PCB made Azhar Mahmood interim Test coach as they didn't want to pay compensatory six months' salary: Report

In one of the stranger incidents, it was discovered that Azhar Mahmood was hired as Pakistan's Test head coach by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) purely for financial reasons. After previous stints as bowling, assistant, and interim head coach, the former all-rounder was selected as Jason Gillespie's replacement last month.

As it happens, Azhar's contract expires in April or May of 2026. Additionally, if the PCB instructs him to quit early, they will be required to pay him six months' compensation under his termination clause. Azhar receives PKR 7.5 million (Rs 22.66 lakh) from the PCB. This implies that if they want to let him go, they will need to pay him PKR 45 million, or Rs 1.36 crore.

“Which is why the PCB recently named him as interim head coach of the national red-ball team until his contract expires next year in April-May,” PTI quoted a source as saying.

Additionally, according to the article, the PCB intended to let go of Mike Hesson after the newly hired white-ball coach provided a list of his own support personnel, which excluded the former all-rounder for Pakistan.

“The problem arose when Mike Hesson, the recently-appointed white-ball head coach, made it clear he would have his own support staff and Azhar was not among his selections,” the source said.

Azhar's complaints about the board's operations have complicated the matter. He has run across resistance from PCB officials despite his desire to cooperate with the national junior squad.

Throughout the years, Azhar has had a number of coaching positions with the Pakistani senior teams, including bowling coach and assistant coach. Similar financial liabilities were previously faced by the PCB when it terminated the contracts of other cricket celebrities. 

This includes removing Sarfaraz Ahmed, Misbah ul Haq, Waqar Younis, and Saqlain Mushtaq from their mentorship positions in the Champions Cup events, which were dropped after just one season.

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