10 coaches ft in 5 years. Gary Kirsten

Cathy Rush8 hours ago

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The Pakistan cricket team has seen 10 coaches in 6 years including Gary Kirsten’s choice, which is the latest appointment of Azhar Mahmood.

Pakistan cricket team have appointed formar all rounder Azhar Mahmood as Interim head coach for red ball cricket. Mahmood was part of Jason Gillespie’s coaching staff who quit the post late last year. The 50-year-old, a former Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) player, has a contract with PCB until 2026. He is the 10th coaching appointment Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made since 2020.

Mahmood previously served as interim head coach in 2024, in Pakistan’s home T20I series against New Zealand. He will not be part of Mike Hesson’s white ball coaching staff. The former NZ coach took over as T20I and ODI coach in May.

Pakistan head coaches over the years

Coach	Job Title	Tenure	Format
Misbah-ul-Haq	Head coach & Chief Selector	2019- 21	All formats
Saqlain Mushtaq	Interim and then head coach	2021-2023	All formats
Abdur Rehman	Interim head coach	2023	All formats
Grant Bradburn	Head coach	2023	All formats
Mohammed Hafeez	Head coach & Team Director	2023-2024	All formats
Azhar Mahmood	Interim head coach	2024	All formats
Jason Gillespie	Head coach	2024	Tests
Gary Kirsten	Head coach	2024	T20 and ODIs
Aaqib Javed	Interim head coach	2024-2025	All formats
Mike Hesson	Head coach	2025 – present	T20 and ODIs
Azhar Mahmood	Interim head coach	2025 – present	Tests

Pakistan have gone the way of split coaching in the past couple of years. Gary Kirsten was appointed as white ball head coach last year, with Jason Gillespie taking over the red ball formats. However, both coaches quit before the end of the year citing differences. Pakistan have not had a coach in red ball cricket since December, with Aaqib Javed filling for the series against South Africa and West Indies.