‘This is the most invigorating job I’ve ever had’ says Pakistan Coach Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur has spoken in glowing terms about his role with Pakistan, saying his job as head coach was the most invigorating one in his career.

“Let me tell you, this has been the most invigorating job I’ve ever had,” he told Sky Sports. “There are 210 million people (in Pakistan) who just dream cricket.

“The news channels are making things up all the time about the cricket team, it’s exciting, there’s always something happening. You’re either putting a fire out or you’re the king.”

Pakistan named a young side for the two-match series, beginning with the Lord’s Test on Thursday (24 May).

It is a vastly different side from one that toured England in 2016, which had the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan to turn to. Pakistan drew that series 2-2, and was subsequently ranked the No.1 side in Tests.

Misbah and Khan have since retired, though, and with Yasir Shah, the leg-spinner, sidelined with an injury this time around, Pakistan are short on experience.

But, Arthur said, they were a fearless bunch. “It’s a totally different team and it’s an exciting team,” he said. “There’s a lot of good, young talent, they’re very inexperienced but very skilful. We’ve invested in these young guys to make the future of Pakistan Test cricket right.

“They all play a fearless brand of cricket, a lot of them have come out of white-ball cricket which is an interesting phenomenon now. Shadab (Khan) and Faheem (Ashraf), they’ve really impressed us through white-ball cricket and have now shown us that they have the skills to play Test cricket as well.

“It’s a young team, it’s an exciting team, there’s a great dressing room vibe and I just hope that it goes well because that solidifies the route that we want to take with these boys.”

The absence of Shah puts the impetus on 19-year-old Shadab – “he’s very intelligent, a very coachable guy” – but it isn’t just the spin department that is untested.

Apart from Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, the rest of the batting line-up – Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam and Ashraf – are relatively green. Arthur admitted there were nerves.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t (nervous),” said Arthur. “Our batting line-up, they’re very, very good players. Those boys are going to be outstanding players.

“Azhar is a bit of the glue, Imam-ul-Haq in his second Test, Haris Sohail who unfortunately had a knee injury that kept him out of the game for 18 months, but he plays quick bowling so well, he has a lot of time, but he is also very new in the game.

“Asad will bat at No.4 and then we’ve got Babar Azam. Babar is going to become an incredible player, I think he could be the next guy to go on and get 10,000 Test runs for Pakistan. But he gets all his runs in white-ball cricket now, his Test average is very mediocre, he’s finding his way in Test cricket still.

“Then we’re going to bat Sarfraz at six, so it is young, it’s inexperienced, it’s exciting. But I think I might be hiding behind a couple of boxes in the dressing room when we’re batting.”

After the Lord’s Test, the teams move to Leeds for the second Test at Headingley, starting on 1 June. Pakistan then travel to Edinburgh to face Scotland in a two-match T20I series.