Was a bit worried about dual PCB role, reveals Misbah-Ul-Haq

When Misbah Ul Haq became the first man in Pakistan cricket history to be given dual positions of head coach and chief selector, the world came to a standstill. Nobody ever believed in professional sport that one man can be given so much trust to take the team forward. To become a chief selector you require extensive knowledge of the domestic game and to be a head coach, it involves a lot of experience, Misbah had the experience of playing but not coaching.

And the result has spoken for itself, of the 28 completed matches Pakistan played in 2019 prior to Misbah’s appointment, they won eight and lost 20. Cue a move from the PCB to throw unprecedented power at the man who bailed them out as captain. Misbah has admitted that he was a bit worried when the dual role was given to him but now he relishes the opportunity.

“When they shared that idea with me of taking both roles I was a bit worried too. You have to face a lot of pressure and criticism. You cannot blame anyone else. You have to be held accountable. But at least you have all the power in your hands, and wherever you want to go as a team you can go there,” said Misbah as quoted by Wisden.

“In every game played there are two selectors, each for one team. That helps us not to miss anything: any performance, any attitude, any indiscipline,” he added.

While this is the first coaching stint of Misbah's career, he has leadership experience at all levels, including captaining Pakistan in 56 Tests. Overall, he has featured in 75 Tests and 162 one-day internationals, scoring over 10,300 international runs.