Misbah-ul-Haq Emerges As Front-runner For Pakistan Head Coach

Pakistan former skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has emerged as favourite to take over as Pakistan's cricket coach

Pakistan's most successful Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has emerged as favourite to take over as Pakistan's cricket coach. Earlier, there were speculations that the former Pakistan skipper would be appointed head coach cum chief selector but Misbah confirmed on Monday that he has stepped down from the PCB Cricket Committee to apply for the head coach job. Misbah is likely to be named the head coach after the executive committee decided not to renew the contracts of former head coach Mickey Arthur and his support staff after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-final of the World Cup in England and Wales. The formal announcement of the new head coach is likely to be made ahead of Pakistan's limited-overs series against Sri Lanka starting in Karachi from September 27. "I have resigned from the cricket committee and have applied for the post of Pakistan's head coach," said Misbah-ul-Haq, describing the position as a "dream". The four-member executive committee declined to renew Arthur's contract . As far as the bowling department is concerned, former captain Waqar Younis is likely to be named as the bowling coach. According to reports, Waqar had thought about submitting his resume for the head coach but with Misbah in the race he would prefer to work as bowling coach. The PCB did not reveal whether anyone else had applied for the post. However, Pakistani media said former Australian batsman Dean Jones and ex-West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh were among the applicants. Misbah said competition for the job would be tough. "It is interesting to see my name emerging in the media even before I had applied... I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game," he added. Misbah totalled 26 wins in 56 Tests as captain, with 19 losses and 11 draws. He retired in 2017.