Misbah-ul-Haq steps down as Pakistan cricket team chief selector, to remain head coach

Former Pakistan cricketer
Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday stepped down from his role of the chief selector of
the national cricket team to focus on his role as a head coach of the team, reported PTI.

Misbah informed about his decision at
a press briefing in Lahore on Wednesday and said that he had informed the
Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) of his decision to step down on November 30.

The 45-year-old was given the dual
role of the chief selector and head coach in September last year.

Misbah said, “I will select the squad
for the coming series against Zimbabwe but after that I just want to focus on
my work as head coach.”

Misbah added that he did not quit as chief
selector due to pressure from the board.

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The former national cricket team captain
said, “It is purely my personal decision. I think it is not easy doing two high profile jobs at one time. I want to give my
best as head coach of the national team.”

“Whoever is appointed as chief selector,
I will fully cooperate with him and work to take the Pakistan team into the top
three of every format,” Misbah added.

The former captain stated that his decision
was purely to benefit his team and ascertained that it had nothing to do with his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan
last month, when he and senior players, Azhar Ali and Muhammad Hafeez, raised
the issue of departmental teams being closed down in domestic cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Control Board(PCB)
had stated that it was not happy with Misbah and two other cricketers who approached the PM to discuss a policy decision of the board.

“If that
meeting was the reason behind my decision, then I think I
would have also lost my head coach position,” Misbah said.

PCB
chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan recently conducted a meeting with
Misbah and Azhar and had cautioned them of not making the mistake of directly
seeking meeting with the PM.

The former Pakistani cricketer stated that with time one learns whether a decision is right or wrong.

He
furthered said, ” When I
accepted both positions, I thought I could manage it but with time I think it is
better for me to focus on one job.”

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He further
added that in his tenure the national team had shown some development and added
that some good young players had come up.