Misbah must have assigned role in NCA before appointing as Head Coach: Saqlain

ISLAMABAD: Former test cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq believes Misbahul Haq should have been assigned role in the National Cricket Academy (NCA), before being appointed as head coach, as his expertise would have helped in the grooming of the players.

Saqlain, who played 49 Tests and 169 ODIs for Pakistan between 1995 and 2004, was of the view that appointing Misbah as the Head Coach was too premature as the Mianwali-born cricketer lacked the coaching experience.

According to reports, Misbah appear to be the frontrunner for the Head Coach. The interviews of candidates for the post of Head Coach were conducted on Thursday in which Misbah, former Test opener Mohsin Hasan Khan and ex-Australian batsman Dean Jones (through video-link) were interviewed.

Saqlain, who took 208 Test and 288 ODI wickets, said as per reports Misbah had showed willingness to be the Head Coach. “Misbah was a wonderful, disciplined and a great player. He served the nation with loyalty and honesty,” he said on his YouTube channel.

He said Misbah has the element to be the head coach, but "I think it would be a bit early to appoint him on the post". “If Misbah had got a year or two in coaching set up before coming to the Head Coach job than it would have been better for him,” he said and added that it was his personal opinion which could be wrong.

Saqlain, who was appointed as England's spin consultant in May 2016, said the learning process goes all your life no matter even if you have the relevant experience on any post. “But if you don’t have the relevant experience, then it takes more time to learn,” he said.

He said Misbah must have been assigned as the National Cricket Academy for players’ development instead of Head Coach. “Misbah must have given the look-after and coaching charge of all age-group players (seniors, youth and upcoming) in the academy,” he said.

But if Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint Misbah as Head Coach, Saqlain said then the Board should also decide all pros and cons of the game with him. “PCB and Misbah must make a plan for the upcoming series and World Cup and also replacements of the retiring players in future,” he said and wished good luck to PCB and Misbah.