Misbah ul Haq (AFP Photo)
NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has offered his resignation from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) national selection committee, adding another dramatic twist to the turmoil surrounding the Test side after a sweeping overhaul of the squad and coaching staff.
The development comes just a day after the PCB announced wholesale changes to the Pakistan Test squad and coaching staff following the team’s heavy 194-run defeat to England at Lord’s. The PCB released seven players from the Test squad ahead of the third Test against England at Edgbaston, starting September 9. Cricinfo further reported that Misbah has decided to step down from his role as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where his contract required him to work for 180 days a year. The latter two have a combined experience of only 10 Test matches. The sweeping changes followed Pakistan’s innings-and-103-run defeat in the first Test before England won the second by 194 runs. The back-to-back defeats left Pakistan 0-2 down in the three-match series and staring at a potential 3-0 clean sweep. He was appointed head coach and chief selector in 2019, before stepping down as chief selector in October 2020 and eventually leaving the head coach’s position in 2021. He returned to the PCB setup as an adviser in 2023 under the then ad hoc management committee headed by Zaka Ashraf. Last month, Misbah coached the Pakistan Gold side to victory in the 50-over National Champions Cup in Multan under captain Shaheen Afridi. The Lord’s defeat was their 15th loss in their last 20 Tests, while they currently sit at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings.
Cricinfo also reported that Misbah had offered his resignation, although the PCB is yet to accept it. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were among those released. His reported resignation comes at a particularly difficult time for Pakistan cricket.
Sources close to Misbah said the former cricketer had informed the PCB of his decision and would serve a notice period before formally stepping down, according to Geo News. Misbah was apparently not consulted despite being part of the national selection committee when the board decided to make major changes to the squad and coaching staff, according to the reports. The timing of Misbah’s decision has raised questions over the selection committee’s role in the PCB’s latest overhaul. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were also removed as head coach and bowling coach respectively. The PCB subsequently brought in white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke to work with the Test side for the remainder of the England tour. The extent of Pakistan’s overhaul was further highlighted by the inclusion of five uncapped players in the squad for the third Test. Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah have been added, while Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have also been brought into the group. Misbah was appointed to the four-member national selection committee in March alongside Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq. He was later appointed one of five mentors for the men’s Champions Cup and also worked with women’s domestic teams. Pakistan squad for Birmingham Test against England: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines The former captain has previously held several senior positions within the PCB.