Pakistan Men’s National Cricket Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq and Bowling Coach Waqar Younis have resigned from their respective coaching roles. Misbah and Waqar leave after two years with a year still left in their contracts. The duo informed the Pakistan Cricket Board about their decision earlier today as the PCB announced the squads for the upcoming series against New Zealand and England home series and the T20 World Cup 2021. The PCB has appointed Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq in an interim capacity as New Zealand scheduled is to arrive in Pakistan for a limited-overs series later this month.
In a statement issued by the PCB, Misbah said that reflected on his position and the upcoming schedule for international cricket while he was in quarantine in Jamaica after the West Indies. He said, “Considering that I would have had to continue to spend considerable time away from my family and that too in a bio-secure environment, I have decided to step down from the role.
“I understand that the timing may not be ideal but I don’t think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges and it makes sense for someone fresh to step in and take the side forward.”, Misbah added.
Waqar said it was a “straightforward” decision for him once Misbah shared his decision and future plans with him. He said it made sense to step down together after accepting the roles together back in September 2019. Former pace bowler said, “Working with the Pakistan bowlers, including the youngsters, has been most satisfying as they have now started to show progress. Bio-secure environments in the past 16 months have had their impact, something we had never experienced during our playing days.
“The next eight months will be busy and exciting for the Pakistan team and, like in the past, I will continue to back and cheer them. I want to thank each and every member of the Pakistan cricket team set-up as we stayed united in good and bad days, and hope there will be brighter days ahead.”
PCB’s Chief Executive Wasim Khan called Misbah and Waqar’s decision “honourable” as he thanked the duo for serving Pakistan cricket. Wasim said, “The PCB understands and respects Misbah’s decision. Cricket in this unprecedented bio-secure world has not been easy for anyone and Misbah has clearly taken into account the intense six months of non-stop cricket ahead.
Both Misbah and Waqar have given so much to Pakistan cricket over a long period of time and for that, they deserve a huge amount of respect.”
On the interim coaching setup, Wasin said, “Saqlain is the Head of International Player Development at the National High Performance Centre, while Abdul Razzaq’s domestic side (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) won three titles in the 2020-21 season. Both Saqlain and Razzaq are ready to step up and are very much looking forward to making important contributions in their coaching roles against New Zealand.”
