Misbah at the helm

Pakistan’s cricket chiefs are currently trying to reshape the sport in the country. By handing the previously untested Misbah-ul-Haq the dual role of Pakistan cricket’s head coach and chief selector, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that it will not shy away from taking any risks. At best, Misbah’s appointment to the dual role is a gamble. It could work, just like Misbah’s surprise appointment as Pakistan’s captain almost nine years ago. At that time, he helped bring together an under-achieving team and took it to the top of the world Test rankings. He retired from international cricket as Pakistan’s most successful captain back in 2017. So can he repeat similar success as Pakistan’s head coach and chief selector? On paper, he is a coaching novice. Misbah has never worked as a coach or a selector which makes his appointment a surprising one. In fact, the PCB had to ignore its own set of requirements to select Misbah for a job that was sought by men like Australian great Dean Jones and former Pakistan Test opener and coach Mohsin Khan.

The board has also brought back former coach Waqar Younis, this time as the national team’s bowling coach. Waqar’s coaching tenures coincided with Misbah’s seven-year captaincy reign. The two are believed to be close and it’s apparent that the PCB believes that together the duo can lift the Pakistan team to new heights. While Waqar has rich coaching credentials, Misbah is a rookie and will need to learn on the job – fast. The PCB has handed him a three-year contract together with unprecedented powers as this is the first time in Pakistan cricket history that the head coach will also be the chief selector.

As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Because of his dual role, Misbah will be made answerable each time the team performs badly. Given the Pakistan team’s history, that is bound to happen more often than not. Unlike past coaches, he won’t have the luxury to deflect the blame on the national selectors. The upside is that Misbah is a mentally strong character, something that he proved during his captaincy tenure. Pakistan cricket needs him to click again in what is going to be an interesting second innings.