Misbah-ul-Haq returns to work with the PCB

Former Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq is set to return to the PCB almost two years after he resigned as head coach of the national side.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Misbah is likely to be appointed head of a soon-to-be-formed cricket committee. He will also be the adviser on cricket affairs to the current PCB director, Zaka Ashraf.

The impending appointment is the first major move the new administration will make in the running of Pakistan cricket. Ashraf was Appointed Chairman of the New PCB Steering Committee earlier this month, after a brief legal tangle that followed the end of Najam Sethi’s term as interim president at the end of June.

Misbah’s role is expected to be honorary, meaning she will not receive a salary. The decision was made after he met with Ashraf on Monday.

It means a return for Misbah almost two years after his resignation in September 2021, shortly after Ramiz Raja was appointed PCB chairman. Since then, he has worked as a pundit and analyst for various television channels, roles that he will likely continue to pursue.

Misbah also served as Pakistan’s head coach and selector in September 2019, taking over from Mickey Arthur as head coach. He had played with Arthur when he captained the Test team for a year, and Pakistan became the highest ranked team in the world during that time.

After his retirement, Misbah was part of a committee that played a role in Arthur’s removal as head coach and later assumed the position, as well as the responsibility of being the chief selector.

When Arthur was appointed team manager earlier this year, Misbah said the move was a “slap in pakistan cricket“Not so much because it was Arthur but because of the nature of his role and appointment. Arthur has remained in his job as Derbyshire manager, while overseeing Pakistan with Grant Bradburn as head coach. “It’s a slap in the face in our cricket system that we can’t find a high-profile full-time manager,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo in February. “It’s a shame the best don’t want to come and we insist on having someone who is looking at Pakistan as a second choice.”

“I blame our own system, which is vulnerable enough with so many weak lines for anyone to exploit. We are guilty of having disrespected and discredited our own people to create a bad image. Current and former players disrespect each other, with the media and former players using their own YouTube channels for ratings, damaging the credibility and value of our cricket which, as a result, gives the impression that we are not capable.”