Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander as coaches for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as confirmed on Monday. Hayden and Philander replace Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis after both coaches stepped down from their respective roles shortly after the World Cup squad was named last week.

Announing the decision, PCB’s newly appointed chairman, Ramiz Raja said, “Matthew Hayden is Australian and has experience of winning World Cups and was a great player himself. It might be very beneficial to have an Australian occupying the dressing room. And Pakistan, of course, can win the World Cup, they just need to improve their performances an extra 10%.”

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He further dded, “Vernon Philander I know very well, and he understands bowling and has a great record against Australia.”

The coaching appointments come right after Ramiz Raja getting unnimously eleted as the PCB chairman. Raja, who played more than 250 international matches for Pakistan from 1984 to 1997, replaces Ehsan Mani who stepped down from his role last month.

After his retirement, Ramiz Raja became a cricket commentator. The 59-year-old served as the PCB chief executive from 2003 to 2004.

Talking bout the same, Ramiz Raja said, “One of my key focuses will be to help introduce in the Pakistan men’s cricket team the same culture, mindset, attitude and approach that once made Pakistan one of the most feared cricket playing nations. Obviously, as a former cricketer, my other priority will be to look into the welfare of our past and present cricketers.”

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He further elaborated, “The game has and will always be about the cricketers and, as such, they deserve more recognition and respect from their parent institution.”