Misbah earns stay of execution, committee to meet again following SA tour

The committee expressed disappointment with latest outcomes, however admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic had created a problem

Misbah ul Haq, alongside Pakistan’s teaching workers, has earned a keep of execution, with the Pakistan cricket committee opting in opposition to making any modifications following the disappointing tour of New Zealand, resolving as an alternative to satisfy once more after the house collection in opposition to South Africa later this month. The committee urged the crew administration to type a clearer method to set and pursue adjectives, expressing disappointment with latest outcomes.

The PCB’s cricket committee met at Gaddafi Stadium to assessment Pakistan’s 2020-21 season, with the nationwide crew’s efficiency positioned beneath scrutiny. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis have been referred to as as much as debrief the committee following the tour of New Zealand, the place Pakistan misplaced the Checks 2-0 and T20Is 2-1. Batting coach Younis Khan, who joined earlier than Pakistan’s tour of England final summer time, was exempt. In the long run, nonetheless, it was determined to take the distinctive circumstances beneath which cricket had been performed the earlier yr under consideration owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides the administration one other likelihood to regular the ship.

“The PCB Cricket Committee carried out a holistic however constructive, fact-based and goal assessment of the Pakistan males’s cricket crew previously 16 months,” Saleem Yousuf, head of cricket committee stated. “There isn’t a denying the truth that all of us need to see our aspect ranked amongst the highest three or 4 cricket enjoying nations and our latest performances do justice to neither these expectations nor the expertise we boast.

“However, we additionally have to consider various different components and the committee was of the view that cricket in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic was one of many greatest contributing components within the aspect’s dismal performances. The challenges of enjoying in Covid-19 protocols haven’t solely been confronted by the Pakistan males’s nationwide crew, however by all the perimeters presently concerned in worldwide cricket and these considerations have been repeatedly raised by the crew coaches and elite cricketers.”

Misbah introduced up the constraints and constraints within the final seven months as a justification for a number of the below-par performances, particularly previous to the tour of New Zealand, the place Pakistan spent virtually three weeks in quarantine in New Zealand. The crew bought six days of coaching and earlier than the beginning of the collection, they misplaced Babar Azam with a thumb harm. Earlier than that, the Pakistani gamers have been in a bio-bubble in England, in addition to at house in the course of the closing leg of the PSL, the Zimbabwe collection, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Nationwide T20s. ESPNcricinfo understands that the crew administration was sad with the character of the observe pitches, which they consider have been chargeable for the accidents to Azam and Imam-ul-Haq.

“All skilled and high-performing athletes require an surroundings the place they’ll put together their finest for the worldwide stage, which was not the case for the final two excursions and most undoubtedly not on the final tour the place gamers had been confined to their rooms for 2 weeks as a result of insurance policies of that exact Covid-free nation,” stated Yousaf. “As a consequence, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq and Shadab Khan have been unavailable for Take a look at picks after Fakhar Zaman had missed the flight on the day of the departure. These massive losses affected the crew mixtures.

However the administration was not fully cleared of duty. “However these disadvantages, the PCB Cricket Committee strongly believes crew picks and selection of gamers within the enjoying line-ups ought to have been made higher. The committee additionally believes extra scientific and data-based work wanted to be completed on the gamers with improved communication to not solely put together them for the larger challenges however by additionally figuring out gamers who can again their performances with different functionality trades in a high-competitive surroundings on a constant foundation.”

Misbah has a three-year contract with the PCB however his place has are available in for scrutiny, typically within the latest previous as losses have piled up for the crew. The newest assessment was the second within the final three months. With the subsequent collection beginning in two weeks in Karachi, the committee confirmed they’ll sit once more following the collection, with the committee pointedly saying there can be no factors awarded for second place.

Apart from the collection in opposition to South Africa that features three T20Is, the yr is loaded with house and away collection. Pakistan is slotted to tour South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, West Indies and Afghanistan, with a house collection in opposition to New Zealand, England and the West Indies with the Asia Cup and ICC World T20 in India.