Mohammad Hafeez will be Pakistan's coach for the Australia-New Zealand tour - LSB

Muhammad Hafeez will serve as Pakistani coach in Australia and New Zealand. Hafeez was also appointed as Pakistan national team manager – a position held by Mickey Arthur until now – on Wednesday following a cabinet reshuffle that followed Babar Azam’s resignation as captain of the Pakistan national team.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB will merge the roles of team manager and head coach into one, a dual role that the former Pakistan pacer will execute in three Test matches in Australia and five T20I matches in New Zealand, in December and January.

It is an important step for Hafeez, 43, who last played for Pakistan two years ago and has no coaching experience yet. But it is understood that the current management consider the separate roles of team manager and head coach unnecessary.

In fact, Pakistan did not have a team manager until earlier this year. Former PCB president Najam Sethi, who has made no secret of his pursuit of Arthur, struck a deal with him that would see Arthur travel with the team for certain series and tournaments, while maintaining supervision when he could not be with the team under supervision. Grant Bradburn. When both Arthur and Bradburn were with the team, it was felt that there was no clear distinction between their specific jobs, which prompted current PCB management to eliminate the additional role.

The decision caps what has been a remarkably tumultuous 24 hours in Pakistan cricket. Babar resigned as captain of the team across all three formats after being told that he would be relieved of his duties in the two white-ball formats. While this is a decision that the PCB management committee likely lacked the authority to make, Babar’s choice to resign paved the way for the appointment of Shan Masood as Test captain, and Shaheen Afridi as T20I captain.

Shortly after, Arthur and Bradburn saw their roles significantly reduced, with the PCB saying they would be “re-appointed”, without further explanation. They will not be traveling with the team to Australia, and while it was initially announced that Hafeez would take over as the team manager, there was no information about the head coach or chief selector. The appointment of Hafeez as coach further completes the picture, although the position of chief selector remains vacant, with Wahab Riaz the favorite.

Pakistan depart for Australia on November 30, playing a warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval from December 6-9. The first Test begins in Perth on December 14. After the three Tests, the side will also play five T20Is in New Zealand.