Grant Bradburn parts ways with Pakistan cricket team ahead of New Zealand tour

Former New Zealand star Grant Bradburn on Monday announced his retirement from his position as the Pakistan team’s high-performance coach. The former Kiwi batter was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the head coach of the team for a two-year period.

However, after the appointment of Mohammed Hafeez as the Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team in November last year, PCB changed the portfolio of the entire coaching staff which included Bradburn.

Bradburn took to X to announce his retirement from his post and wrote, “Time to close the amazing chapter that has been Pakistan cricket. Three roles over five years, I am proud of what’s been achieved and grateful to have worked with so many outstanding players, coaches and staff.”

“Wishing the teams, staff and everyone at Pakistan Cricket continued success and growth,” he added. Former all-rounder Yasir Arafat was recently appointed as the Pakistan team’s High-Performance Coach for the New Zealand T20I series. Yasir will be a part of Men in Green’s upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to begin from January 12 to 21, 2024 in New Zealand.

Bradburn’s retirement from his post continues to showcase the shift in the Pakistan team after a dismal World Cup. Star Pakistan batter Babar Azam stepped down as Pakistan captain from all formats of the game after his side’s debacle in the ICC World Cup 2023 in India.

Babar had a dismal performance with Pakistan in the ICC World Cup in India, finishing fifth with eight points from nine matches. On a personal level, Babar scored 320 runs in nine World Cup matches, the third most for Pakistan, with an average of 40 and a strike rate of 82.90.

Shan Masood was appointed as the skipper for the Test format, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was handed the role of captain for the T20 format.