Michael Smith appointed as batting coach of Pakistan amid the on-going 2nd Test against West Indies

Former South African batter Michael Smith has been appointed as the batting coach of the Pakistan national team on a two-year-deal. The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed this development yesterday amid the on-going Test series against the West Indies.

The 46-year-old will work with both the Test and limited-overs sides, taking up a specialist role that had remained vacant for several months.

Smith’s appointment comes at a time when Pakistan’s batting has come under plenty of criticism. The team’s latest collapse in the first Test against the West Indies once again exposed the inconsistency of the batting unit.

With an important three-Test tour of England beginning on August 19, the PCB has moved quickly to strengthen the coaching staff.

Although Smith never represented South Africa at the international level, he has built a strong reputation as a batting coach.

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A Level 4 qualified coach, he has worked with several Pakistan Super League franchises, including Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans. His familiarity with Pakistan’s domestic players and cricket structure is expected to help him settle into the role quickly.

His coaching experience also extends beyond Pakistan. Smith has served as batting coach with Australia’s Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmania while also working as a coaching consultant for South Africa’s KZN Inland and Eastern Province.

His wide range of experience across different conditions and competitions made him a strong candidate for the job.

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Michael Smith’s career in numbers

As a player, Smith featured in 89 first-class matches, 72 List A games and 16 T20s between 2003 and 2013. He scored more than 7,000 runs across formats, including nine centuries and 40 half-centuries, before moving into coaching full-time.

Smith’s first assignment will be Pakistan’s Test series in England, where the team will be looking to improve its batting performances against a strong opposition. Pakistan have struggled for consistency with the bat in recent years and have endured a poor run away from home in Test cricket.

The PCB will hope Smith’s arrival will bring stability and helps the batting group perform with greater confidence during a crucial phase of the international calendar.

Pakistan trail by 78 runs at the end of day 2

Meanwhile, in the on-going 2nd Test against West Indies at the Queen’s Park Oval, Pakistan has cut short their trail by 78 runs at the end of day 2. Number 3 batter Abdullah Shafique smashed a well deserved century while Babar Azam remained 14 runs away from his own ton.

The Green Army are currently 266/2 after 66 overs and they will resume day 3 tomorrow with plenty of confidence.