KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket board axed coach Mickey Arthur on Wednesday after the team failed to get out of their group in a disappointing World Cup.
Arthur’s contract expired after last month’s World Cup, won by hosts England, and the South African had asked for a two-year extension.
But Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ehsan Mani said Arthur and his assistant coaches Grant Flower and Azhar Mahmood had all been shown the door.
Reports say Arthur has been shortlisted as the next England coach after Trevor Bayliss departs following the ongoing Ashes Test series.
“PCB will be immediately undertaking a robust recruitment process after it decided not to renew the contracts of head coach Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden,” the board said in a statement.
Pakistan’s new coaching staff will be appointed after a four-member committee assesses the team’s performance at the World Cup, it said.
Pakistan lost heavily to arch-rivals India at the World Cup but finished with a record of five wins from nine matches, including one game that was rained off.
They scored 11 points were unlucky to be pipped to the semifinals by New Zealand — who also had 11 points — on net run-rate.
The PCB committee, which includes former captains Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq and which met on Friday, was unanimous in calling for new coaches.
“The committee comprised of individuals who possess tremendous acumen, experience and knowledge,” Mani said.
“The unanimous recommendation of the committee was that it was time for new leadership and a fresh approach.”
Pakistan dump coach Arthur after World Cup flop
Pakistan dump coach Arthur after World Cup flop
- New coaching staff will be appointed after a four-member committee assessment
- Arthur has been shortlisted as the next England coach, reports
Pakistani sculptor turns scrap into colossal metal artworks
- Self-taught Islamabad artist Ehtisham Jadoon builds 14-foot metal sculptures using more than 90 percent discarded vehicle parts
- Former martial artist scours scrapyards weekly, transforming scrap into giant beasts and ‘Transformers’-inspired figures
ISLAMABAD: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by “Transformers” movies and dinosaurs.
The 35-year-old sculptor’s studio brims with cogs, chains, hubcaps and engine parts as his hulking creations — a lion with a mane of twisted steel, a giant Tyrannosaurus rex and a towering Optimus Prime — take shape.
“I have always been fascinated by metal objects,” Jadoon told AFP after assembling the 14-foot (4-meter) “Transformers” character, his biggest creation yet.
“When I see metals in scrap, I imagine forms in which it could be utilized.”
It took Jadoon and his team months of welding and warping to fashion his Optimus Prime, with over 90 percent of its parts sourced from discarded vehicle pieces.
The arms are forged from motorbike springs and gears, its shoulders are curve from car rims, the spine is molded from a fuel tank and its knees are pieced together with chains and suspension parts.
Even its piercing eyes are crafted from vehicle bearings, completing a sculpture that is both intricate and awesome.
“Whenever I see an object, I visualize a form,” Jadoon said.
“I could imagine a block transforming into a shape, so I simply solve the puzzle and bring it to life.”
‘Waste becomes valuable’
Jadoon, a former martial artist who once worked in the steel fabrication business, has never formally studied art. He designs his gargantuan models spontaneously while working.
He told AFP he has to visit a doctor almost every week due to sparks affecting his eyes and burns on his hands and arms, yet he insists this is the only work in which he can channel the energy of his training as a fighter.
Jadoon’s work primarily focuses on crafting giants, beasts and powerful forms, which he describes as a reflection of aggression.
“Setting the anatomy and proportions requires visualization from multiple angles and repeated adjustments,” he said.
Every week, Jadoon tours scrapyards in Islamabad, sifting through tons of discarded metal in search of pieces that fit into his imagination and then become sculptures.
“What is waste to us became something valuable in his hands,” scrapyard owner Bostan Khan told AFP.
“It’s incredible to witness.”
