Shane Watson drops out of race to be Pakistan head coach

Watson, who is coaching Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9, pulled out of the race as he already has a commentary deal at the Indian Premier League IPL and an agreement to coach San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket, it added.

While Watson had considered the offer after spending time in Pakistan during the PSL, however, he decided to honour his commitments.

As a result of his decision, Pakistan remains without a head coach as they are set to play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand in April and will then play T20Is against England in May ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.

Watson’s agreement to coach Pakistan would have seen him in charge with immediate effect.

An international website reported the Pakistan Cricket Board had offered Watson US$1 million a year. It mentioned that the PCB’s financial offer played no part in Watson’s decision to withdraw.

Before his appointment as the Quetta Gladiators coach, Watson won a PSL title with Gladiators as a player in 2019.

He was appointed Gladiators’ coach ahead of the PSL 9. During the current season, he played a role in replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed with South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw.

During his tenure, Gladiators qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. However, they were eliminated by Islamabad United on March 15.