Shoaib Akhtar reveals the strongest contender for Pakistan’s chief selector after Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to step down

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar reckoned that veteran speedster Mohammad Akram can be the new chief selector for the national team. Earlier, Misbah-ul-Haq put forth his decision to step down after taking over duel responsibilities following Pakistan’s dismal campaign in the 2019 World Cup. Misbah said that he’s happy to remain as their head coach going forward.

However, he also said that he will carry out selection duties until the new chief selector takes charge from December 1. Misbah will handle team selections for Pakistan ODIs and T20I series against Zimbabwe followed by the overseas Tests and T20Is against New Zealand in December-January.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the dual roles but after reviewing the past 12 months and looking ahead at the workload in the next 24 months of my tenure, it is appropriate that I invest and dedicate all my time, energy, and attention to one role from now on.

“Coaching is my passion and my ultimate objective remains to contribute to the development of players and help the side achieve bigger successes,” Misbah stated.

Shoaib Akhtar bats for Akram  

As far as Akram was concerned, Shoaib reckoned that the latter has proven his credentials with the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Shoaib dropped a couple of tweets to make the revelations.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “From what my sources tell me, Muhammad Akram will be the new chief selector. Good luck to him on this tricky but important position.”

“Muhammad Akram has done a great job with Peshawar Zalmi and other projects. I think he will be great for this position and will get good results for Pakistan. Good luck and best wishes and prayers for him,” his other tweet read.

Here are Shoaib’s tweets:

Akram’s cricket career spanned six years from 1995 to 2001. He made his debut in a Test against Sri Lanka in Faisalabad. In the same year, he forayed into ODI cricket as well against the same opposition. In nine Tests and 23 ODIs, the now 46-year-old picked up 17 and 19 wickets respectively. He last played competitive cricket back in 2007, representing Surrey in England’s domestic circuit.