Azhar Mahmood appointed Pakistan's bowling coach for two years, confirms PCB

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former Test all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the national cricket team bowling coach for a two-year period. “Azhar Mahmood has been appointed as the national team bowling coach for a two-year period effective November 1, 2016,” the board said. The board has been in talks with the former cricketer, who is now settled in the United Kingdom, for the last two months and sources said that the two parties have finally agreed on a competitive remuneration package. [caption id=“attachment_3085052” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Azhar Mahmood had served as Pakistan’s bowling coach temporarily earlier this year. Reuters[/caption] Earlier this year, Azhar had already worked with the Pakistan team as the bowling coach during the World T20 in India in April, followed by the limited-overs series in England on a short term contract. Mahmood has also been signed on as the coach by the Karachi Kings franchise for the second Pakistan Super League (PSL) event, to be held in February, 2017. Sources say that the PCB opted for Azhar because there is no other Pakistani in the technical support staff of the national team, which has been handpicked by head coach Mickey Arthur. The board has announced a strong 10-member support staff for the Test tour of New Zealand, which would be followed by a full Test tour to Australia. Meanwhile, PCB on Wednesday also announced that the former Test captain Wasim Bari has been retained as the manager of the team for the two-Test series in New Zealand. Bari, who took over as manager from Intikhab Alam for the ongoing series against the West Indies, has been retained despite some reports of concern about his ability to handle team matters under pressure. Head coach Arthur will now be assisted by Azhar Mahmood, Grant Flower (batting coach), Steve Rixon (fielding coach), Grant Luden (fitness coach), Shane Hayes (physiotherapist).