Misbah in dual role

The head coach and a chief selector: Will Misbah be able to deliver?

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named former Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq as the head coach and chief selector of the Men in Green. Earlier, the PCB had decided not to renew the contract of Head Coach Mickey Arthur based on the suggestions of the cricket committee. Misbah was part of the cricket committee that took the decision. When speculations of Misbah’s appointment began, various quarters highlighted this factor as a potential conflict of interest. Misbah then resigned from the Cricket Committee after revealing his intentions of applying for the position of head coach.

The positions of the head coach and a chief selector have traditionally accompanied a lot of influence. In the past, the two posts held each other accountable for the performance of the team. A dual role, however, might grant too much power to one individual. The players themselves who rely on the advice of their coach might have problems clearly communicating with someone with so much influence over the decision making the process.

Famous Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, through Twitter, warned against the appointment pointing out how the players could be directly affected by the dual role. “Never been a fan of one person being coach and selector. Players come to a coach with a problem. If they know that that knowledge could result in them being dropped, they may not be honest with coaches,” tweeted Bhogle.

Misbah is also expected to coach the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, Islamabad United. Chairman PCB Ehsan Mani had previously said that coaching the national side and a PSL franchise was a conflict of interest that would be abolished in the future. Misbah’s appointment clearly suggests a deviation from that line of approach by the PCB. Pakistan cricket has, in the past, been plagued by various miscommunications between head coach and chief selector. A dual role could spell an end to that issue but has the potential to create many more.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2019.

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