Pakistan’s new head coach Mickey Arthur vowed today to lift his new team to the top of world cricket rankings as he did with his native South Africa.
He arrived in Lahore on Wednesday night to take over his new role, which had been vacant since the resignation of Waqar Younis in April following Pakistan’s disastrous first-round exit from the World Twenty20.
“My short term plan is to create a cricket culture and the long term plan is to make the team number one in all three forms of the game,” he said.
Pakistan are currently third in Tests but their standing in limited overs cricket — ninth in one-day internationals and seventh in Twenty20 — leaves much room for improvement.
“Our Test cricket seems to be very good at the moment,” said Arthur.
“If we can play well outside the subcontinent that means that the team’s really going forward.”
The 48-year-old had a glorious coaching career with South Africa between 2005-2010, taking them to the summit of Test rankings in 2008, following series wins in England and Australia.
He also lifted them to number one in one-day cricket in 2007.
Feature image source: AFP