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Pakistan Cricket Board are finally appointed new head coach for their red-ball team. While former New Zealand and RCB head coach Mike Hesson is currently the white-ball coach of the Pakistan team for ODIs and T20 matches former Pakistani and Punjab Kings all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has been given the charge of the Test team. The PCB on Monday announced that Mahmood will take over from Jason Gilliespie officially till the end of his current contract – which is there until April 2026. Mahmood had signed a two-year contract with the PCB in April 2024 back then as an assistant coach for all three formats to the game. He was supposed to assists Gillespie (Tests) and former South Africa and Team India head coach Gary Kirsten (white ball). However both Gillespie and Kirsten ended their contracts prematurely. “The Pakistan Cricket Board today announces Azhar Mahmood as the acting red-ball head coach of the Pakistan mens team. Azhar will serve in this role until the conclusion of his current contract” the PCB said in a statement.   🚨 AZHAR MAHMOOD HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS INTERIM RED-BALL HEAD COACH OF PAKISTAN -He will continue to work on this position until the conclusion of his existing contract with the PCB. pic.twitter.com/KVjNvm8M1m — junaiz (@dhillow_) June 30 2025 “A seasoned cricketing mind Azhar Mahmood steps into the role with an impressive portfolio of experience. Having served as the assistant head coach of the national side Azhar has long been a pivotal part of the teams strategic core. His deep knowledge of the game combined with hands-on international exposure and proven success in the English county circuit make him exceptionally well-suited for this position” the PCB added. Mahmood turned out for Preity Zinta co-owned Punjab Kings in the IPL 2012 and 2013 season. He was also signed up by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2015 season but he only played in one match that year. Former PBKS (Kings XI Punjab back then) Mahmood claimed 29 wickets in two season – 14 and 15 wickets – respectively in the 22 matches that he played. He also scored 388 runs in 23 IPL matches with two fifties and a best of 80. The PCB highlighted Mahmood’s achievements in winning County Championship titles for Surrey as their assistant coach. “His red-ball pedigree is underscored by two County Championship titles — an achievement that speaks volumes about his leadership tactical acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence” the PCB statement read. “The PCB is confident that under Azhars guidance the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength discipline and performance on the global stage” the statement added. Mahmood who is 50 years of age played in 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan between 1996 and 2007. He scored a century of Test debut against South Africa in Rawalpindi back in 1997. He claimed 123 wickets in ODIs while scoring 1521 runs and 39 wickets in Tests with 900 runs including 3 centuries and 1 fifty.