Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) high performance coach Grant Bradburn has resigned from his position to pursue further coaching opportunities. The PCB in a statement said on Friday that Bradburnhad had stepped down to look for other “coaching challenges”. “It has been an honour and privilege to serve Pakistan, providing challenge and support, to drive the players, coaches and teams forward,” Bradburn said in a statement. “I will leave PCB grateful for the wonderful opportunities and the experiences I have gained. As a foreigner, I felt welcomed and valued by my present and former PCB colleagues, players, officials and the Pakistan public. I have always felt safe here, loved exploring this wonderful country and made many lifetime friends. My wife Maree and three children have also sacrificed a lot in allowing me to serve Pakistan cricket. Covid-19 regulations made it challenging for them to visit Pakistan and feel the warmth, love and friendship this country offers. It is now time for me to prioritise family and move forward to the next coaching challenge.”

Bradburn, the former New Zealand allrounder, had been working in Pakistan for the last three years, first as the national men’s side’s fielding coach, since September 2018, before taking over the new role at the High Performance Center (HPC) in May 2020 when the National Cricket Academy was revamped. Bradburn became the fourth high-profile individual in the coaching set-up to resign since Ramiz Raja took over as the Chairman of the PCB. Misbahul Haq and Waqar Younis were the first ones to step down from their respective roles as head coach and bowling coach of the men’s national team, which was followed by the exit of PCB CEO Wasim Khan.

The HPC took shape after Wasim brought in David Parsons, a former director of the ECB’s High-Performance Centre, in 2019 to look at the system and suggest recommendations. The report was filed in 2020, and after that, the PCB’s department for domestic cricket and the National Cricket Academy were merged to form a new set-up, the HPC, which takes care of many things, including regulating the domestic circuit and developing cricketers for the highest level. The PCB’s medical department, which worked independently earlier, was also integrated with the HPC.