Yasir Arafat to serve as Pakistan's coach in Mickey Arthur's absence

Islamabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former player Yasir Arafat as the national team's new bowling coach and will also serve as the head coach whenever Mickey Arthur is not available, according to a news report.

Arthur is set to be unveiled as Pakistan's 'team director' soon and will have the option of choosing when to accompany the team due to his commitment with Derbyshire and his reluctance to take on a full-time coaching role, said the Pakistan Observer newspaper in a report on Friday.

Arafat, the former Pakistan international who has been appointed to take over the role held by Saqlain Mushtaq and former bowling coach Shaun Tait, is likely to lead Pakistan on its tour of Sri Lanka in July and the Asia Cup in September before Arthur joins the team for the ODI World Cup in India and Pakistan's tour of Australia later in the year, the report said.

Arafat has coaching experience at the domestic level and is the first Pakistan Test cricketer to complete a level 4 coaching course offered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

He has represented Pakistan in 11 ODIs, 13 T20Is and 3 Test matches and has also played franchise cricket around the world.