Azhar Mahmood named Pakistan head coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former pace bowling all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the head coach for Pakistan's upcoming T20 series against New Zealand. Babar Azam & co will play under his coaching in the upcoming 5-match T20 series in New Zealand.

The matches will be held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18 to 27.

Azhar Mahmood has played 164 international matches wearing Pakistan's jersey. He has taken 162 wickets and scored 2421 runs. Earlier, from 2016 to 2019, Azhar served as the bowling coach of the Pakistan national cricket team.

Besides Azhar Mahmood, some other former cricketers have also been given responsibilities. Wahab Riaz has been made the senior team manager. Mohammad Yousuf will serve as the batting coach, while Saeed Ajmal will be the spin bowling coach.

Pakistan's support staff for the T20 series against New Zealand:

Wahab Riaz (Senior Team Manager), Mansoor Rana (Team Manager), Azhar Mahmood (Head Coach), Mohammad Yousuf (Batting Coach), Saeed Ajmal (Spin Bowling Coach), Aftab Khan (Field Coach), Cliffe Deacon (Physiotherapist), Dricus Saiman (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Talha Butt (Analyst), Irtiza Komail (Security Manager), Raja Kichloo (Media and Digital Manager), Jain Maksud (Videographer), Khurram Sarwar (Doctor), and Mohammad Imran (Masseur).

Pakistan will announce the squad for the New Zealand series tomorrow (April 9).