The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly approached former New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Luke Ronchi to consider coaching the national team.
Ronchi, presently serving as New Zealand’s assistant coach, has requested some time to deliberate on the opportunity to coach Pakistan, according to the sources.
Notably, Ronchi had previously declined an offer from the PCB to coach the national team, leading to the appointment of Bradburn in that position.
This development follows PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s recent statement indicating that the board is finalizing a coaching panel ahead of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on April 18.
Vacancies arose in coaching positions, including that of head coach, after Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Andrew Puttick were reassigned to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore in November 2023 and subsequently left their roles in January this year.
Arthur assumed the role of Director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team in April 2023, while Bradburn became head coach of the Pakistan national men’s side earlier last year. Puttick, a former South African cricketer, served as batting coach since April 2023.
Luke Ronchi, who has represented both Australia and New Zealand, has an international career spanning four Tests, 85 ODIs, and 33 T20Is since his limited-overs debut for Australia in 2008.
In addition to international cricket, Ronchi has played for various teams in league cricket, including Guyana Amazon Warriors, Islamabad United, Mumbai Indian, and Perth Scorchers.
This development comes after Shane Watson, Mike Hesson, and Darren Sammy declined coaching offers from the PCB. Watson cited his current coaching and commentary commitments, while Sammy mentioned his existing contract as the head coach of the white-ball teams with the West Indies board as reasons for refusing the PCB’s approaches.
