Pakistan were hit with two big blows as they had to see a major shuffle in their coaching staff with World T20 in just 50 days' time! Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis have decided to step down from their respective roles with immediate effect citing the life in bio-bubble environments.
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Pakistan recently completed their Caribbean tour during which they played a 4-match T20I series and a 2-match Test series. Pakistan won the T20I series by 1-0 while the Test series was level 1-1. However, Misbah was tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of the tour and he had to remain in the Caribbean to finish his quarantine as the rest of the team reached Pakistan!
Misbah stated that he was spending too much time away from his family especially in the bio-bubble environments. And this is the main motivator to step down from the role with immediate effect.
The quarantine in Jamaica post the West Indies series provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the past 24 months as well as the schedule for international cricket ahead. Considering that I would have had to continue to spend considerable time away from my family and that too in a bio-secure environment, I have decided to step down from the role.
I understand that the timing may not be ideal, but I don’t think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges and it makes sense for someone fresh to step in and take the side forward. The past 24 months have been thoroughly enjoyable and I want to thank my team and the management for their support.
On the other hand, Waqar Younis was appointed as bowling coach in 2019 while Misbah took over as head coach. He feels it is the right time to step aside at the same time as Misbah as they were both appointed at the same time!
After Misbah shared with me his decision and future plans, it was a straightforward one for me to resign as we had walked into the roles together, had worked collectively as a pair, and now also step down together. Working with the Pakistan bowlers, including the youngsters, has been most satisfying as they have now started to show progress. Bio-secure environments in the past 16 months have had their impact, something we had never experienced during our playing days.
Pakistan have appointed their former players Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq in the interim roles for the upcoming home series against New Zealand. Pakistan will play a 3-match ODI series against New Zealand starting from September 17 followed by a 5-match T20I series from 25th September! The ODIs on this tour will be played in Rawalpindi while the T20Is will be played in Lahore.
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