# Pakistan set to name Mike Smith as Test batting coach ahead of England tour 2026-08-05T23:16:47+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Pakistan were preparing to appoint former South African first-class cricketer Mike Smith as Test batting coach ahead of the tour of England, replacing Asad Shafiq, according to a Telecom Asia Sport report cited by ZeeNews India. Unnamed sources told the outlet Smith applied after the Pakistan Cricket Board advertised the post and would take charge for the England tour, and that Shafiq's role was criticised because he also sat on the men's and women's selection committees while heading the board's Karachi academy. The report said Pakistan has cycled through several batting coaches in three years and that the board's advertisement drew few applications, with sources suggesting foreign coaches see the job as short-lived. Smith, a Level 4 coach, previously worked with Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League. Pakistan had lost eight straight Tests away from home at the time of the report. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Pakistan's reported switch to Mike Smith as Test batting coach stands on unnamed sourcing carried through a single outlet, ahead of any confirmation the cricket board itself has issued, so the move is best read as reported rather than finalised. The detail on Asad Shafiq's overlapping selection-committee duties comes from that same anonymous sourcing, while the run of eight straight away Tests lost is carried as the report's own statement. The Pakistan Cricket Board's own announcement, which the report expects a few days before the England Test series, will confirm or contradict the appointment. ## Coverage - ZeeNews India Tags: Mike Smith, Pakistan Cricket Board Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/pakistan-appoint-former-south-african-mike-smith-as-test-batting-coach-ahead-of-england-tour/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/pakistan-appoint-former-south-african-mike-smith-as-test-batting-coach-ahead-of-england-tour/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.