3 Reasons why Pakistan should fire Mickey Arthur

One of the consistent themes associated with Pakistan cricket has been its inconsistent performance. Pakistan's opponents, particularly those ranked higher than them, have always viewed Pakistan as a "dangerous" opponent. On a given day, Pakistan is deemed capable of beating any opponent while on another day it's capable of losing to any team. Mickey Arthur's appointment as Pakistan's head coach in 2016 was meant to transform the team into a consistently good performer. Over two years later, inconsistency is still the primary tagline associated with Pakistan.

Arthur's approach to getting the team to perform consistently well has been to, first, install a system which prioritizes player fitness above all. He sent a strong message to the establishment by dropping players from the national squad because they were not fit enough. Clearly, the message was well received. Pakistan's fielding showed a marked improvement. Until recently, the team showed new vigor and alacrity on the field. But all that came crashing down in the recently concluded Asia Cup. Their fielding in that tournament was atrocious. They dropped key catches that significantly contributed to their losses and unfortunately, that performance was on their home-ground in the UAE.

With the World Cup less than a year away, Pakistan under Mickey Arthur has effectively not progressed. Here are three significant reasons why Mickey Arthur has failed as Pakistan's coach.

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#3 Inconsistent Performance

England and Pakistan Net Session

More than two years after Arthur became Pakistan's head coach, Pakistan's performances remain inconsistent. They won the 2017 Champions Trophy as heavy underdogs. Even the coach and the players, leading up to the tournament, didn't believe that they had a chance to win it. But, they did.

On the other hand, Pakistan entered the recently concluded Asia Cup as favorites but ended up crashing out of it after playing some dismal games. In fact, there's a worrying trend developing with the team's performance since their Champions Trophy victory. Pakistan is now convincingly beating weaker teams and losing convincingly to the top teams. In other words, Pakistan is turning into a predictable, average, boring team that lacks confidence to compete against more challenging opposition. And that is a trend that cannot be allowed to persist, particularly with the world cup around the corner. Interestingly, Arthur, seems more snarly and defeatist in his press conferences lately. It may be because he has run out of ideas to get this team to perform better.

#2 Players don't respect him

Pakistan Team Training Session

It's one thing for a coach to be a hard disciplinarian to achieve team cohesion. But, it's another when his approach backfires and ends up in him losing the team's respect. It's become an open secret around the Pakistan camp that Arthur plays the favoritism card. In fact, reports suggest that Arthur's relationship with the team selection committee is a tenuous one.

Some of the playing XI selections have left seasoned observers perplexed. At the same time, player omissions from the playing XI are becoming a glaring and hot topic of debate among fans, sports journalists, and other distinguished cricket followers in Pakistan. As a result, more off-the-record negative comments on the coach are emerging in the media. Signs of Mickey Arthur losing control of this team are becoming clearer and the team's performance on the field is a reflection of that sentiment.

#1 Prefers Weak Captain

India v Pakistan - ICC Champions Trophy

Mickey Arthur's style of coaching has always relied on him controlling the team on and off the field. In fact, the PCB was fully aware of his style and methods of coaching when they hired him. After all, Arthur has a record of coaching high profile teams such as Australia and South Africa. But it's his affinity for controlling the thinking of the captain that has hurt Pakistan the most.

It was widely believed when Sarfraz Ahmed was appointed the captain, that he would be groomed to become a seasoned leader under the guidance of Mickey Arthur. But two and a half years later, Sarfraz appears just as clueless, uninspiring, and robotic on the field as a young, newly blooded captain. In fact, some of his captaincy moves on the field are astonishingly stupid. But Arthur's controlling style of coaching includes feeding the captain set plans to execute on the field and thus restricting him from developing an independent thought process. As a result, when things don't go as planned on the field, the captain, effectively, throws in the towel.

So, under Mickey Arthur, Pakistan has become a boring and predictable team that appears content with mediocrity. This is against the culture and history of a team that has always been known to be talented, exciting and spirited. The Asia Cup 2018 should be the last nail in Arthur's coffin. It's time to replace him and bring in someone who could restore the pride, confidence, and flair that Pakistan cricket has been renowned for.