Former Pakistan captain and coach Misbah-ul-Haq views the potential rehire of Mickey Arthur by the PCB as having a negative impact on Pakistan cricket.
Misbah blames former Pakistan players for damaging the system’s credibility and forcing the PCB to look outside the country for coaching roles.
“It’s a slap on our cricket system that we are not able to find a high-profile full-time coach,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a shame that the best ones do not want to come, and we insist on having someone who is looking at Pakistan as a second option.
“I blame our own system, which is vulnerable enough with so many weak lines for anyone to exploit it. We are to be blamed ourselves; we have disrespected and discredited our people to make a bad image. The present and former lot don’t respect each other, with media and former players using their own YouTube channels for ratings, damaging the credibility and value of our cricket, which, as a result, gives an impression that we are incapable.
“The Pakistan cricket fan is always disgruntled; he is picking up things from the media and is under the wrong impression. Players speaking against each other with grudges and talking openly with disdain devalues our community, which becomes the common perception. The game is hardly a subject of objective and constructive discussion.
“Cricket is the most popular sport in the country but sadly never hits the headlines correctly. It’s chaos; former cricketers ridiculing their fellow cricketers on national channels, with fans getting the wrong sense. There is no empathy, no respect, and no conducive environment in the cricketing quarter of our country.”
The PCB is close to reaching a deal with Arthur as team director while he concurrently holds a long-term role with Derbyshire.
Misbah argues that the PCB’s inconsistent handling of local and foreign coaches, and the mismanagement within the board, are the root of the problem.
There has been a lack of support for local coaches and a reliance on overseas coaches in Pakistan, despite the presence of capable local coaches.
“PCB is always ready to back foreign coaches but never supports the local ones,” Misbah said. “They are fond of having overseas coaches because they think locals can easily be politicised and are incapable. But do we know it’s the PCB bureaucracy who politicised the structure? They throw the local ones under the bus when they come under pressure, and there has never been accountability for this bureaucracy in PCB. The mismanagement and consistent changes at the helm are a problem, and we are never able to find one solid line for our cricket.
“Now, there is a common narrative that Pakistan cricket does not even have a capable guy, and they are forced to look outside. Successful teams like India have completely shifted to homegrown coaches. Still, sadly the policies here are so inconsistent and vague that we can never reach a consensus on what we want to do. We have some very good people in our system who can contribute well, like Haji (Mohammad Akram), Aaqib Javed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, etc. Still, their reputation has been tarnished, and people think they are not right for the job.”
However, their reputation has been tarnished, leading to a standard narrative that Pakistan cricket lacks capable coaches.
Misbah’s comments come with context, as he was part of the committee that recommended Arthur’s discontinuation in 2019 and later replaced him as head coach and chief selector.
