The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, June 30, has named former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the acting red-ball head coach of the Pakistan National Cricket Team. Azhar Mahmud will work in this role by the end of his current contract.
Azhar replaced the 1992 World Cup winner Aqib Javed, who took over as Pakistan’s Red-Ball coach after exiting the role below last year’s role. Mahmud’s first assignment as an acting red-ball head coach will be South Africa Test.
Azhar Mahmood appointed acting red-ball head coach of Pakistan National Cricket Team
Former Assistant Coach Pakistan Test team will help in preparing their next assignment in the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle as they will take South Africa in a two-match Test series at home later this year in October and November.
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However, PCB has not revealed anything about Mahmud’s current contract. Azhar, who previously served as an assistant coach of the Pakistan National Cricket Team, brought the treasure of experience and strategic insight into the situation.
He worked as a coach with Surrey County Cricket Club in England, as well as served as the head coach of Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). With two county championship titles for his name and strong international credentials, PCB believes that his red ball expertise will play an important role in strengthening Pakistan’s red ball performance.
Azhar Mahmud is exceptionally well suited to this situation: PCB
PCB said in an official media release, “A veteran cricketing mind, Azhar Mahmood steps into the role with an impressive portfolio of experience. After acting as an assistant head coach of the national side, Azhar has long been an important part of the team’s strategic core. His intensive knowledge for the game became jointly successful.
His red-ball lineage is outlined by two county championship titles-an achievement that speaks of his leadership, strategic skills and unwavering commitment to excellence. The PCB is confident that under Azhar’s guidance, the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength, discipline and performance on the global stage. ,
Meanwhile, there were serious doubts about the future of the Asia Cup 2025 after a terrorist attack at Kashmir’s initiative, which increased tension between India and Pakistan. With increasing calls to boycott matches against Pakistan in both ACC and ICC events for India, the fate of the Asia Cup was not clear.
However, according to a report by Cricbuzz, the situation has improved, and the organizers are now convinced of organizing the tournament later this year. The Asia Cup is expected to be in 2025 September, and an official announcement may come within the next few days.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is also planning to release a full program for a six-team event in the first week of July. The upcoming version of the Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format, and September 10 is considered a temporary start date.
