PCB Removes Mentors Amid Domestic Reshuffle

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to remove all five team mentors of the domestic teams who were appointed before last year’s Champions Cup. The move comes as part of a shake-up within the domestic system, with the PCB eyeing a reshuffle to streamline operations.

Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shoaib Malik were each handed specialised roles to assist their teams during domestic fixtures. They were hired to guide and support teams with strategy, motivation, and leadership. However, it seems the plan didn’t work out as hoped.

Questions around their appointment have existed since these roles were created, with many questioning the necessity and thelucrative salary packages being offered to these former players. The PCB’s decision, however, seems to be more calculated than emotional. With changes in the domestic circuit under consideration, their roles appear to have been deemed redundant.

PCB’s decision to remove the mentors follows the recent appointments of Aaqib Javed as the PCB’s Director of High Performance and Mike Hesson as white-ball head coach, as the PCB looks to revamp the pipeline to the international team.

With mentors removed, head coaches will have an improved say in team matters.

This is just the beginning of what could be a larger restructuring of Pakistan’s domestic system, as the board looks to improve the quality of red-ball cricket and better prepare players for the international stage.