Misbah-ul-Haq has offered to resign from Pakistan’s national selection committee after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made major changes to the Test team during the ongoing England tour. However, the PCB has not accepted Misbah’s resignation yet. Misbah has also decided to step down from his role as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The development follows Pakistan’s decision to overhaul the Test squad and coaching staff after a 194-run defeat to England at Lord’s.
The defeat left Pakistan 2-0 down in the three-match series. The final Test will be played at Edgbaston from September 9. Before the final match, Pakistan released seven players: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Pakistan have added five uncapped players to the squad: Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah.
PCB Yet to Accept Misbah’s Resignation
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have also joined the team. The changes extended beyond the playing squad. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were removed as head coach and bowling coach. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke have joined the Test coaching staff for the final match of the series.
Misbah-ul-Haq’s latest role with the PCB started in March. He joined a four-member national selection committee with Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq. Misbah was also working as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. His contract required him to work for 180 days each year. The former Pakistan captain has held several important roles in Pakistan cricket. In 2019, he became the head coach and chief selector.
He gave up the chief selector role in October 2020 and left the head coach position in 2021. Misbah returned to the PCB in 2023 as an adviser under Zaka Ashraf’s ad hoc management committee. He later became one of five mentors for the men’s Champions Cup in 2024 and worked with women’s domestic teams. Last month, he guided Pakistan Gold to victory in the 50-over National Champions Cup in Multan, with Shaheen Afridi leading the side.