Is Arthur ready to take Pakistan reins?

Saj Sadiq on Mickey Arthur being named Pakistan head coach

In early 2012 when Dav Whatmore took over as Pakistan coach, he received some excellent advice in the shape of an open letter from a predecessor, Geoff Lawson.

Whilst most of the words of wisdom imparted by Lawson centred on handling some of the Pakistani media and their tendencies to blow things out of sensible proportion, as well as humorous quirks of life in Pakistan, there were some parts of that letter which Mickey Arthur will be well advised to read and absorb post-haste.

If the latest reports are any guide, the recently appointed Pakistan head coach may arrive in Lahore in the first week of June although meeting up with the squad in England in the middle of June is also a possibility.

And if there is one important piece of advice from the former coach that Arthur can take in and put to good use, then that must be about not listening to external pressures and being his own man.

To that extent, Arthur, who may well have been a second choice due to the refusal of Australian Stuart Law to take up this position, will arrive well prepared on his own. In a recent interview, Arthur clearly stated that he would not be swayed by external influences and if his record with previous employers in Australia and South Africa is any indicator, then this will not be an issue for him.

How the local establishment and the Pakistani cricketers will handle this is another story altogether and will be intriguing.

Arthur, 48, will also be aware of Pakistan cricket’s recent past in the wake of the World T20 fiasco which could be described as fractious at best. The previous incumbent and one of Pakistan’s most well-known former cricketers, Waqar Younis, left in a storm of recriminations caused by the team’s inability to improve their ratings in the limited over formats, as well as some broken relationships with players.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s politics, with its own internal struggles and problems will be something Arthur will need to confront and deal with almost as soon as he commences his role.

The Pakistan team will soon be embarking on what promises to be a very difficult tour of England and if the manner in which the home side are busy dismantling Sri Lanka is any guide, Arthur will have to find his feet very quickly, as patience in Pakistani cricketing circles is not a common commodity.

He will, of course, be helped by an important and influential figure, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain who has set off a few minor storms and shown great courage by discarding the evergreen but ageing Shahid Afridi and, more importantly, given his marching orders to Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal for disciplinary reasons.

It would appear that in Inzamam’s declaration of dislike for players who cannot toe the line and/or are unable to work with the team and its management, Arthur has found a soul-mate which can surely only mean good things for Pakistan.

His much maligned and ridiculed attempts to put in place some order when in charge of the Australia team, where he is reported to have asked players to literally do their homework as a means of improving themselves, however, may not quite work with the locals.

What it does suggest, though, is a desire to inculcate professionalism and responsibility which could well make the difference to the fortunes of the Pakistan team.

With a calm and trusted hand at the helm of the Pakistan team in the form of Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Arthur’s transition with a team which is famous for its talent, ability to self-destruct and inconsistent performances may well turn out to be smooth one.

Both Inzamam and Misbah can be trusted allies to provide the new coach with the input he will need to quickly come to terms with his  assignment. Inzamam in particular seems to have the ear of the PCB hierarchy, so Arthur can count on him for good advice and also the iron-hand which seems to be a necessity when dealing with some Pakistani players.

So what can Pakistan expect in return from Arthur?

While Pakistan’s Test ranking may be a source of comfort, the same cannot be said of the situation in the one-day formats. Ranked at No.7 in ODIs and ninth in T20Is, it would be fair to expect Arthur to create conditions within the team for a substantial improvement in these numbers.

In Arthur, Pakistan have a practitioner with a proven track record who, as coach of South Africa between 2005 and 2010, led them to No.1 across all formats and turned them into a dominant force in world cricket. Success-starved Pakistan followers will be hoping for a repeat performance from Arthur.

Arthur embarks on a project which will make him smile some days and want to tear his hair out on other days but in the shape of Misbah, Sarfraz Ahmed and Azhar Ali, he has reliable and approachable captains who will be prepared to work with him for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

Whether this project is practically possible and successful will largely depend on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s support and backing for Arthur and whether they are prepared to allow him to change part of the culture and inner workings of Pakistan cricket.

Whatever direction the Pakistan team heads in the coming months under Arthur, this will undoubtedly prove to be his greatest cricketing challenge so far.

Only time will tell if it ends in smiles or tears.

This piece originally featured in The Cricket Paper, Friday June 3 2016