‘Men with egos’: Arthur excited to work with Pakistan players again

The current head coach of Derbyshire County cricket club, Mickey Arthur, has recently accepted the role of consultant team director by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). 

According to reports, Arthur is excited about the prospect of rekindling his relationship with the PCB and is working with some of the cricketers he coached during his previous tenure as the head coach of the Pakistan team from 2016 to 2019.

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He has reaffirmed his commitment to Derbyshire during conversations with the PCB, stating that he is determined to see through the "four-year project" that he regards it as. Although an offer for him to return outright as Pakistan's head coach failed last December, as he has compromised with a consultancy role. 

"I'm very excited by that opportunity because Pakistan is very dear to me," Arthur told ESPNcricinfo. "But Derbyshire is as well. That was one of the things that I kept saying to Najam Sethi [chair of the PCB] when he spoke to me - that Derbyshire was really important to me.

"I've got a four-year contract here and I'm only year one into a project. With my proposal and schedule I've put in place, I know that it is possible. But the nitty-gritties, we're just going through at the minute."

Arthur's new role will differ greatly from his previous position as head coach, which is set to be filled by Pakistan's former fielding coach, Grant Bradburn. 

However, he will still be working with many of the same players he oversaw before, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan. The 54-year-old is looking forward to adjusting to the new dynamic with these players. 

"I kept in touch with all those players anyway. I've seen them grow up in front of me. The challenge is when I had them they were young boys," he added, before joking: "They've grown into men with egos now!"

"Managing them is going to be important, but I've got great relationships with all of them. I just can't wait to put that all together. I know I can and it's going to be quite an attractive package for both Derbyshire and Pakistan."

He is expected to travel to Lahore next month, although the specific dates have not been finalized. The gap between Derbyshire's matches against Leicestershire and Durham in April could potentially be a time for Arthur's visit.