"Misbah Ul Haq enjoys authority, support but very much accountable", says PCB chief 

Misbah will be questioned about Pakistan's performances since his arrival as head coach.

By Kashish Chadha - 07 Sep, 2020

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani said that the board will be discussing the road map ahead apart from assessing the team's performances, asking pertinent questions to head coach Misbah Ul Haq at an annual meeting. 

Mani did say that former Pakistan skipper Misbah enjoys "authority" and has "support" of the board, adding, however, that the man is still very much "accountable" of the team's results in his tenure so far. 

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Since being appointed head coach and chief selector after the 2019 World Cup in UK, Misbah has overseen indifferent results, including Test series losses in Australia and England, with only wins in the format coming at home against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

In white-ball cricket, Pakistan have won two out of three ODIs (one match was rain abandoned) and won three T20Is out of 12 with three washouts.

There is, however, a general consensus that Misbah and the rest of the support staff are in the process of rebuilding the side across formats. 

“I believe in empowerment and that’s precisely why Misbah was given full authority and support. But he very much remains accountable and as part of his appraisal process, he will be interviewed by the PCB Cricket Committee,” Mani said in an interview to ‘Dawn’ newspaper.

“He will be asked to reflect on his own and team’s performances, and share his vision for the future."

Mani backed the recent structural changes made to Pakistan domestic cricket and Misbah's expertise to help the national side resurrect its status on the ranking table in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. 

“To address this problem and bring consistency in the team’s and players’ performance, the PCB has put in place a professional management team with the men’s side whose understanding of the modern game is second to none and has a clear vision of the steps required for Pakistan to perform well consistently at the international level."

The PCB chairman pointed out some of his board's off-field successes as well. 

“International teams were unwilling to come to Pakistan because of the trust deficit. In 2017 and 2018, the PCB paid for the World XI and West Indies players to visit here and while I acknowledge these were ice-breakers, we have hosted four international series as part of the Future Tours Programme without offering any inducements."

“Furthermore, nearly 425 foreign players expressed interest in playing in the Pakistan Super League 2020 with 40-odd spending nearly a month in Pakistan during the 30-match event. These players travelled around the country and returned as our ambassadors," Mani added. 

By Kashish Chadha - 07 Sep, 2020

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