Grant Bradburn steps down as PCB's head of high-performance coaching

Grant Bradburn has stepped down as the head of coaching at PCB's high-performance centre (HPC) 18 months before his contract was due to get over "to pursue further coaching opportunities", the PCB said on Friday.

"It has been an honour and privilege to serve Pakistan, providing challenge and support, to drive the players, coaches and teams forward," Bradburn said in a statement. "I will leave PCB grateful for the wonderful opportunities and the experiences I have gained. As a foreigner, I felt welcomed and valued by my present and former PCB colleagues, players, officials and the Pakistan public. I have always felt safe here, loved exploring this wonderful country and made many lifetime friends.

"My wife Maree and three children have also sacrificed a lot in allowing me to serve Pakistan cricket. Covid-19 regulations made it challenging for them to visit Pakistan and feel the warmth, love and friendship this country offers. It is now time for me to prioritise family and move forward to the next coaching challenge."

Bradburn, the former New Zealand allrounder, had been working in Pakistan for the last three years, first as the national men's side's fielding coach, since September 2018, before taking over the new role at the HPC in May 2020 when the National Cricket Academy was revamped.

Bradburn became the fourth high-profile individual in the coaching set-up to resign since Ramiz Raja took over as the chairman of the board. Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis were the first ones to step down from their respective roles as head coach and bowling coach of the men's national team, which was followed by the exit of PCB CEO Wasim Khan.

The HPC took shape after Wasim brought in David Parsons, a former director of the ECB's high-performance centre, in 2019 to look at the system and suggest recommendations. The report was filed in 2020, and after that, the PCB's department for domestic cricket and the national cricket academy were merged to form a new set-up, the HPC, which takes care of many things, including regulating the domestic circuit and developing cricketers for the highest level. The PCB's medical department, which worked independently earlier, was also integrated with the HPC.

The setup was also changed in a big way at the same time, with a new batch of employees brought in and prominent names such as Mudassar Nazar, Haroon Rasheed and Ali Zia released. Bradburn was joined by Saqlain Mushtaq, as head of international player development, and Nadeem Khan as director. Former internationals Mohammad Yousuf (batting), Mohammad Zahid (bowling) and Atiq-uz-Zaman (fielding and wicketkeeping) were also included as coaches.

Nadeem said in a statement, "Grant served Pakistan cricket with passion and dedication. He was always full of energy and ideas, a number of which he implemented following the restructuring of the National High Performance Centre. I thank Grant for his contributions to Pakistan cricket and wish him well in his future endeavours."

Cricday understands that the PCB will look for a replacement for Bradburn, but on a later date.