Will announce the squad for Zimbabwe and New Zealand series before new chief selector takes over
\nMonitoring Desk
\nLAHORE
\nPakistan Head Coach and erstwhile Chief Selector Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday announced that he was resigning from his position as chief selector to \u201cfocus on coaching\u201d.
\nDuring his press conference at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters in Lahore, he rubbished rumours that the decision to resign had anything to do with his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
\nThe announcement from the former skipper came after a review of his one-year performance and in light of a newly announced code of ethics, according to a media.
\nHe had reportedly been under extreme pressure since he was given the charge in 2019. Several former cricketers and experts had opposed the move.
\n\u201cIt is my choice to quit the post of chief selector as it will be difficult for me to focus on both [responsibilities] due to the cricket team\u2019s upcoming international commitments,\u201d he said.
\nHe refuted rumours that he was quitting because the PCB management is unhappy with him over his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
\n\u201cHad this been the case, I would have been removed from both posts,\u201d he said.
\nMisbah said when he was given the charge in 2019, he had conveyed to the PCB that there would be significant challenges in wearing two hats.
\n\u201cThey (PCB) gave me the option to decide which responsibility I would like to retain, and I opted for coaching.\u201d
\nHowever, he clarified that he would still select the teams for the upcoming Zimbabwe and New Zealand series.
\nWhen asked to share his opinion on working as chief selector and head coach, Misbah described it as \u201ca good experiment\u201d but pointed out that his engagements had increased.
\nThe new chief selector will assume his duties on December 1, he added.
\n\u2018Positive U-Turn\u2019
\nFormer cricketer and analyst Sikandar Bakht termed the development as \u201ca positive U-Turn\u201d.
\n\u201cIt is said that wise people take u-turns and I think that although he took the decision late, he (Misbah) took the right step. We had been saying the same thing for the last one year,\u201d he said.
\nHe also slammed the PCB officials who had given Misbah dual responsibilities.
\nCommenting on the development, cricket expert Alia Rasheed said this was the right thing to do as having two responsibilities was a challenging task. \u201cMisbah took the correct decision,\u201d she said.
\nMohammad Akram tipped to replace Misbah
\nFormer fast bowler Mohammad Akram is likely to be appointed new chief selector in place of Misbah-ul-Haq.
\nAccording to Geo News sources, matters between Muhammad Akram and the PCB management have been finalised, however, an announcement in this regard will be made soon.
\nCurrently, Akram is associated with Peshawar Zalmi as director and has also served as the bowling coach of the Pakistan cricket team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Will announce the squad for Zimbabwe and New Zealand series before new chief selector takes over Monitoring Desk LAHORE Pakistan Head Coach and erstwhile Chief Selector Misbah-ul-Haq on Wednesday announced that he was resigning from his position as chief selector to \u201cfocus on coaching\u201d. During his press conference at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-150598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n