Pakistan chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has announced his retirement from his post to focus on being the head coach of the team.
Since September 2019, Misbah-ul-Haq has served Pakistan in dual capacity by being the team’s head coach and chief selector. Now, he has decided to step down as a chief selector as he wanted to focus more on coaching the team.
Talking about his decision, 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 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.
He also added that he had felt pressured with his duties when he had to carry the responsibility for both roles. Also, his decision may have been impacted by Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new code of ethics in July 2020 which had an emphasis in resolving issues of conflict of interests.
Since Ul-Haq had taken both roles, Pakistan only featured in two series -- one against Bangladesh in January and one against England in August. Despite having stepped down from the position, he will still continue to carry out the duties of until a new chief selector takes his place on December 1. With that, he will still be in charge of the team selection for Pakistan’s series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. To learn more about how cricket is played, check out Betwala.
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