Shan explains his relationship with Mickey; credits him for Derbyshire contract

Pakistan's opening batsman Shan Masood has highly praised former Pakistan cricket team Head Coach Mickey Arthur in his first interview with Derbyshire.

The left-handed batsman was recently announced to be a part of Derbyshire's entire 2022 season as an overseas player, something that he credits Derbyshire Head of Cricket Mickey Arthur.

In the interview, Shan reveals how Mickey Arthur played a pivotal role in not only him becoming a part of Derbyshire's 2022 campaign but also his personal development from when he was the Pakistan cricket team's head coach.

"I bumped into Mickey Arthur at Dubai airport and he called me up a few days later. He wanted me to be part of Derbyshire across all formats as an overseas player," said Shan.

"It has been fascinating following Mickey Arthur as a cricket fan; seeing him put that South Africa side to the number one spot. I was really excited when it was announced that a coach of Mickey's pedigree was going to be the coach of Pakistan."

Shan reveals that although he maintains a very good relationship with Arthur, things were not as smooth sailing for him in the beginning.

"We did not start off on the best of terms. I had a few bad innings in England in 2016, which led to me being dropped. But the best thing about Mickey is that he talks to the players and he knows the psychology of the players," said Shan.

"The first conversation we had, however, did not go as planned because things got a little heated. After that, we shared a couple of emails where Mickey wanted me to do certain things as a player. From the outside, it might have seemed that I was probably getting the axe and that I was not in Mickey's plans but he was setting me back to make sure that I develop into a player that he thought I could," explained Shan.

Shan feared that his bust-up with Mickey might have ended his chances of a return to the international team. However, that was not the case as Shan returned to not only the Test team under Mickey Arthur but also the one-day international side as well.

"So, 2016 and 2017 were the years where I worked extremely hard on things that Mickey either highlighted or touched upon. After that, I broke my way back into the Test and ODI team as well," the Pakistani opener added.

"You can always have a conversation with him and it is always going to be brutally honest. But you can be sure that the conversation will remain between both parties and the aim is to work towards something constructive. It is great to have someone who has been there in the defining years of your career and has helped with the development process as well," Shan praised Mickey's approach as a coach.

"I am extremely delighted to be working with him once again," added the recently signed Derbyshire player.