Disappointed and hurt’ Arthur reacts to Pakistan axing

“I am extremely disappointed and hurt,” he told AFP. “I did my wholehearted effort to lift Pakistan cricket.” His axing comes in the wake of Pakistan’s failure to make the knockouts at the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, but his reign contained many high points. In 2017, Pakistan stunned the cricketing world with their surge to the Champions Trophy crown, a victory which Arthur says, "brought on a whole new team of young players". "We also became world number one in Twenty20 cricket in this period, which was an achievement," he said. His reign also saw Pakistan claim top spot in the MRF Tyres Test Team Rankings for a brief time. The PCB have also let go of bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden. Replacements are yet to be confirmed. A day earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided not to renew contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden. During a meeting, the PCB cricket committee was unanimous in its recommendations for a revamp of the coaching setup. The recommendations were forwarded and discussed with PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, who approved the changes. The PCB will now advertise the four available roles and will invite high-level applications from interested candidates, a press release stated. “On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Grant Luden and Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team. We wish them every success in their future endeavors,” PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said. “The PCB remains committed to its fans and followers and we will do our utmost to ensure that we make decisions that continue to move Pakistan cricket forward in all formats,” he added.