Former captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team, Misbah Ul Haq, who was appointed to the joint position of head coach and chief selector for the men’s team in September 2019, has resigned from his role as chief selector.
In a press conference, Haq said that he tendered his resignation so that he can concentrate and focus on the head coach’s role of the men’s national team.
“When I was appointed last year, I was offered the coaching role first and then given the option to also head the selection committee, which I had graciously accepted. I said I would do it but we had a discussion that if I ever felt that giving time to both would be hard, I would leave,” said Misbah at the conference.
He further said: “The most important thing is my passion for the field. My first target as coach is to bring the Pakistan team in the top three in all formats. We should at least win International Cricket Council (ICC) events and that is our target and [we are] focusing on that.”
Misbah also clarified that his resignation was not because of any disagreements with the cricket body or his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan last month.
The PCB, in a press release, stated that the new chief selector will begin his tenure from 1 December and until then, Misbah will continue to carry out selection responsibilities. The decision means Misbah will announce the squads for the home series against Zimbabwe on 19 October and then for the away series against New Zealand.
The first assignment of the new chief selector will be to select the squads for the January home series against South Africa, comprising two Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals.
