Michael Smith Named Pakistan Batting Coach Ahead of England Test Series
The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed former South African cricketer Michael Smith as the men’s batting coach on a two-year contract across all formats.
Michael Smith has been appointed as Pakistan's batting coach on a two-year contract.
Michael Smith has been appointed as the batting coach of the Pakistan men’s cricket team on a two-year contract, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday. The former South African cricketer will work with the national side in both Test and limited-overs formats.
According to the PCB, the 46-year-old will join the Pakistan squad before the three-match Test series against England, which begins on August 19. His appointment is part of the board’s efforts to strengthen the team’s coaching setup ahead of a busy international schedule.
More than 100 words into the article – Michael Smith brings extensive playing and coaching experience to the role. During his professional career between 2003 and 2013, he played 89 first-class, 72 List-A and 16 T20 matches. The right-handed batter scored 7,029 runs, including nine centuries and 40 half-centuries across all formats.
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Extensive Coaching Experience
Smith holds a Level 4 coaching qualification and has worked with several teams in domestic and franchise cricket.
He previously served on the coaching staff of three HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises — Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans.
He has also worked as a batting coach with Australia’s Hobart Hurricanes and Cricket Tasmania, gaining experience in high-performance coaching environments.
Experience in South African Cricket
In South Africa, Smith worked as a coaching consultant with KZN Inland and Eastern Province, helping develop batting talent at the domestic level.
The PCB said his experience across different cricket systems would strengthen Pakistan’s batting department in both red-ball and white-ball cricket.
Coaching Transition
Before Smith’s appointment, former Pakistan Test batter Asad Shafiq served as the team’s interim batting coach during the Bangladesh Test series in April 2026. Shafiq is currently with the national team during its two-match Test series against the West Indies.
Prior to Shafiq, Shahid Aslam held the batting coach position after replacing former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf in November 2024.
Smith will now take charge of Pakistan’s batting unit as the team prepares for the upcoming England Test series.
