KARACHI: Shane Watson has withdrawn from the race for the post of Pakistan head coach after being the PCB’s preferred candidate.
Watson, the former Australian all-rounder who coached Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) this season, was last week in advanced discussions to take over as Pakistan’s limited-overs coach. He is understood to have seriously considered the offer after thoroughly enjoying his time in Pakistan during the PSL and was excited at the prospect of working with the Pakistani players.
But ESPNcricinfo understands Watson has decided to stick to his current coaching and commentary commitments for the time being. Watson currently has an IPL commentary contract and a head coaching role in Major League Cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns, alongside his role with the Quetta Gladiators. He also has a young family and is based in Sydney.
A full-time position in Pakistan would see him take charge with immediate effect ahead of Pakistan’s next limited-overs series against New Zealand at home in April and commit to Pakistan’s full-year limited-overs programme.
Watson’s decision to pull out of the race means Pakistan will be without a head coach ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Pakistan are also scheduled to play T20Is against England in May before the T20 World Cup in June.
While news reports in Pakistan suggested Watson’s PCB bid was around US$2 million per year, ESPNcricinfo understands the actual figure was closer to half that figure. It is understood that the PCB’s financial offer played no part in Watson’s decision to withdraw. The speed with which developments regarding the PCB’s interest in Watson as head coach occurred meant that accepting the offer would require him to leave his other roles at short notice, which is understood to be the main reason for stepping down.
Watson was appointed as the head coach of Quetta Gladiators late last year. In 2019, he won the title with the Gladiators as a player.
In his first season as coach, he saw changes at the top, most notably playing a major role in replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed – who had served as the franchise’s captain for eight years – with South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw.
The Gladiators got off to an extremely strong start, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. However, they lost momentum towards the end of the tournament and were knocked out by Islamabad United on Friday.
