Grant Bradburn appointed Pakistan head coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Saturday that veteran New Zealand batter Grant Bradburn has been appointed as the head coach of the national men’s side for the next two years, following a robust recruitment process.

The New Zealander also served as the head coach of the side during the recently-concluded home series against New Zealand on a consultancy basis, a statement from the cricket board said.

The Babar Azam-led side defeated the tourists 4-1 in the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series that took them to the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Rankings in the format. The five-match T20 International series was shared 2-2.

Having previously served as the fielding coach of the national side from 2018 to 2020, Bradburn is well-versed in the strengths and challenges of the national side.

PCB Management Committee Chairperson Najam Sethi said: “After the announcement of Mickey Arthur as team director, Bradburn’s appointment is another step in our endeavours of putting together a highly-qualified coaching panel so our players can benefit from their experiences and dominate world cricket in all three formats.”

Reflecting on his appointment as the head coach of the men’s side and unveiling the strategy, Bradburn said: “It is a great honour for me to work with the highly talented and skillful side like Pakistan as a head coach. We have been working hard on our raising our game and are eager to showcase our growing skills.”

Moreover, former South Africa cricketer Andrew Puttick has also signed a two-year contract as the batting coach of the men’s side while strength and conditioning coach Drikus Saaiman and physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon will continue to work in their roles. 

The appointments for the other positions will be announced in due course.