Misbah-ul-Haq to step down as Pakistan’s chief selector

After a year of serving Pakistan cricket in a dual capacity, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has announced he will step down as the chief selector. However, he will continue to fulfil his duties as the head coach of the Pakistan team.

Misbah’s decision comes on the back of the Pakistan team’s eventful next two years that are going to keep the team busy. The former batsman stressed his importance as the head coach and said he wanted to focus more on this job. Until a new chief selector takes his place on December 1, Misbah will continue to don the role.

New Zealand series, last assignment

Pakistan kick off their home season with a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe on October 30. Both teams will also face off in three T20Is post the ODIs. In December-January, they will travel to New Zealand for an extensive Test and T20 series. Misbah will be in charge of the team’s selection for both these series. The new chief selector’s first assignment will be to select the squad that will face South Africa in January in a two-Test and three-T20I series.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the dual roles but after reviewing the past 12 months and looking ahead at the workload in the next 24 months of my tenure, it is appropriate that I invest and dedicate all my time, energy and attention to one role from now on. Coaching is my passion and my ultimate objective remains to contribute to the development of players and help the side achieve bigger successes,” Misbah said, speaking about his decision.

Although he will no longer be in charge of selections, Misbah said he will be working closely with the new chief selector after his appointment.

“With the new Cricket Association system in full flow, the chief selector has to be able to watch as much domestic cricket as possible. With a big 24 months now coming up, we have mutually agreed that there is a need for me now to be fully focused on one role. I look forward to a strong working relationship with the new chair of the selection committee and hope together we will achieve our collective objectives,” Misbah said.

Pakistan under Misbah

Since Misbah took over the dual role in September 2019, Pakistan played only a couple of series, in which they returned fairly decent results. In January 2020, they beat the visiting Bangladesh team 2-0 in a three-T20I series. They also won the first Test, following which the series was called off due to the coronavirus situation. Pakistan then travelled to the UK for their first bio-secure series, a decision that was highly appreciated around the world in times of the pandemic. However, they lost the rain-affected Test series 1-0, while the T20I series ended in a 1-1 draw.