This year and beyond are the most challenging years for Pakistan cricket. Pakistan face the in-form England team and will then tour New Zealand and Australia and play a short series against West Indies in the UAE.

I would like to praise the bold decision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to rebuild the national cricket team by removing the ill-disciplined Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal and resting the old horses like Shahid Afridi, Muhammad Sami and Umar Gul.

With Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah back in the side, Mickey is in an ideal situation to focus on the rebuilding of Pakistan on its tour to England. Mickey is a tough disciplinarian who came very hard on Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja for a breach of discipline while touring India.

Pakistan is perhaps the most difficult team to coach in the cricketing world, simply because there is little or no "Coaching Culture" in Pakistan sports. This inability to understand the value of coach in all phases of game has greatly dented the progression of Pakistan cricket. Highly talented players like Umar Akmal have failed to grow because of their inability to play according to the given game plan.

Thus the biggest challenge for Mickey will be to incorporate discipline in the team and gel the bunch of talented players into a winning combination.

The second challenge for Mickey will be to develop a second line of leadership and role models in Pakistan cricket as Misbah and Younis are now at the last leg of their careers.

Though Mickey has been away from international cricket for a while one hopes that he will have the same impact on the Pakistani team that Trevor Bayliss has had on England.

Mickey’s coaching career has had its ups and downs. But it was his coaching performance in Griqualand West Cricket Team and Eastern Cape side that induced the South African board to appoint him as national coach in 2005.

Mickey had the taste of Pakistani coaching culture in February 2016 while coaching the Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League in the UAE. But coaching Pakistan team would be a different ball game.

If Mickey can bring some discipline in Pakistan team I will consider the job half done. The other half will be about improving the skill and mental fitness of the players. Though Mickey missed the boot camp at Kakul I am quite optimistic that he will quickly judge the strengths and the weaknesses of the team and come out with individual and collective remedies.

Mickey will have to be fully aware of the challenges and pressure of media, especially the electronic media of Pakistan that will spare no moment in putting Mickey at the mat in case Pakistan lose to England.

I am quite sure that if the PCB keeps its faith in Mickey and gives him a free hand, the South African will be able to bring improvement in Pakistan cricket.

The Mickey factor would thus be vital during the current Pakistan England series. The series will not only test the skill and mental toughness of the two sides, but it will also test the coaching abilities of innovative Trevor Bayliss and resilient Mickey Arthur.