Azhar Mahmood ends coaching stint with Pakistan Test side

Azhar Mahmood's stint as the head coach of Pakistan's Test side has come to an end. Azhar was appointed as the acting head coach in June this year, with his contract due to run until March 2026. But with no Tests in the calendar until an away series in Bangladesh in March-April next year, a mutual decision has been taken to end the stint now.

It brings to an end a longer association for the former allrounder with the Pakistan side. He was originally appointed as an all-formats assistant coach in April 2024, to support Gary Kirsten with the white-ball sides and Jason Gillespie with the red-ball team. He had also overseen a white-ball series earlier that month in an interim capacity.

In his acting role, Azhar only oversaw one Test series, a creditable 1-1 draw at home with world Test champions South Africa.

"I was appointed by the PCB for a specific tenure, during which I carried out my responsibilities with professionalism and dedication," Azhar told ESPNcricinfo. "My contract has now come to an end, and I extend my best wishes to the team for their continued success in their future endeavours."

This was Azhar's second stint with the Pakistan team, having served as a bowling coach during Mickey Arthur's coaching tenure, between 2016 and 2019.

He is currently fast-bowling coach at the table-topping Desert Vipers in the ILT20 and a return to the league circuit in coaching capacities is likely. He's been head coach at Islamabad United in the PSL and was assistant coach at Surrey before joining the Pakistan side.

His departure means the churn in Pakistan's management of the national side continues. Though there is no urgency, they will start the search for an eighth head coach since 2021 for their Test side. That includes a period in which the structure of the coaching set-up also changed (when Mohammad Hafeez was team director, or when Grant Bradburn was coach but Arthur the team director).