PCB appoints South Africa's Michael Smith as batting coach for Pakistan men's cricket team
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>Former South African cricketer Michael Smith has been appointed as the batting coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team for two years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday.</p> <p>According to a press release<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link--external" href="https://www.pcb.com.pk/press-release-detail/michael-smith-appointed-batting-coach-of-pakistan-men-s-team.html"> issued</a> by the PCB, the “46-year-old will work with the team across both red-ball and white-ball formats”.</p> <p>He will join the Pakistan team ahead of the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2013309">three-match Test series</a> against England, commencing on Aug 19, the press release stated.</p> <p>Elaborating on Smith’s experience, the press release stated that he had featured in 89 first-class matches, 72 List-A matches and 16 T20 matches between 2003 and 2013.</p> <p>“The right-handed batter scored 7,029 runs across the three formats, including nine centuries and 40 half-centuries,” the PCB said.</p> <p>Smith, who holds a Level 4 coaching qualification, has served on the coaching staffs of three HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises — Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans, it added</p> <p>The press release further stated that he has also worked as a batting coach with Australian franchise Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmani.</p> <p>As a coaching consultant, Smith has worked with South Africa’s KZN Inland and Eastern Province, the press release added.</p> <p>Prior to Smith’s appointment, former Test batter Asad Shafiq was<a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1993032"> appointed </a>as Pakistan’s interim batting coach in April 2026 for the Bangladesh Test series. Shafiq is currently also accompanying the Pakistan team for its two-match Test series in the West Indies.</p> <p>Before Asad Shafiq’s interim appointment, Shahid Aslam served as Pakistan’s white-ball batting coach after being<a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1873603"> appointed </a>in November 2024. He replaced former Test captain Mohammad Yousuf, who<a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1861911"> stepped </a>down as both batting coach and national selector before returning to the PCB’s High Performance Centre.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Additional input from Mohammad Yaqoob</em></p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
Former South African cricketer Michael Smith has been appointed as the batting coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team for two years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday. According to a press release issued by the PCB, the “46-year-old will work with the team across both red-ball and white-ball formats”. He will join the Pakistan team ahead of the three-match Test series against England, commencing on Aug 19, the press release stated. Elaborating on Smith’s experience, the press release stated that he had featured in 89 first-class matches, 72 List-A matches and 16 T20 matches between 2003 and 2013. “The right-handed batter scored 7,029 runs across the three formats, including nine centuries and 40 half-centuries,” the PCB said. Smith, who holds a Level 4 coaching qualification, has served on the coaching staffs of three HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises — Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans, it added The press release further stated that he has also worked as a batting coach with Australian franchise Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmani. As a coaching consultant, Smith has worked with South Africa’s KZN Inland and Eastern Province, the press release added. Prior to Smith’s appointment, former Test batter Asad Shafiq was appointed as Pakistan’s interim batting coach in April 2026 for the Bangladesh Test series. Shafiq is currently also accompanying the Pakistan team for its two-match Test series in the West Indies. Before Asad Shafiq’s interim appointment, Shahid Aslam served as Pakistan’s white-ball batting coach after being appointed in November 2024. He replaced former Test captain Mohammad Yousuf, who stepped down as both batting coach and national selector before returning to the PCB’s High Performance Centre. Additional input from Mohammad Yaqoob
Curation & Context
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