MISBAH STEPS DOWN AS PAKISTAN HEAD COACH, BOWLING COACH WAQAR YOUNIS ALSO RESIGNS

Pakistan men’s national cricket team head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis have stepped down from their respective roles. They communicated their decisions to the Pakistan Cricket Board late on Monday morning.

With the New Zealand side due to arrive on September 11 for the three ODI and five T20I series and the Pakistan side to assemble in Islamabad on September 8, the PCB has appointed Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as interim coaches for the series, with the team management for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to be appointed in due course. “Misbah and Waqar were appointed in September 2019 and still had a year each left in their contracts,” PCB said in its official statement.

Misbah-ul-Haq said: “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,” he added.