Mike Hesson is the head coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. PCB has confirmed it in a statement. He will be appointed for white-ball duties. There are further coaches for batting, bowling, nd fielding, whose names we will have later in the blog. A head coach is a pillar who guides players, trains players, manages the team, studies the opposing team, executes strategies, develops player skills, and much more. Here you will have a complete guide on the Pakistan cricket team’s coach, what he does, who are batting, bowling, and fielding coach, and who appoints the Pakistan Cricket team coach.
What Does the Pakistan Cricket Team Coach Do?
Not only the Pakistan Cricket team coach, in fact, but all international cricket team coaches make strategies for their team to play best on the field, manage practice sessions, and develop the players’ performance to prepare the squad for international matches. The Head coach works with the captain of the team, specialist coaches, and support staff to align game plans, fitness standards, and mental conditioning
Preparing the Team for International Matches
The main aim of a coach is to prepare the team for International Matches.
They study the opposition team’s strength amd weakness, pitch reports, and weather to set a batting order, bowling plans, and field placements.
The team plays before the match practice to work on their improvement for skills development against spin, running between wickets, death bowling, and powerplay strategies.
Working with Captains and Senior Players
The Pakistan Coach works closely with captains and senior players to execute the plans made before match day. The Captain make decison of field changes, bowling rotations, and batting intent on the field, while the Coach observes and analyses the data, scenarios, and options and provides it to the Captain.
Planning Training Sessions
Planning Training Sessions is one of the key factors of the best performance of the team. All players play multiple training sessions, including Powerplay/death batting, new-ball bowling plans, middle-over spin control, and situational drills. Each player, whether he is a batter, bowler, all-rounder, or wicketkeeper, works on their skill development. Batters focus on left-arm pace, leg-spin, and short-pitch plans; bowlers focus on refining lengths, variations, and field correlations with the captain.
Pakistan Cricket Team Coaching Staff
Apart from the head coach of the Pakistan Cricket team, there are also batting, bowling, and fielding coaches. Let’s know more about them.
Batting Coach
Hanif Malik is the batting coach of the Pakistan Cricket team. He was appointed for two years for all formats. He is managing both red-ball and white-ball duties.
Bowling Coach
Ashley Noffke is serving the Pakistan Cricket team as the bowling coach. He is overseeing the pace and spin departments in conjunction with the high-performance setup.
Fielding Coach
Shane McDermott is the fielding coach; he manages the fielding drills and athletic conditioning in the field.
PCB Coaching Appointments in March 2026:
| Role | Format / Scope | Appointee | Nationality | Notes / Context |
| Head coach | Test (red-ball) | Sarfaraz Ahmed | Pakistan | Offered/appointed as Test head coach in early March 2026, replacing interim coach Azhar Mahmood; expected to start duties for the Bangladesh Test series. |
| Head coach | White-ball (ODI & T20I) | Mike Hesson | New Zealand | Retained as white-ball head coach despite Pakistan’s early T20 World Cup 2026 exit; PCB confirmed he will continue under his existing contract. |
| Bowling coach | White-ball | Ashley Noffke | Australia | Named in the white-ball support staff for the March 2026 Bangladesh ODI tour under Hesson. |
| Fielding coach | White-ball | Shane McDermott | Australia | Part of the retained white-ball coaching group for the Bangladesh tour. |
| Batting coach | White-ball | Hanif Malik | Pakistan | Appointed/retained as white-ball batting coach for the Bangladesh ODI series. |
| Physiotherapist | White-ball | Cliffe Deacon | New Zealand | Included in the white-ball medical and performance staff for the Bangladesh tour. |
| Strength & conditioning coach | White-ball | Grant Luden | New Zealand | Part of Hesson’s white-ball support team for the Bangladesh ODI series. |
| Performance analyst | White-ball | Talha Ejaz | Pakistan | Named in the white-ball analytics setup for the Bangladesh tour. |
| Team manager | White-ball | Irtaza Kumail | Pakistan | Replaced Naveed Akram Cheema as team manager for the Bangladesh ODI series. |
Who Appoints the Pakistan Cricket Team Coach?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appoints the Pakistan Cricket team coach. It is the governing body of Pakistan; it also handles all national coaching and support staff positions.
There are cricket committees, which provide the applications and recommendations for the coach, batting coach, and bowling coach. Then the PCB evaluates the final names.
Former Coaches of Pakistan Cricket
The formal appointment of Head coaches began in the 1990s. Since 1922, there have been more than 26 head coaches in different stints, including interim and split-format roles. Some popular names are Bob Woolmer, Intikhab Alam, Mickey Arthur, Waqar Younis, and recently departing figures like Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie.
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Memorable Coaching Eras
- Intikhab Alam (1994; 2008-10): Often called Pakistan’s major head coach, he was part of the team during the 1992 World Cup period and then came back to help the team get back on track in the late 2000s.
- Bob Woolmer (2004-07): He brought fitness methods, video analysis and clear game plans. He helped Pakistan reach the semi-finals of the 2007 World Cup before his unexpected death.
- Mickey Arthur (2016-19): He is seen as one of the best coaches in Pakistan’s history. He helped improve discipline, fitness and consistency. He led Pakistan to win the 2017 Champions Trophy.
- Misbah-ul-Haq (2019-21): As head coach and chief selector, he focused on leadership and long-term planning. He guided Pakistan through a time of change across types of cricket.
Overseas vs Local Coaches
Overseas coaches (for example, Woolmer, Lawson, Whatmore, Arthur, Bradburn, Gillespie, Kirsten) are usually brought in to bring systems, data-based planning, and exposure to the best ways of playing cricket around the world.
Local coaches (for example, Miandad, Waqar, Misbah, Saqlain, Hafeez) know a lot about Pakistan’s cricketing culture, how players think, and the local ways of developing talent. Sometimes they have had short time periods as coaches and have changed often.
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Major Achievements Under the Current Coach
Under Mike Hesson, the following are the major achievements:
- Pakistan had a series against Bangladesh. They won the series 3-0 at home. This was Pakistan’s first home T20I series win since December 2021.
- They also did well when they played away against the West Indies. Pakistan won the T20I series against the West Indies.
- The team won nine out of 13 T20I matches at the start of his time as coach. This helped Pakistan do better in limited-overs matches.
- In the UAE/Afghanistan T20I tri-series, Pakistan did well. They were at the top of the standings. Made it to the final. Pakistan played cricket in the T20I tri-series.
Challenges of Coaching Pakistan’s National Team
Managing the national team of Pakistan requires balancing great expectations, media glare, and a very dynamic selection and administration process alongside developing an excellent but erratic side into a cohesive and formidable one. It also requires managing several formats, the character of individual players, and the differences between home and away performance in view of challenging tours and ICC fixtures. To get updates on upcoming international fixtures, sign up on Indibet, where you may like other blogs on cricket.
In this case, the future challenge will be seen in the busy fixture list of Pakistan for 2026, which will include the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka and some challenging tours in Test cricket to West Indies and England later in the year. How it manages selection noise, pressure games, and playing conditions on tour will shape the coming era of coaching for Pakistan.
FAQs
How long is the Pakistan coach’s contract?
The current head coach of the Pakistan Cricket Team, Mike Hesson, is appointed for two years. Gary Kirsten (white-ball) and Jason Gillespie (Test) were each given two-year deals in 2024
Has Pakistan ever had separate coaches for different formats?
Yes. In 2024, Pakistan had separate coaches: Gary Kirsten as white-ball (ODI & T20I) head coach and Jason Gillespie as Test head coach.
Which foreign coaches have managed Pakistan?
Pakistan has employed several high-profile foreign coaches, including:
- Bob Woolmer (South Africa, 2004-07)
- Geoff Lawson (Australia, 2007-08)
- Dav Whatmore (Sri Lanka/Australia, 2012-14)
- Mickey Arthur (Australia, 2016-19)
- Grant Bradburn (New Zealand, 2019-21)
- Simon Helmot (Australia, interim/high-performance, 2023)
- Gary Kirsten (South Africa, white-ball, 2024-25)
- Jason Gillespie (Australia, Test, 2024-25)
- Mike Hesson (New Zealand, white-ball, 2025-present)
Can the PCB replace a coach before the contract ends?
Yes. It has been done frequently when the PCB replaces or accepts resignations of a coach before the contract ends, due to bad tournament results or internal disagreements. Coaches like Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, Gary Kirsten, and Jason Gillespie all left before completing their full terms.
Who was Pakistan’s longest-serving head coach?
Intikhab Alam is the longest-serving head coach of the Pakistan Cricket team.
