Pakistan lose bowling coach Ashley Noffke to the Netherlands after the Asian Games

Pakistan's men's team will need a new bowling coach. Ashley Noffke, assistant coach and bowling lead, leaves after the Asian Games to become head coach of the Netherlands men's team on a two-year contract.

His original contract with the PCB ran until June 2027. He is going 21 months early.

What Pakistan loses

Noffke, 49, is a former Australia all-rounder who has coached domestically in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the UK before joining Pakistan's setup. Bowling lead is not a decorative title in this side: Pakistan's selection debates for the last two years have been about which fast bowlers are fit, which are being rotated, and which young quicks are ready. That work sits with whoever holds this job.

He replaces Ryan Cook, who resigned from the Netherlands role. Noffke's first assignment there is a real one, not a rebuilding project. The Netherlands finished in the top four of ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 and go into the World Cup Qualifier, with the T20 World Cup 2028 qualification race running alongside it. This is a team that beat South Africa and Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup and took a group win over Namibia at the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"My approach starts with connection, before the tactic or the plan," Noffke said of the Dutch job.

The timing is the problem

The departure comes in the same week head coach Mike Hesson said publicly that India are the benchmark and Pakistan's challenge is to catch up to that. Hesson has also said the team is preparing for a possible clash with India at the Asian Games.

A head coach making that assessment usually wants his support staff settled, not a vacancy in the bowling department. Whoever the PCB appoints next inherits a fast-bowling group in the middle of a transition and a schedule that does not pause for it.

Pakistan's Asian Games next

The men's cricket competition at the Asian Games in Nisshin, Japan, starts on Thursday 24 September, with Japan against Afghanistan at 5am Pakistan time and Hong Kong against Malaysia at 10am. Pakistan's quarter-final is on Monday 28 September at 5am Pakistan time. Noffke stays through the tournament.

Pakistan's women already have their medal from these Games, a bronze won by 31 runs against Bangladesh on 22 September.

Our Asian Games cricket schedule and draw page has every fixture and Pakistan's route through the bracket, and we update it after each result.