Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has expressed great concern about the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) managerial instability and its impact on changing the coaching staff frequently. The 49-year-old criticized the PCB for dismissing coaches and players based on short-term outcomes or changes in board leadership.
The PCB has experienced a rapid change of coaches, particularly on the men’s squad. The Mickey Arthur-led crew was ousted after only one year in leadership, following the 2023 World Cup. Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is now the team’s director and coach.
Speaking to the reporters, Misbah-ul-Haq slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s policies, claiming that even local coaches would be unwilling to work with the cricket team. He believes that the board should have longer-term plans for the Pakistan team and that coaches are required to bring out the best in Pakistan players.
“If you look at the policies of the board, leave alone foreign coaches I don’t think even our local coaches want to work with the PCB.
“Pakistan cricket should not be run in such a haphazard manner and we need to have long-term plans for the team management, selectors and grooming of players. Unfortunately in Pakistan, a change in the board leadership changes everything,” Misbah-ul-Haq said.
“I believe you can’t make a good team or groom quality players if proper time is not given for this process. We need to look at the systems of some other countries that are successful,” Misbah-ul-Haq added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to elect a new chairman next month, with Mohsin Naqvi, Punjab’s temporary Chief Minister, emerging as the leading candidate for the role. The process of appointing the next PCB Board of Governors (BoG) chairman will begin once the interim management committee’s tenure ends on February 4, 2022.
Pakistan Should Be Among The Front-runners – Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq believes that Pakistan will be one of the favourites to win the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, considering the talent of players in the Pakistan squad, and voiced his confidence in Test Cricket progressing well, while T20 Cricket will only influence ODI Cricket.
“Our players are also used to conditions in the West Indies so we should be among the front-runners. You can say the popularity of T20 cricket has affected ODI cricket but the Test format will go on,” Misbah-ul-Haq added.
Despite not winning the T20 World Cup since 2009, the Men in Green have impressed throughout the last two editions making it into the semifinals and finals. Pakistan under the leadership of Shaheen Afridi would be keen on moving one step to win the Championship in West Indies.
