The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chosen to part ways amicably with its foreign coaching trio—Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Andrew Puttick—following the national team’s recent struggles, notably in the disappointing World Cup campaign. A senior official from the board revealed on Tuesday that PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer would engage in negotiations for a final settlement with the departing coaches.

Upon their return to Lahore from India, where they were part of the Pakistan team management during the Asia Cup and World Cup, the three coaches were informed that their services were no longer required. Contrary to initial plans of assigning them to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the PCB discovered that the contracts lacked a clause allowing the board to permanently shift them to the NCA.

Subsequently, discussions ensued, considering the current commitments of Mickey Arthur and Derbyshire, as well as the new assignments secured by Puttick and Bradburn. In a mutually agreeable decision, it was concluded the matter amicably and release them from their contracts, with the board acknowledging the need to compensate the trio for several months’ salaries.

The official also confirmed that Puttick, serving as the batting coach, had transparently communicated his new assignment with Afghanistan before accepting the contract. Likewise, Bradburn had informed the PCB about an opportunity to work as the head coach for English county Glamorgan.

Despite the changes in coaching staff, the Pakistan team faced a 3-0 whitewash in Australia, highlighting the challenges even with a new team director and coaches. It’s worth noting that Arthur, Puttick, and Bradburn were all appointed by the PCB during the tenure of the last chairman of the cricket management committee, Najam Sethi, in April-May of the previous year.

In a significant turn of events, the Pakistan Cricket Board has added the controversial former captain, Salman Butt, to the national selection panel in preparation for Pakistan’s upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand in the coming year. Despite Butt’s tainted history involving a five-year ban for spot-fixing in 2010, the 39-year-old cricketer has been appointed as a consultant member alongside former teammates Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum. The trio will work alongside the recently appointed chief selector, Wahab Riaz.

Butt, who returned to the cricket scene in 2016 after completing his ban, achieved success both as a batter and captain in domestic competitions. However, he was never considered for the national team, unlike his partner in the spot-fixing scandal, Muhammad Amir, who swiftly re-entered the Pakistan side in 2016.

The Pakistan Cricket Board recently assigned Butt to commentary duties for domestic competitions, and he is currently engaged in the National T20 Championship. The consultant members, including Butt, will have their first assignment during the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand starting on January 12, 2024, following the Test tour to Australia.

The release from PCB stated,

“When not engaged in selection duties, the consultant members may be assigned additional tasks such as conducting skills camps.”

Butt, Kamran, Wahab Riaz, and former Test pacer Anjum previously played together on the Pakistan team alongside the director of the Pakistan team, Muhammad Hafeez.

Kamran, with a 15-year career, participated in 53 Tests, 157 ODIs, and 58 T20Is, while Butt appeared in 33 Tests, 78 ODIs, and 24 T20Is. Anjum played a Test, 62 ODIs, and two T20Is from 2004 to 2010.

Salman Butt, Muhammad Amir, and Muhammad Asif were all found guilty of spot-fixing by the national crime agency in the United Kingdom, served time in jail, and faced bans imposed by the International Cricket Council.

Despite expressing remorse over his actions, Butt, who captained Pakistan to Test victories against Australia and England in 2010, has consistently voiced his dissatisfaction with the treatment he received. A few years ago, then head coach Waqar Younis recommended Butt’s comeback to the national team, but former captain Shahid Afridi opposed the idea, preventing his return to the squad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially fined Azam Khan, a player for Karachi Whites, 50% of his match fee for having a Palestine flag on his bat during a domestic match against Lahore Blues. The PCB later reconsidered and decided to cancel the penalty imposed by the match officials.

In a statement, the PCB said, “The 50% fine on Azam Khan, imposed by match officials, has been reviewed and waived off.”

Azam Khan was penalized for violating Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct for not following the umpire’s instructions during the National T20 Cup 2023-24 match. Players are not allowed to display personal messages on their equipment without approval.

According to the ICC code of conduct, players cannot show messages related to politics, religion, or race. Azam had used the same sticker in previous matches but wasn’t warned before the Sunday game.

The fine caused controversy on social media, with fans criticizing the PCB. Azam Khan, known for his T20 skills, has not played for the national team since 2021 but remains a prominent figure in Pakistani cricket.

During the ODI World Cup, Muhammad Rizwan, another Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman, supported Palestine on social media without facing any fine, as the ICC considered it his personal opinion.

In an unexpected turn of events, Pakistan’s highly anticipated white-ball tour of the Netherlands in 2024 was deferred, a decision reportedly initiated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). ESPNcricinfo brings to light that the tour encompassed three T20Is against the Netherlands in May 2024, forming part of a broader European tour that included additional T20Is against Ireland and England. All these fixtures were strategically placed ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled for June 2024 in the West Indies and the USA.

Roland Lefebvre, the high-performance manager at Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Board (KNCB), confirmed the tour’s cancellation to ESPNcricinfo, citing scheduling conflicts and concerns regarding player workload as reasons acknowledged by the PCB.

Expressing understanding of the PCB’s challenges, Lefebvre stated,

“The KNCB understands the predicament the PCB is in, given their busy playing schedules and at the same time keeping the well-being of players in mind. We value the good relationship we have with the PCB, and look forward to rescheduling this series to a later date.”

The PCB, in response to ESPNcricinfo, admitted that the Netherlands series had been postponed at their request, assuring active efforts to identify an alternate window for the series.

The postponement deal is a significant setback for the Dutch side, as the series against a Full Member side was deemed crucial preparation ahead of the World Cup.

As a result, the eagerly awaited bilateral T20I series between the two teams is now deferred, leaving the T20 World Cup as the only previous encounter between Pakistan and the Netherlands.