Inzamam-ul-Haq said Misbah's animated reactions send a “negative message”.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has slammed the team’s current head coach-cum-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq for his disappointing body language in the dressing room during the second T20I of the ongoing three-match T20I series against England on Sunday (August 30).
Pakistan has been facing a tough time in England, as the tourists are yet to win a game on their Britain tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and on Sunday, they yet again surrendered by five wickets in the second T20I to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the T20I series in Manchester.
The Men in Green failed to defend a huge total of 195 runs due to their poor bowling performance leaving the tourists with a hope to save their pride by winning the final T20I on Tuesday.
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During England’s chase of 196 at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday, an upset Misbah was seen animated on several occasions when cameras panned in the Pakistan dressing room, sitting with his hands on his head, as he looked disappointed by his team's poor show on the field.
Misbah’s antics didn’t go down well with former chief selector Inzamam who slammed the head coach for projecting that “something really bad had happened” even though the match was still on Pakistan’s hands at that time, saying his actions can have a “bad effect” on the national team.
Inzamam said on his YouTube channel: “During the fifth over of England innings when Pakistan was bowling their Powerplay overs when they had conceded 40-45 runs, the camera kept showing Misbah and he had his hands on his head, which suggested that something really bad had happened.”
He further added, “There were still 155-160 runs to go, the match could have gone in anyone’s favor, but you are sending a message that suggests that you have done something wrong. You can have a proper discussion after the game, but if you respond like this during the match, then this will have a bad effect on the team.”
The legendary Pakistan batsman further went on to compare Misbah’s antics to those by former coach Mickey Arthur and even commentator Rob Key also noted similarities in Misbah and Arthur’s reactions in the dressing room during the Sunday’s game.
Inzamam signed off by saying, “Arthur used to respond in the same way. Whenever I used to go to watch series and talk to players, they used to complain a lot that Arthur’s similar antics affected them negatively. No matter what happens during the match, only positive vibes should go out of the dressing room. It’s very important. We are T20 champions. If we’re losing in that [format], it’s a cause of worry.”