Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq was unanimously appointed as the new coach of the Pakistan cricket team. He would also serve as the chief selector of the side. He has also managed to get legendary former fast bowler Waqar Younis appointed as the bowling coach. Both men have been contracted for a three-year term.
According to reports, Misbah was the unanimous pick of a five-member panel that had been given the responsibility of choosing the coach for the national team by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
This panel consisted of former captain Intikhab Alam, former cricketer and now a commentator Bazid Khan, director of International cricket in PCB Zakir Khan, member of the board of governors Asad Ali Khan and the chief executive of PCB Wasim Khan.
It is worth remembering that Misbah was a highly successful captain of the Pakistan Test team after he took over during the infamous 2010 tour of England where the spot-fixing scandal had broken out and caused great havoc in the cricket fraternity of that country. Under his guardianship, Pakistan remained unbeaten in a Test series in their adopted home of UAE.
But coaching the Pakistan team isn't the only new job that has been entrusted to Misbah. He will also serve as the chief selector of Pakistan cricket team. This move is to ensure that there is no dissonance between the team management and the selection committee. The previous selection committee headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq faced a lot of flak for its selections during the World Cup.
Another very important decision by the PCB is to appoint Waqar Younis as bowling coach. The all-time great former pacer had been the coach of Pakistan twice previously. It is understandable why Misbah would have wanted him as the bowling coach. Both men have experience of working together and Waqar is expected to provide very valuable inputs to the highly-talented group of pace bowlers that the country possesses.
There was a great outcry for change in Pakistan in relation to the cricket team after their disappointing performance in the 2019 World Cup. Allegations of nepotism and favouritism were levelled against Inzamam and company. The coach Mickey Arthur also faced the ire of angry commentators and ex-players.
During the course of his captaincy, Misbah was able to use his spin bowlers like Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Yasir Shah, etc. to great effect. It would be interesting to see what kind of team the former captain builds in his new role.
