the final but lost to Australia. But soon, he was replaced as head coach after the team faced a government inquiry about match-fixing in the World Cup games against Bangladesh and India.
The former Pakistan captain played international cricket for nearly three decades before taking up coaching. He was once the youngest Test centurion for Pakistan at 17 years and 78 days.
Richard Pybus – 1999, 2002 – 2003
South African Richard Pybus was Pakistan’s assistant coach at the 1999 World Cup before calling it quits the next year due to security concerns in the country. In 2002, he was re-elected as the head coach, a position he held until the 2003 World Cup after which he resigned. There were reports that Pybus decided to return home as he was unhappy with the team management. Later, he coached Titans, Cape Cobras of South Africa, and English county side Middlesex.
Mudassar Nazar – 2001 – 2002
Mudassar Nazar took over as the head coach of Pakistan in 2001 after Pybus quit over security concerns following the 9/11 attacks. But in September 2022, Mudassar was asked to return home after the ICC Champions Trophy after a string of poor performances. Before taking up coaching as a career, the batting all-rounder represented Pakistan in nearly 200 international games.
Bob Woolmer – 2004 – 2007
Bob Woolmer was named the head coach of Pakistan in 2004 but his tenure was largely unsuccessful apart from a few wins like the 4-2 ODI series win over India and a home series win over England and Sri Lanka. On 18 March 2007, Woolmer died in Jamaica under mysterious circumstances, just a few hours after Pakistan’s unexpected elimination at the hands of Ireland in showpiece event World Cup. Geoff Lawson was then appointed head coach.
Geoff Lawson – 2007 – 2008
Former Australian cricketer Geoff Lawson was appointed as coach of the Pakistan cricket team for two years in 2007, becoming the third foreigner to take on the role. But in 2008, PCB stated Lawson’s contract would not be renewed once his term finished in April 2008, stating “We have no utility for Lawson.
Intikhab Alam – 2008 – 2010
In 2008, Alam was appointed as Pakistan’s coach after Lawson was sacked. Still, Alam’s tenure didn’t last long as Waqar Younis replaced him shortly after the country’s disappointing tour of Australia in 2010. Intikhab also worked as the team’s manager in two different tenures.
Mohsin Khan – 2011 – 2012
Mohsin Khan was appointed interim coach of the Pakistan team in October 2011 and removed from the position after Dav Whatmore was selected as permanent coach in early 2012.
Dav Whatmore – 2012 – 2014
A renowned cricket coach, Dav Whatmore was appointed as the head coach of Pakistan in March 2012 for two years. In his first assignment, Pakistan won the Asia Cup but Whatmore decided to part ways when his contract ended in 2014 and Moin Khan succeeded him. Whatmore has coached several international and domestic cricket teams apart from Pakistan.
Moin Khan – 2014
In February 2014, former wicket-keeper and captain Moin Khan was appointed as Pakistan’s head coach for the Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Moin, who was previously the chief selector for Pakistan, was sacked as the head coach only two months after taking over because Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the World T20 for the first time in five editions.
Mickey Arthur – May 2016 to August 2019
In 2016, Mickey Arthur was appointed as the new head coach, a position he held till 2019. Under Arthur, Pakistan won several series, but most famously the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time. Pakistan also became the number one ranked Test and T20 side under Arthur. Later, they also whitewashed Sri Lanka in an ODI and T20 series. In August 2019, the PCB decided against renewing Arthur’s contract.
Misbah Ul Haq – 2019 to 2021
In September 2019, one of Pakistan’s greatest batsmen, Misbah Ul Haq was appointed as the head coach and chief selector for three years. This was and remains the first time the same person held both positions in Pakistan cricket. Pakistan lost quite a few games under Misbah as coach but also won a few. In October 2020, he resigned as chief selector and on his first tour as just the head coach, Pakistan were whitewashed by New Zealand. But after this, Pakistan won their first Test series win against South Africa since 2003 under Misbah. In September 2021, head coach Misbah resigned from his post.
Saqlain Mushtaq – current coach appointed in 2021
Saqlain Mushtaq is the current head coach of the Pakistan cricket team. He was appointed as interim head coach of the side after Misbah resigned and served in the role at the T20 World Cup 2021, in which Pakistan won all the league games before losing the semi-final to Australia. Recently in the Australia series at home, Pakistan won the ODI series under Saqlain. Along with Saqlain, the other members in Pakistan’s coaching staff are fast bowling coach Shaun Tait, fielding coach Abdul Majeed and batting coach Mohammad Yousuf.
FAQs
Who is the Pakistan cricket coach in 2022?
Saqlain Mushtaq is the head coach of Pakistan in 2022.
Who was the Pakistan cricket coach in 2021?
Misbah Ul Haq was the head coach of Pakistan in 2021.
Who is the Pakistan batting coach?
Mohammad Yousuf is the batting coach. The bowling coach is Shaun Tait.
Who was the Pakistan cricket team captain in 2021?
Babar Azam was and is the captain.
