NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to retain former pacer and national selector Aaqib Javed as the interim head coach for the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand. A PCB official stated that due to the short gap between the Champions Trophy and the New Zealand series, Aaqib will continue in his role.
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Meanwhile, the PCB has initiated the process of appointing a permanent head coach for the national team. The official added that Pakistan is expected to have a new head coach in place before the start of their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle in August.
Last year, the PCB appointed Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten as head coaches for red-ball and white-ball cricket, respectively. However, both resigned within six to eight months, citing issues with the board. In response, Aaqib Javed was given interim coaching responsibilities for the white-ball squad and later also for the red-ball team in series against South Africa and West Indies. He continued in the role during the three-nation tournament in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy, where Pakistan exited without a single win.
Additionally, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as the national team’s batting coach.
The PCB has also named Salman Ali Agha as the new T20I captain, with Shadab Khan as his deputy, keeping in mind the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025. Salman previously led Pakistan to a 2-1 series win against Zimbabwe in T20Is.
As part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play at least five T20Is in the Asia Cup 2025, along with three-match series against West Indies (away in July), Afghanistan (home in August), Ireland (home in September), South Africa (home in September/October), Sri Lanka (home in November), and Australia (home in January 2026).
For ODIs, Mohammad Rizwan will continue as captain as Pakistan builds towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, set to be hosted by Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The PCB also confirmed that openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for selection for the New Zealand tour due to medical advice. Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained during the Cape Town Test in January.
Both players are expected to regain full fitness ahead of the Pakistan Super League 10, which begins in Rawalpindi on April 11.
