Misbah-ul-Haq to continue as Pakistan head coach following West Indies series win

Incumbent head coach of the Pakistan team Misbah-ul-Haq will most likely continue to be in the role till the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Pakistan won the rain-marred T20I series against West Indies 1-0. But things could have been different if the third and fourth games were completed, as before the four-match T20I series, Pakistan coach Misbah came under the scanner for his team’s poor show in England, where they lost both the ODI and T20I series.

Apparently, the fans and few experts were not happy with the Men in Green’s shambolic display against a second-string England side in the ODI series and even bowling coach Waqar Younis bore the brunt of fans. But things changed quickly, after a series win in the Caribbean, and Misbah has been retained for now as the head coach of the Pakistan team.

With the T20 World Cup set to be staged in Oman and the UAE, Misbah will look to build on the core of the team. “Basically, everyone was keen to see how Misbah managed the team in the T20 series in West Indies as calls grew for the PCB to review his position as head coach in white-ball formats,” one reliable source told to Cricket Next.

Misbah to remain coach for upcoming New Zealand series

Barring the second T20I against West Indies, all three matches saw rain playing a spoilsport, which didn’t enable the Pakistan management to decide whether Misbah is the right candidate for the role or not. Speculations were also rife that the team was about rope in an additional specialist coach in the white-ball format. “The feeling developed that perhaps Misbah was not the right man or didn’t have the coaching experience to take Pakistan into the T20 World Cup,” the source said.

With a Pakistan set to host New Zealand for a limited-overs series starting from September 17, the management, for time being, has struck with Misbah. “But now since the T20 series in West Indies was badly disrupted by bad weather and three matches were abandoned it has become difficult for the board and cricket committee to make a final decision on Misbah’s future as white-ball coach,” the source said.