Misbah formally applies for head coach role

After taking his time to contemplate, Misbah ul Haq today formally applied for the position of head coach of the Pakistan National team. He also submitted his resgination from the PCB’s cricket committee. This comes amid widespread reports that Misbah had already been offered the role by PCB and this now is merely a formality.

The former Pakistan captain has been serving as camp commander for the 20-man training camp.

“It has been interesting to see my name being mentioned as a future head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, but the fact is I only made the decision today,” said Misbah.

“I am applying for the head coach’s role fully aware that the competition will be tough. I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game.”

Last week Misbah had clarified that he hasn’t decided whether to apply for the job or not. However, if eventually, Misbah does get the job there will be questions about the process and his qualification. PCB has been seeking a level 2 coach with three years of coaching experience with elite cricketers. Misbah, who participated in the 2019 PSL, doesn’t have three years of experience.

Moreover, there is another potential sticking point; the role Misbah played in deciding not to renew Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower and Azhar Mahmood’s contracts can be deemed a conflict of interest. Misbah’s relationship with mainstream media hasn’t been too rosy and he is unlikely to get a rousing reception.

However, it does seem that PCB is willing to look past these issues and hand Misbah the job. Interestingly, it has also been reported that Waqar Younus has applied for the bowling coach position. Misbah and Waqar co-engineered a successful period especially in test match in the UAE. However, with two T20 World Cups coming up, it would be a surprise to see the duo working together again.