Misbah-ul-Haq applies for Pakistan head coach job

A throwback picture of Misbah-ul-Haq from his playing days

Former Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday finally stepped down from the PCB's cricket committee and applied for the role of Pakistan's head coach that had been lying vacant ever since the ouster of Mickey Arthur after the World Cup.

"It has been interesting to see my name being mentioned as a future head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, but the fact is that I only made the decision today," Misbah said in a statement after filing his application.

"I am applying for the head coach's role being fully aware that the competition will be tough as I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game," he said.

As part of the Cricket Committee, Misbah was reportedly one of the foremost voices in expressing reservations about continuing with Arthur as the head coach after Pakistan's disastrous performance in the 2019 World Cup.

Earlier, there were reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board was keen to appoint Misbah-ul-haq in a captain-cum-chief selector role of the national team.

"He was not very keen to also supervise the pre-season conditioning camp but Zakir Khan, who is Director International Cricket and an influential figure in the board, convinced Misbah," a well-informed source told PTI.

"Misbah is aware that some of the players are carrying niggling fitness problems including Fakhar Zaman and Babar Zaman and he felt that the PCB should have called them home after the World Cup and have them undergo a rehab process instead of giving them clearance to play in leagues or in England," the source said.

Misbah-ul-Haq played 75 Tests, 162 ODIs and 39 T20Is. Misbah-ul-Haq also scored 10 centuries in his Test career.

With inputs from IANS/PTI

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