England v Pakistan

Lord’s, Thursday, May 24 TV: Sky Sports Main Event

out there what we think is applicable to the players.” The cultural shifts Arthur is trying to achieve are the reason he finds international coaching more rewarding than the T20 franchise circuit, which he remains involved with as Karachi Kings head coach.

“With the international team, you can build teams and watch players develop because you have them for about 11 months. In the T20s, you have them for six weeks. It’s pretty short.”

With South Africa, Arthur was viewed as a back-seat driver, working with captain Graeme Smith and a coterie of formidable senior players. With Australia, he admits, he was not flexible enough.

“I probably didn’t listen and watch enough. With Pakistan, we’ve come in with a real good plan and modified that culturally, then gone with it.”

His job is an onerous one. While Pakistan’s white-ball cricket has been transformed, the Test team have slumped to seventh.

The cultural change Arthur is working to establish necessitates a more active model of coaching. Even during international series, he believes that small technical modifications – tinkering with a bowler’s front arm or a batsman’s trigger movements – can be made.

“We’re sitting with a fairly young team that needs direction, and because we’re giving them that, they’re listening. If they’re a little bit older, they don’t need that. They know their games.”

Arthur is working on reducing the gap between Pakistan’s best and worst days, making them a team who can still win Test matches in a single session but no longer lose them in one.

“Consistency is getting closer,” he says. “I’d like to stay on as long as possible because I think there’s a lot of room for growth.

“I just hope I can put enough in order to develop this Test team into what they can become.”