Misbah-ul-Haq resigns as Chief Selector

Misbah-ul-Haq has announced that he is quitting his role as Pakistan’s chief selector. He will continue as head coach.

According to the details, Misbah Ul Haq will continue to serve as the head coach of the men’s team.

The former skipper was under pressure over his dual responsibilities as teams head coach and chief selector, sources said.

The 46-year-old will stay in the dual role until November 30 before his successor will assume the responsibilities on December 1. This scenario implies that Misbah will be selecting Pakistan’s limited-overs squad for the upcoming home fixtures against Zimbabwe starting October 30.

The former Pakistan skipper’s tenure in this capacity was marred by a loss of form in T20Is, where his team slipped down to No. 4 from ruling the roster for 27 months.

The team also endured a humiliating series whitewash in Australia and were defeated by England 1-0 in their first international series following the coronavirus outbreak.

Addressing the press conference, Misbah Ul Haq said “It is my choice to quit the post of the chief selector as it would be difficult for me to focus on coaching due to the cricket team’s upcoming international commitments,” he said.

“Had this been the case, I would have been removed from both posts,” he said.

Misbah said when he was given the charge in 2019, he had conveyed to the PCB that there would be significant challenges in wearing two hats.

“They (PCB) gave me the option to decide which responsibility I would like to retain, and I opted for coaching.”

However, he clarified that he would still select the teams for the upcoming Zimbabwe and New Zealand series.

When asked to share his opinion on working as chief selector and head coach, Misbah described it as “a good experiment” but pointed out that his engagements had increased.