Misbah steps down as Pakistan chief selector, to remain head coach
Karachi: Misbah-ul-Haq has decided to step down as Pakistan chief selector to focus more on his head coach role with the national cricket team.
Misbah told a media briefing in Lahore on Wednesday that he has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he would be stepping down as chief selector on November 30.
He had taken the dual role of the chief selector and head coach in September last year.
"I will select the squad for the coming series against Zimbabwe but after that, I just want to focus on my work as head coach," he said.
Misbah insisted that he had not quit as chief selector because of pressure from the board or any quarter.
"No it is purely my own personal decision and I took it because I think it is not easy doing two high-profile jobs at one time. I want to give my best as head coach of the national team.
"Whoever is appointed as chief selector, I will fully cooperate with him and work to take the Pakistan team into the top three of every format," Misbah said.
The former captain also made it clear that his was a pure cricket decision and had nothing to do with his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan last month when he and senior players, Azhar Ali and Muhammad Hafeez, raised the issue of departmental teams being closed down in domestic cricket.
The PCB made it clear it was not happy with Misbah and the two other players going directly to meet the PM to discuss what was a policy decision of the board.
"If that meeting was the reason for my stepping down as chief selector then I think I would have also lost my head coach position," Misbah said.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan recently met with Misbah and Azhar and gave them a dressing down and cautioned them not to make the mistake of directly seeking meetings with the PM who is also the patron in chief of the board.
Misbah said with time one learns whether a decision is right or wrong.
"When I accepted both positions I thought I could manage it but with time I think it is better for me to focus on one job."
He also said that he was satisfied that in his one year the national team had shown some development and some good young players had come up.
"As head coach now my focus is that we as a team break into the top three of every format and obviously we also have the ICC World Cups coming up over the next three years so that is something we have to start preparing."
Misbah was appointed head coach and chief selector after the PCB released Mickey Arthur and his support staff following Pakistan's failure to make the World Cup semi-finals.
Interestingly, former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently told a YouTube channel that he was in discussions with the board for the chief selector's position.
But the board denied it had offered Shoaib any position and said they were not planning to replace Misbah as chief selector.
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Confident of winning Guwahati by over 5 lakh vote margin: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati (PTI): As BJP candidate for the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency Bijuli Kalita Medhi filed her nomination on Friday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma exuded confidence that the party will retain the seat with a margin of over 5 lakh votes.
"The enthusiasm of the people here today shows the support for BJP and our candidate. It is a big encouragement for us," Sarma said, addressing a gathering before Medhi filed her papers.
The CM, who is a voter here and also represents Jalukbari Assembly segment of Guwahati, said, "This support shows that we will win here by a margin of over 5 lakh votes. As it is, we are already winning all the five seats where elections are taking place today."
Sarma maintained that the support was for Narendra Modi and to make him the prime minister for the third successive term..
"We want to take Assam forward, Modi ji is trying to make Bharat the 'Vishwa guru' and we will present these things during campaigning," he added.
Medhi, who is a vice-president of the state BJP and former president of the party's women wing in the state, also sounded confident of winning the seat.
"The public has come to support me. With the blessings of the people, I am confident of winning in Guwahati," she said, after submitting her nomination accompanied by senior party leaders later.
Elections are due in Guwahati in the third phase on May 7.
