Saqlain Mushtaq to Lead Pakistan as New Head Coach

Pakistan cricket is going through a tough time as the team has once again failed to reach the knockout stage of an ICC tournament. Over the past couple of years, there have been many changes in the team, including the captain and coaching staff, but the performances have not improved.

Pakistani journalist Qadir Khawaja has reported that former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq is the frontrunner for the head coach position of the national team. According to him, Saqlain has accepted the offer after meeting with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. His first assignment will be the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand.

After Pakistan's poor performance, Mushtaq praised India but also mentioned that you can't judge a team based on just one match and say they are better than Pakistan.

“If we keep political things aside, their (Indian) players are very good, and they have been playing good cricket. If you are really a good team, I think let’s play 10 Tests, 10 ODIs, and 10 T20Is against Pakistan, then everything would become clear,” he said.

Khawaja has revealed that Saqlain Mushtaq was offered the head coach position before the 2025 Champions Trophy, but he chose not to accept it at the time. However, after Pakistan's disappointing performance in the tournament, the cricket board seems ready for a fresh start. They will now be hoping that the legendary spinner can help bring the team back on the right track.

There are talks about removing Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s white-ball captain, but he’s likely to stay for now since the team won back-to-back series against South Africa and Australia under his leadership. Meanwhile, some senior players might skip the New Zealand tour, possibly fearing they could be dropped. As a result, Pakistan could go with a squad full of young players for the series.

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