The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested former pacer and national selector Aaqib Javed to continue in his role as interim head coach for Pakistan’s white-ball tour of New Zealand. A PCB official confirmed that due to time constraints between the Champions Trophy and the New Zealand tour, Aaqib will remain in charge as the interim coach. The board has also begun the process of selecting a new head coach for the national team, with the expectation that the new appointment will be in place by August, when Pakistan begins its new World Test Championship cycle.
Previously, the PCB appointed Jason Gillispie and Gary Kirsten as the red-ball and white-ball coaches, respectively. However, both coaches resigned within six to eight months due to issues with the board. Following their departure, Aaqib Javed stepped in as interim head coach for the white-ball team and also took charge of the red-ball team for the Test series in South Africa and against West Indies at home.
Aaqib’s tenure continued through the three-nation event in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy, where the team did not register a win. Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has now been appointed as the team’s batting coach.
In other key updates, the PCB has named Salman Ali Agha as the captain and Shadab Khan as the vice-captain of the T20 squad, in preparation for the upcoming T20 tournaments, including the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Salman had previously led Pakistan in a T20I series against Zimbabwe, winning it 2-1.
The PCB also confirmed that Mohammad Rizwan will continue as the captain of the ODI team as Pakistan prepares for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be held in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
As part of their T20 World Cup preparations, Pakistan is scheduled to play a series of T20Is, including five matches in the Asia Cup 2025 and several other series against teams like West Indies, Afghanistan, Ireland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
The PCB also announced that openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub would not be considered for the New Zealand tour due to medical reasons. Fakhar is recovering from a left lower intercostal muscle sprain, and Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained during the Test series in South Africa. Both players are expected to be fully fit for the Pakistan Super League 10, which begins on April 11 in Rawalpindi.
