Mickey Arthur turns down offer to become Pakistan head coach; set to remain with Derbyshire - Reports 

Renowned international cricket coach Mickey Arthur will reportedly continue his stint with Derbyshire amid heavy interest from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The Najam Sethi-led committee that took over from Ramiz Raja as chairman of the board wanted the South African coach to guide the Men in Green for a second time, with current head coach Saqlian Mushtaq likely to relinquish his role after the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand.

The PCB reportedly made an informal approach for Arthur to return. However, according to a report by The Cricketer, the offer was politely declined as the veteran coach was unwilling to commit himself to the year-long international cricketing calendar.

The report further states that Arthur has conveyed his decision to honor his contract to Derbyshire chief executive Ryan Duckett. His current contract extends up to 2025, following a contract extension that was awarded on the back of a prolific season that saw the county side make it to the quarter-finals of the Vitality T20 Blast.

His last international coaching stint saw him take charge of the Sri Lanka side from February 2020 to November 2021.

The senior coach, who has been associated with the South African and Australian men's teams in the past, had a prolific stint with the Pakistan side from 2016 to 2019. Over a three-year period, he transformed the team, introducing fitness regimes and leading them to the 2017 Champions Trophy as well as the elusive No.1 ICC rankings across multiple formats.

His tenure came to an end after Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup. They finished fifth and narrowly missed out on a place in the knockouts by virtue of their net run rate.

Sethi, who was at the helm of Pakistan cricket during Arthur's time as Pakistan coach, wanted him to return as he aims to revamp the side's cricketing structure in his second stint with the PCB.

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Mickey Arthur could come on board as an advisor for Pakistan cricket

The PCB could still look to appoint Mickey Arthur as an informal advisor for the cricketing activities surrounding the national team.

However, the said role will have to work around his current schedule as head of cricket with the Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

Arthur has taken up a couple of roles while still on contract with Derbyshire. He was the head coach of Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as well as a member of a three-person panel for the Cricket West Indies assigned to review the team's humiliating performance at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Will Mickey Arthur be associated with the Men in Green? Let us know what you think.

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