Pakistan’s Coaching Carousel (Agency Images)
Pakistan cricket has developed a familiar pattern over the past five years: a disappointing series or tournament is followed by a management reshuffle, and another coaching regime begins before the previous one has had enough time to establish itself. The latest upheaval came in August 2026, when the Pakistan Cricket Board removed Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed after the team lost the first two Tests of the series against England. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson was handed charge of the Test side as Pakistan made sweeping changes ahead of the third Test. Seven players were also sent home. The episode has once again put the spotlight on Pakistan's long-running problem with coaching stability. Since Misbah-ul-Haq stepped down in September 2021, the national team has gone through a succession of permanent, interim and split-format coaching arrangements. Rather than a straightforward line of succession, Pakistan's coaching history in this period resembles a revolving door.
From Misbah to Saqlain: The first reset
Misbah-ul-Haq was appointed head coach and chief selector in 2019, beginning a period in which Pakistan operated under an all-format coaching structure. He and bowling coach Waqar Younis stepped down in September 2021, despite having a year remaining on their contracts. The PCB immediately turned to Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as interim coaches for the upcoming New Zealand series. Saqlain subsequently became the permanent head coach, overseeing Pakistan across formats until the end of 2022-23. His tenure was followed by another transition in 2023, when the PCB experimented with a new structure involving Grant Bradburn as head coach and Mickey Arthur as team director. Bradburn was formally appointed head coach in May 2023 on a two-year contract after working with the team during the New Zealand series. By the 2023 World Cup, the structure featured Arthur as director, Bradburn as head coach and a wider support staff.
2023-24: Another major reshuffle
Following the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan moved away from the Arthur-Bradburn setup and brought Mohammad Hafeez into a team-director role for the Test tour of Australia and the subsequent period. The PCB's appointment of Hafeez was part of another broader restructuring, with Pakistan repeatedly changing not only coaches but also the titles and responsibilities attached to senior management positions. Then came perhaps the most ambitious coaching experiment of the period. In April 2024, Pakistan appointed Jason Gillespie as red-ball head coach and Gary Kirsten as white-ball head coach, both on two-year contracts. Azhar Mahmood was named assistant coach across all formats. The split was designed to provide specialist leadership for the two versions of the game. Kirsten, who had previously coached India to the 2011 ODI World Cup, was expected to oversee Pakistan's white-ball programme, while Gillespie was tasked with rebuilding the Test side. The arrangement, however, lasted only months. Kirsten resigned in October 2024, and the PCB handed Gillespie responsibility for the white-ball tour of Australia on an interim basis. In November, Aqib Javed was appointed interim white-ball head coach until the 2025 Champions Trophy. Gillespie's own tenure then came to an end in December 2024, after which Aqib was also given interim responsibility for the red-ball side. In effect, Pakistan had gone from a two-coach specialist model to another interim arrangement within the same calendar year.
2025: Hesson arrives, Azhar takes red-ball duties
Aqib's interim white-ball tenure continued into 2025 before the PCB appointed Mike Hesson as the permanent white-ball head coach in May. Hesson took over from Aqib and began his tenure on May 26, 2025. The PCB highlighted his previous international experience with New Zealand and Kenya, as well as his work in franchise cricket. In June 2025, Azhar Mahmood was appointed acting red-ball head coach, taking over a role that had become vacant following the earlier coaching changes. Azhar subsequently continued to oversee the Test side through 2025, including the home series against South Africa. The PCB identified him as red-ball head coach for that series. The split between Hesson's white-ball role and Azhar's red-ball responsibilities appeared to offer Pakistan a chance to finally establish some continuity. But once again, the Test setup was changed.
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2026: Sarfaraz gets the Test job - then loses it mid-series
Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was appointed red-ball head coach ahead of the 2026 Bangladesh Test series. The appointment was notable because Sarfaraz moved directly from a playing career into a coaching role within the national setup. He had previously worked with the Pakistan Shaheens and U19 pathway, giving him familiarity with several players coming through the system. However, his tenure lasted only a few months. Pakistan's disastrous start to the 2026 England Test series brought another dramatic intervention. After defeats in Leeds and at Lord's, the PCB removed Sarfaraz and bowling coach Umar Gul, while also sending seven players home. Hesson, who had originally been appointed as Pakistan's white-ball head coach, was brought in to take charge of the Test side as well.
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