If Misbah is to be Babar’s mentor, then we have a problem: Aamer Sohail

Former Pakistan opener Aamer Sohail has remarked that Younis Khan’s appointment as the batting consultant of Pakistan stems from the PCB’s lack of faith on Misbah Ul Haq, who is serving as the selector as well as the head coach of the team.

Misbah was appointed Pakistan’s coach and chief selector on a three-year-contract, but under him, the team has won just six out of 15 matches so far. This includes a 0-2 whitewash against Australia in Tests and a 0-2 defeat in T20Is with one match ending in no result, and many former Pakistan cricketers, including Sohail, have questioned Misbah’s dual role, believing it puts the players in a fix.

“The fact is that Misbah-ul-Haq for reasons best known to the PCB, was given the roles of Head Coach and Chief Selector, and he was also looking after the position of batting coach. Many of us commented then that this was not a good idea as batsmen who are struggling in some aspect of their batting are unlikely to share their problems with the Batting Coach who happens to be the Chief Selector and the Head Coach as well,” Sohail wrote on PakPassion.net

“In that context, Younis Khan’s appointment, whilst recognising his experience, is proof 0-2 that the PCB are accepting the fact that they made the wrong decision by entrusting Misbah with so many roles. What the PCB are implying is that Misbah is not a good enough batting coach which is why they had to bring in someone like Younis Khan into the picture as a batting consultant.”

Sohail also weighed in on Babar Azam’s appointment as Pakistan captain across all formats, hoping the batsman does not follow the same path and captaincy style as Misbah. Whatever Babar lacks in his captaincy, can be worked on, reckons, but he also believes that as long as Misbah is the one directing the new Pakistan captain, things may not get any better for Pakistan cricket.

“If Babar has been identified as Pakistan’s captain in at least two formats of the game, then it’s incumbent upon the PCB to help him become the best captain he can be. This can be achieved by identifying any weaknesses in his leadership qualities and by good mentoring. But if Misbah is to be Babar’s mentor, then we have a problem because he was himself criticised for being a defensive captain,” he said.

“The onus is on Misbah to be honest about his own deficiencies as a captain and to make sure that Babar does not make the same mistakes he made, especially when it comes to making sure that the younger players are given good chances to ensure a brighter future for Pakistan cricket.”