Pakistan appoint Mike Smith as batting coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has added former South Africa first-class cricketer Mike Smith to the support staff of the senior men's team. He will work as a batting coach from the upcoming three-Test series against England as the sub-continent team looks to address the batting failures. 

Smith is a Level-4 qualified batting coach and has worked with franchises in different leagues. He will start his stint with the Babar Azam-led team during the bilateral assignment in England, starting August 19.

According to a PTI report, a verbal agreement has been finalised between the PCB and Smith after he was shortlisted from the pool of interested candidates. The board had given an advertisement to find a suitable option as a long-term prospect to cut down the batting collapses across formats.

Smith is expected to come on board and work with the Pakistan players in England. His appointment has come at a time when the PCB is looking to address the technical issues that have led to the downfall of the batters in international cricket.

Smith has a long experience as a batting coach and has been involved with various franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He is familiar with Pakistan players, which strengthens his case.

He has replaced former Pakistan player and current selector Asad Shafiq, who was working on an interim basis. Shafiq is currently with Pakistan for the ongoing two-Test series against the West Indies and will continue to remain a part of the selection panel after Smith takes charge.

Pakistan lost the series opener against the Roston Chase-led team despite some impressive performances from the batters and the bowlers. The failure of the batting department in the second innings resulted in the team's defeat. The second and final game is in progress at the moment, and the sub-continent team needs improvement to challenge the hosts. 

Pakistan are last in the World Test Championship standings in the 2025-27 cycle, and they have no chance of making it to the final.

Babar was recently given the captain's armband in Test cricket after the sacking of Shan Masood. However, the veteran was not able to inspire his players in the first game of his second stint. 

The team will hope Smith's appointment brings stability and consistency to the batting unit that has struggled in home matches and overseas series. The England tour will be one of the most challenging and difficult tours for Pakistan.