The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested Aaqib Javed, former fast bowler and national selector, to continue as the interim head coach for the tour of New Zealand for white-ball cricket. According to a PCB official, due to the limited time between the Champions Trophy and the New Zealand tour, Aaqib will stay in his interim role. The PCB has initiated the process to find a new permanent head coach, ensuring due procedure is followed. It is expected that Pakistan will have a new head coach in place when they start their next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle in August.
Last year, PCB appointed Jason Gillispie and Gary Kirsten as coaches for red-ball and white-ball formats, respectively. However, both resigned within six to eight months, citing disagreements with the Pakistan board.
Subsequently, Aaqib, a senior selector, was asked to take on the interim head coach position for the white-ball team, and later for the red-ball team for Test series in South Africa and at home against the West Indies.
He also continued in this role for the tri-nation series in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy, where the team did not win any matches.
Former Pakistan captain, Mohammad Yousuf, will now serve as the batting coach for the national team.
The PCB also announced the appointment of Salman Ali Agha as captain and Shadab Khan as vice-captain for the T20 squad, keeping the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind.
The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain is focused on the major upcoming tournaments: the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026), as stated by the board.
Salman has previously captained Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe, which they won 2-1.
In preparation for the T20 World Cup, Pakistan is scheduled to play at least five T20Is in the Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is each 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).
The board also confirmed that Mohammad Rizwan will continue to lead the ODI team as Pakistan prepares for the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be held in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The board also confirmed that openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for the New Zealand tour in either format due to medical reasons.
Fakhar sustained a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January.
It was confirmed that both players are expected to be fully recovered for the Pakistan Super League 10, starting in Rawalpindi on April 11.
