Misbah-ul-Haq has put in his papers as Head of Test cricket with the Pakistan men’s national selection committee after an overhaul in the playing XI and coaching setup by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during its tour of England.
As per reports, Misbah’s resignation has not yet been duly accepted by the PCB. He has also opted out of his role as a batting consultant with the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, seemingly signing off from a separate chapter of his involvement with Pakistan cricket.
PCB Makes Major Changes After England Test Defeat
This follows shortly after Pakistan’s crushing 194-run defeat against England at Lord’s which put them 0-2 down in the three-match Test series. The PCB implemented wide-ranging changes ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston starting on September 9.
Seven players were dropped from the Test squad while Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed as head coach and also Umar Gul was sacked from bowling coach role.
The seven players were Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
Five Uncapped Players Added to Pakistan Squad
The PCB has inducted several young and inexperienced players into the Test setup as part of this reshuffle. The squad sees the inclusion of five uncapped cricketers – Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah.
Pakistan have included Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal as they get ready for the final Test.
Another change is a slightly altered coaching squad. For the rest of the England tour, Pakistan’s Test side has brought in new blood into its coaching ranks with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke – currently engaged with white ball teams as Pakistan’s head coach and bowling coach respectively.
Misbah’s Long Association With Pakistan Cricket
Since his retirement from international cricket in 2017, Misbah has served multiple high-profile roles with Pakistan. He stands as one of Pakistan’s greatest Test skippers and has gone on to play an advisory role in various capacities.
Misbah approached as Pakistan’s head coach and chief selector in 2019: In 2019, he became the head coach cum chief selector of the Pak team to manage and select the players for him. He resigned as chief selector later in October 2020 to focus on his coaching assignments. His first real season, where he was no longer the interim head coach, he ended up resigning the following year.
Two years later, his association with PCB resumed but in a different role when he was brought on board as an advisor to the new management committee headed by Zaka Ashraf.
Misbah’s Recent Roles
Even after Misbah was back in the PCB setup, he stayed involved with several domestic and development programmes. In 2024 he was named as one of the mentors for the men’s Champions Cup, a now defunct event.
He also served as a mentor to women domestic teams and recently guided the Pakistan Gold side in the Champions Cup. Last month, Shaheen Afridi’s Team Gold won the 50-over tournament in Multan.
Misbah was selected into a four-man national selection committee alongside Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq in March this year.
In addition to his selection responsibilities, he was also contracted with PCB as a batting consultant for up to 180 days a year.
What Misbah’s Resignation Means for Pakistan Cricket
Misbah’s decision to quit comes at a troubled time for Pakistan cricket. Pakistan’s series defeat in the first two matches had already led to the latest squad changes and coaching adjustments midway through an important Test tour.
Misbah’s resignation will need to be accepted by the PCB but whether he formally quits the selection committee or can thrash out a potential deal with the board is yet to be revealed.
The third Test at Edgbaston is next for Pakistan, as they will seek to end the England tour on a high following being 2-0 down in the series.