Lahore, Dec 25 (IANS): Former Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat has been appointed high-performance coach for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting from January 12.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Arafat will fly directly to New Zealand with Pakistan's T20I specialists. He has been assigned to the national side for just that one series for the moment.

“Simon Helmot, who has been named as part of the coaching staff for the ongoing Australia series, will be replaced by Yasir” as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Arafat, who has previous coaching experience in New Zealand as well as in England, played 27 international matches, including 13 T20Is, and was a part of Pakistan's victorious 2009 T20 World Cup squad, though he played just one game in the tournament.

This represents yet another shift since Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn were replaced by Mohammad Hafeez as team director and head coach for Pakistan's tour of Australia. Despite not visiting Australia, Arthur and Bradburn are still listed with the PCB and have not yet been transferred to another location.

After Hafeez was appointed, the positions of fast-bowling coach Umar Gul, spin-bowling coach Saeed Ajmal, batting coach Adam Hollioake, and high-performance coach Helmot were revealed.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 17-member squad led by Shaheen Shah Afridi with the series also marking the start of Pakistan’s preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which is scheduled to take place in June 2024.

The T20I series against New Zealand begins on January 12, with the final game on January 21.