Quonce-born former Warriors and Border cricketer Michael Smith has been appointed batting coach of the Pakistan men’s team across formats on a two-year contract, the country’s cricket board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old will join the Pakistan squad ahead of their three-match Test series against England, which begins in Leeds on August 19.
Before moving into coaching, Smith played 89 first-class matches, 72 List-A games and 16 Twenty20 matches for Eastern Cape teams from 2003 to 2013.
He scored nine centuries and 40 half-centuries.
Though new to the national Pakistani side, Smith has extensive knowledge of cricket in Pakistan, having previously worked with Pakistan Super League franchises Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans on their coaching staff.
He has also served as batting coach for Australia’s Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmania, and held coaching consultancy roles with KZN Inland and Eastern Province.
His priority will be reforming Pakistan’s ailing batting unit, which has struggled for consistency in recent years.
The England tour presents an immediate opportunity to address those concerns as Pakistan look to reverse their fortunes in the longest format, which has seen them lose eight straight away Tests going back to the 2023/2024 tour of Australia.
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