'I don't see any plan' - Mohammad Yousuf on Misbah-ul-Haq's dual role as coach and selector

Last year in September, Misbah-ul-Haq had been appointed as the head coach and the national selected for Pakistan cricket team. Initially, after winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, Pakistan got whitewashed in the T20 Series 3-0 against the Lankans at home.

Subsequently, Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from captaincy of the national team and new captains were elected across formats. Babar Azam was appointed as the T20 captain while Azhar Ali was appointed as the Test skipper. It is expected that Azam will also take on the role of the ODI captain when the team plays the next ODI series.

However, Misbah-ul-Haq’s tenure as the coach and the selector hasn’t been as happy as one would have expected. Certain decisions of the former captain have been criticized by experts in Pakistan and have also turned out not to be the most ideal ones for the team.

Mohammad Yousuf lashes out at Misbah-ul-Haq

Talking on the issue former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf said that he just doesn’t understand why Misbah has been given so much responsibility. He also pointed out that the way in which the former captain is carrying out the team is not proper. He said that he doesn’t see any planning which has gone into the way Misbah is handling the team.

“I do not understand why a man was given so much responsibility. And the way Misbah is carrying out this responsibility, I don’t see any plan,” Yousuf said as quoted by Hindustan Times while criticizing Misbah’s performance in the dual role of the selector and head coach.

Yousuf also talked about the decision of bringing in Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik. The experienced duo was out of form and was dropped from the Pakistan team after the World Cup of 2019. However, right before the T20 series against Bangladesh at home, Misbah decided to bring both the players back into the side.

According to the head coach of Pakistan, the decision was made keeping in mind the experience both the individuals have in the T20 format. With the ICC T20 men’s World Cup coming later this year, the goal was to build a proper team for the event.

It has been stated by Misbah that Hafeez and Malik are actively part of the plan. This is where Mohammed Yousuf pointed out that calling of Malik and Hafeez is like going a step back in terms of progress. Both Hafeez and Malik have poor records in Australia. “Why are Hafeez and Malik called again? Their record is clear on Australian soil. Pakistan cricket is going backwards”, the veteran said.