Hi,
My first post here, so thought I'd give an observation on Misbah and Waqar's appointments.
A lot of people are down on these appointments, but we should remember that very few people actually applied for the roles. The PCB had two choices, a) choose between the existing applicants or b) try and head hunt somebody who hadn't applied i.e. Mike Hesson/Tom Moody etc. b) would have been a no-goer, because if Hesson or Moody havent applied, then they are not interested in the job. Also these guys would be reluctant to spend considerable time in Pakistan, which is essential to the role. Thus, no point moaning about who didn't apply.
Which leads us to a), the people who DID apply. Clearly a lot of people on here suddenly feel that Dean Jones was a viable candidate. His main attraction was that he was NOT Misbah. How is that a feasible choice for a long term appointment? The guy would struggle especially with squad members who don't speak english etc.
As regards Misbah, yes he did have select off days as captain like on the last Australian tour ( as [MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] will repeatedly harp on about). However, there are elements to why I think this is potentially a very good appointment:
1) The guy was selected late in his career and made the most of his limited ability. this demonstrates a willingness to improve. Perhaps with the same attitude he will help improve some of the current squad, through the sheer example he set in his playing days
2) He has very recently been involved in domestic cricket and will know the good performers from the mediocre ones. He recently worked with Rashid Latif to choose the provincial squads, which even the negative people here on PP found to be largely acceptable. Thus, he has visibility of excellent domestic performers. Hopefully, the new system will mean that the TTFs will now face more potent attacks in first class cricket (because of the higher quality squads), not perform and then get weeded out, whilst the really good, mentally strong ones will emerge, and Misbah will have an eye on them as chief Selector
3) He was very recently in the captaincy position, so understands the pressures of the job. This is a vital quality to have and for a captain to rely on, when things are not going well. Let us not forget that Misbah showed tremendous fortitude and mental strength whilst being criticised by fans, ex-players and media from all sides. This experience and knowledge is something that a captain can rely on in difficult times. This, especially becomes important if we have a change of captain, with a new captain coming in for one of the formats
4) Despite the negativity around his tactics, it should be noted that he never had the fast bowling or batting resources to truly make the test team formidable. I am hopeful that, with the new structure, there will be better communication between the chief selector and the provincial head coaches, which means that we will see better 'test-ready' performers coming into the squad.
5) Lastly, it is his qualities as a man. I know that people will point towards the conflict of interest regarding Mickey's sacking. I can't disagree with this. However media reports today have suggested that it was actually the PCB who sought Misbah for the role. Allah knows if there was malice from Misbah, but I'd rather give him the benefit of the the doubt. This is a guy, who after the spot fixing scandal represented Pakistan as a statesman. He's a mentally strong guy who made the most of his limited abilities and he commands respect in the dressing room. This will help everybody to pull in the same direction, something which hasn't always happened in Pakistan cricket
Please note that I am absolutely not a Misbah loyalist, but think that his abilities as a player should not reflect his prospective abilities as a coach. Trevor Bayliss was not some sure thing when Sri Lanka made hime coach in 2007. Thus, as fans of Pakistan Cricket let's back this appointment and inshAllah it will be a great success!
