Exit Misbah, Waqar
Pakistan cricket is never short of breaking news. The latest to hit the sports scene is the resignations by head coach Misbah-ul Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis — happening a little more than a month ahead of a major world event, the T20 World Cup. Former all-rounder Abdul Razzak and yesteryear spin wizard Saqlain Mushtaq have been handed over the respective roles for the interim period.
The sudden change has come at a time when Ramiz Hasan Raja, former Test captain and commentator, is all set to take over the reins of the cricket board, replacing Ehsan Mani. Ramiz was openly critical — well as part of his commentary job — of the “defensive approach” that Misbah was pretty consistent with, both as player and coach. Whether the incoming PCB chairman’s opinion about Misbah played a role in his ouster is anybody’s guess. There are also reports of another PCB high-up demanding Misbah’s no-objection to the 15 men selected for the upcoming T20 World Cup and home series against New Zealand and England. The only other option for Misbah was to say good-bye. As Misbah preferred to step down after serving for about years, Waqar Younis followed suit.
The team selection, meanwhile, has also received sharp criticism. Sarfaraz Ahmed is not part of the squad — which may well mean end of the road for the former skipper. Also excluded are experienced Shoaib Malik, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf and pinch-hitter Sharjeel Khan. Fakhar Zaman has only been found good enough as a reserve player. Apart from skipper Babar Azam, his deputy Mohammed Rizwan and veteran Mohammed Hafeez, the batting line is stuffed with players who have yet to prove themselves at the international level viz, Asif Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Khushdil Shah and Azam Khan. Pacer Wahab Riaz is a shocking elimination in the bowling department. They say that “to change and change for the better are two different things”. Let’s see how the new changes fare.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2021.
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