Pakistan will announce the new coach of the national team for both red-ball and white-ball formats by the end of this month, Cricket Board (PCB) officials said on Friday. The PCB also confirmed that the board had received several high-profile coaches ahead of the April 15 deadline, in addition to South Africa’s Gary Kirsten and Australia’s Jason Gillespie. application. PCB officials said that while they were interested in Kirsten and Gillispie, new applicants also entered the competition. “PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that the permanent appointment of the coach will be done through due process and all commitments will be fulfilled by the board,” the report added.

The last time the PCB followed due process in appointing a coach was in 2019 when it appointed Misbah-ul-Haq as the national team’s head coach and chief selector. Since then, all appointments have been made on a consultative or interim basis.

Another reliable source in the PCB said that this time the board will only invite candidates who have applied for coaching posts for interviews.

Sources said: “Even in the cases of Kirsten and Gillispie, the board held direct negotiations with them and they were still the best candidates to be appointed head coaches, but they were also told to wait until the deadline. Apply through due process before the date.”

He admitted that with some interesting candidates also applying for the head coaching position, the PCB would take time till the end of the month to make a decision and make an announcement.

“The PCB chief does not want to be named at any stage and will do so only after an announcement is made,” sources said.

The PCB has also given April 20 as the last date for candidates interested in applying for the assistant coaching position.

“Even Azhar Mahmood has to go through this process and for now, he has been appointed as the head coach for the New Zealand series on an advisory basis,” the source added.

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