PCB officially backs Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi for white-ball captaincy; Mike Hesson to continue as head coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that it will not make any major changes to the national team setup after their early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. As per reports, the board is unlikely to fire the captains or coaching staff in the white-ball formats despite being knocked out in the Super 8 stage.

The PCB is unlikely to remove Hesson immediately because he signed a two-year contract in May last year. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is believed to favor maintaining stability in the coaching setup instead of making another sudden change, even as criticism over Pakistan’s performance continues to grow.

PCB Begins Preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup

According to Geo News, the PCB will prioritize continuity instead of reacting to setbacks with sweeping dismissals. The board has given the green signal to T20I captain Salman Ali Agha and ODI captain Shaheen Afridi to continue in their leadership roles alongside white-ball head coach Mike Hesson.

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Hesson will continue in his role as the white-ball head coach as per his current contract. Following the board's clear directives, Hesson and ODI skipper Shaheen Afridi have already started their preparations for the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup.

The mega event is scheduled to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Pakistan's next international assignment is an upcoming tour of Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series in Dhaka, which will take place from March 11 to 15.

Sarfaraz Ahmed Replaces Azhar Mahmood as Test Coach

While the white-ball setup remains the same, the Pakistan cricket team will see a major change in its coaching staff for the Test side. Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has officially resigned from his position as the Test head coach.

The report added that the PCB has appointed former national captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as the coach of the red-ball side. Sarfaraz will assume his new coaching duties as soon as he returns from Abu Dhabi.

Director of the High-Performance Centre Aaqib Javed will continue in his role, but selector Aleem Dar has resigned, and a new selector will be inducted into the committee to replace him.

Pakistan's Mixed Run in the T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan had a rollercoaster campaign in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. They started their campaign on a positive note by defeating the Netherlands by three wickets in the group stage before recording a victory over the United States of America (USA).

However, they suffered a 61-run defeat against arch-rivals India. They bounced back with a commanding 102-run victory over Namibia to reach the next round.

In the Super Eights stage, their opening clash against New Zealand was washed out. They then suffered a defeat to England. Pakistan concluded their World Cup campaign with a narrow five-run win over Sri Lanka, but it was not enough to secure a spot in the semifinals.

Also read: Shahid Afridi bluntly accuses Pakistan youngster of age fraud on Live TV