The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced team management and support staff for the Asia Cup and Pakistan’s series against Afghanistan. This is a power team of 16 people who will be supporting men in green from behind the scenes. Whether these guys will continue till the world cup or not, it all depends on the team’s performance in Asia Cup.
Read: Asia Cup commentary panel 2023
In this article, we will try to talk about team management, who they are, and what their role will be in the team’s performance. Let’s see how the men in green perform with these guys having their backs.
Read: Asia Cup schedule has also been announced
Pakistan’s Support staff for Asia Cup
We often do not see or acknowledge the team who supports the players off the field. Fans go and see the cricket match, praise the players, and get on with their business.
But there is a lot that is happening at the back end. It helps our favourite players perform well on the field. We do not thank these people or praise the support staff.
Check: Pakistan squad for Asia Cup
It is a thankless job for the most part. But the blame comes down crashing on the coaches or the managers if anything happens. It is a hard job.
First of all, let’s take a moment and acknowledge the team management and support staff that makes everything happen.
Related: Afghanistan squad for Asia Cup
The following are the players that will support men in green from behind the scenes.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Rehan-ul-Haq | Team Manager |
| Mickey Arthur | Director – Pakistan men’s team |
| Grant Bradburn | Head coach |
| Andrew Puttick | Batting coach |
| Morne Morkel | Bowling coach |
| Aftab Khan | Fielding coach |
| Abdul Rehman | Assistant Coach |
| Dr Sohail Saleem | Team Doctor |
| Drikus Saaiman | Strength and conditioning coach |
| Cliffe Deacon | Media Manager |
| Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi | Media manager |
| Lt Col Usman Anwari (Retd) | Security manager |
| Ammar Ahsan | Digital content producer |
| Maqbool Ahmad Babri | Psychologist |
| Talha Ejaz | Analyst |
| Malang Ali | Masseur |
Now, let’s try to know who these people are.
Team manager
Rehan-ul-Haq has been on the scene for quite some time now. The OG cricket fans might remember him from Pace is Pace Yaar, a web-based cricket show. The others might remember him since his appearance in JournoEyes on PTV Sports.
His analytical skills have led Islamabad United to win two titles and perform well each year. He is a nice addition to the team.
Director
Who can forget Mickey’s achievements as a Pakistani coach? Under his mentorship, Pakistan become the number one Test and T20 side. Also, Pakistan managed to win the Champions Trophy when he was the head coach.
Fans are excited to see how this tournament plays out.
Head coach
Bradburn is going to be Pakistan’s coach for 2 years, after he signed the contract back in May 2023. Pakistan has won the Sri Lankan test series.
Hence, fans are hopeful that he will help them win the Asia Cup as well.
Bowling coach
Morne Morkel was one of the most entertaining fast bowlers in the past decade. We all enjoyed how he bamboozled the batsmen with his pace bowling.
And he has helped Naseem pick up that pace and charisma in the recent series with Sri Lanka. He is a good addition to Pakistan’s support staff.
Batting coach
Andrew has recently been selected as the batting coach. If you want to judge him solely based on Pakistan’s performance in the test series with Sri Lanka, it is your choice. We can see how he has helped the batters perform better in Afghanistan series.
Parting thoughts
These are the people that will help the green shirts win the Asia cup 2023. But it is a good opportunity to test some strategies and combinations in the series against Afghanistan.
Best of luck to the new team management. We sincerely hope they bring good luck for the team.