Misbah to step down from chief selector's role to focus on coaching: PCB
Oct 14, 2020
Lahore [Pakistan], October 14 : Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday said that Misbah-ul-Haq has decided to step down from the chief selector's responsibilities to concentrate and focus on the head coach's role of the men's national team.
"The new chief selector will begin his tenure from December 1 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," PCB said in a release.
Misbah communicated his decision to PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan in Islamabad last week during the National T20 Cup.
Commenting on his decision, Misbah-ul-Haq said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed the dual roles but after reviewing the past 12 months and looking ahead at the workload in the Misbah to step down from 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. 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 am grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their understanding and for supporting my thought process," he added.
PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said: "The PCB wholeheartedly respects Misbah's decision on stepping away from the chief selector role. When he took on the national head coach role, we also required him to take on the chief selector's role due to circumstances at that point in time."
"Pakistan has three global events, including two Asia Cups and the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, as well as 10 Future Tour Programme commitments over the next 24 years. As head coach of the national side, he has reassessed his priorities and believes he has a better chance of producing the desired results by focusing solely on the coaching side. We are very happy to support his thinking on this," he added.
Pakistan will host Zimbabwe for the limited-overs series commencing from October 30. The teams will play three ODIs in Rawalpindi and as many T20Is in Lahore.
