In one of the more bizarre occurrences, it’s been revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Azhar Mahmood as Pakistan’s Test head coach just to save money. The former all-rounder was named Jason Gillespie’s replacement last month after serving as bowling, assistant, and interim head coach in the past.
It turns out that Azhar’s contract will end in April-May of 2026. And as per his termination clause, the PCB will have to pay him six months’ compensation if they instruct him to leave early. The PCB pays Azhar PKR 7.5 million (Rs 22.66 lakh). This means they’ll have to give him PKR 45 million (Rs 1.36 crore) if they wish to show him the door.
PCB appoints new head coach to save money
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, didn’t want him in his support staff. And the PCB isn’t willing to pay him Rs 1.36 crore to end his services early. So, they named him Pakistan’s Test coach for the next 10 months or so.
“Which is why the PCB recently named him as interim head coach of the national red-ball team until his contract expires next year in April-May. The problem arose when Mike Hesson, the recently appointed white-ball head coach, made it clear he would have his own support staff, and Azhar was not among his selections,” a source told PTI.
Azhar was willing to coach the junior team, but Aaqib Javed, who’s the Director of High Performance, isn’t too amused with his style of coaching. It’s understood that Aaqib is close with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, and his voice will trump others. Therefore, the PCB appointed Azhar as interim head coach.
“This left the PCB with a major problem of how to utilise Azhar’s expertise to justify paying him such a handsome salary, as even if they wanted, they couldn’t release him without the six months of compensation. Aaqib Javed, who is now a selector and head of the national cricket academy and close to the board chairman, is not impressed with his (Azhar’s) coaching style. But to justify his contract for the time being, they have named him as interim head coach of the Test side,” the source added.
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