Pakistan's head coach, Mickey Arthur wants a promising future for his young Pakistan cricketers to do well in International cricket ahead of 2019 World Cup.  Mickey Arthur talks about how young Pakistan can achieve various milestones in the upcoming future.

After Lord's Test victory against England, Mickey Arthur is very hopeful about Pakistan's young talent. The head coach is very confident for the team to do well in upcoming games despite losing the second Test match at Headingley cricket ground.

On being asked about the second Test match defeat against England, the head coach added “After the Leeds defeat I had spoken about ‘Dishing out a hiding’ but that would have been taking it to the extreme,” says Arthur.

“We are a young team, so inconsistency levels will be there as we forge our way forward. But, still for me and the team, we were absolutely gutted as this was an opportunity for us to win a series.

“One of the things we want to do is be ruthless, which we weren’t when going into the last Test match and that really disappointed me. Saying that, the whole tour and the training beforehand had been exceptional, and I can’t fault the effort and the dedication of the players as they have been unbelievable.”

“People say that overall it was a good result and I agree it was a good result for sure, and if someone had said that coming on this tour we would win two out of three Test matches, we would have taken that gladly.

“But, we want more. We want more as a team and as a group together as I think winning away from home is so tough and we had a real opportunity to do that. We shouldn’t have to accept a 1-1 result as we always want to win a series.” Mickey Arthur spoke about how playing as one unit can help Pakistan team prosper in upcoming games.

Mickey Arthur also opined his thoughts on Pakistan's bowling attack that has some great pace bowlers in the form of Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali. The head coach feels their form and fitness will be really crucial for Pakistan in the Test matches.

"I am going to sit with Mohammad Amir and Inzamam-ul-Haq soon and we are going to map out a future for him. After our discussions, Inzamam will present the plan to the selection panel and then to the player,” said Arthur.

“The fact is that we need all our bowlers firing when it’s time for the 2019 World Cup so that we are in a position to choose the best possible squad we can have for that tournament. We also want to make sure that those players are not tired, and ready to deliver their best performances over that period for us.” Arthur added.

Mickey Arthur feels coaching Pakistan is possibly one of the toughest jobs in the world. For Arthur coaching, Pakistan is about facing all those challenges to build a world-beating side and then leaving a legacy of excellence.

"This is a job I am very passionate about and one that I absolutely love. We have certainly changed the direction of thinking and put a lot of emphasis on areas that we need to improve upon.

“One day when I am not Pakistan coach anymore, I would like people to look back and say that we had a foreign coach and a coaching team that came with him and they have left a legacy for Pakistan cricket.

“They weren’t here to just get their salary cheque at the end of every month and these guys have actually left a legacy behind which is totally what I would want to do. It’s a job I am incredibly passionate about and as long as I am making a difference to the Pakistan cricket team, I would love to stay as long as I possibly can.”

Mickey Arthur has been the coach of Pakistan cricket team since 2016, his coaching stint has faced a lot of ups and downs from losing Test matches in Australia to make his team win the 2017 Champions Trophy.  When talking about his coaching period for Pakistan, he added I have done a lot and I have been very fortunate in my career to have worked all over the world and been an international coach for a long time,” he said. “It’s very demanding, it’s challenging and it’s all-consuming. But, I would certainly not change it for the world. This Pakistan job stimulates me all day.”

The coach is even looking forward to coach Pakistan cricket team in the future as he has formed  an affection towards the team. 

(Inputs from The Cricket Paper)