Two of Pakistan cricket's most respected figures — Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis — stepped away from their coaching roles in early September 2021, not in defeat, but in honest reckoning with the limits of human endurance. After nearly two years of bio-secure isolation, pandemic-era travel, and sustained separation from family, both men chose clarity over obligation. Their departure, just days before a New Zealand series, reminds us that even those who have given the most to a sport must eventually weigh what the sport asks in return.
Pakistan cricket coaches Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis step down
I don't think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges
Mark
So they both walked away at once. Was this planned, or did one decision trigger the other?
Mimi
Waqar says he and Misbah had walked in together and worked as a pair, so when Misbah told him he was stepping down, Waqar decided to go too. It wasn't a coordinated public announcement—they told the board separately—but the logic was mutual.
Luke
We should note that we're taking Waqar's account of his reasoning at face value. The source doesn't say whether there were other tensions or disagreements that might have contributed. We know what they said publicly, but not necessarily what was happening behind closed doors.
Mark
Misbah specifically mentioned being in Jamaica during quarantine when he made the decision. Was that quarantine mandatory, or did he choose to be there?
Mimi
It was mandatory quarantine following the West Indies series. That's part of the protocol. He used that time to reflect on the previous two years and the schedule ahead, and that's when he decided the bio-secure environment demands were incompatible with his wellbeing.
Luke
The source confirms he was in quarantine in Jamaica, but it doesn't explain whether the West Indies series itself went poorly, or whether there were specific incidents that accelerated his thinking. We know the outcome of his reflection, not necessarily what triggered it.
Mark
How much time did the board have to find replacements?
Mimi
Very little. New Zealand was arriving September 11th, and the Pakistani squad was supposed to assemble September 8th. The board named interim coaches the same day the resignations were announced—Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq—just to get through the series.
Luke
That's a reactive move, not a planned transition. The board didn't have time to conduct a proper search. We don't know if Saqlain and Abdul Razzaq were the board's first choice or simply the available option.
Mark
What about the T20 World Cup? That's coming up soon, isn't it?
Mimi
Yes, and the board said it would announce the permanent team management for that tournament later. So there's still uncertainty about who will actually lead the team into that competition.
Luke
That's a significant gap. The World Cup is the marquee event, and they don't yet have a confirmed coaching structure for it. That's worth watching.
Der Puls
- With New Zealand's arrival less than a week away and the squad yet to assemble, Pakistan cricket suddenly found itself without its two senior-most coaches.
- Misbah-ul-Haq, reflecting during quarantine in Jamaica, concluded that sixteen months of bio-secure confinement had eroded his mental readiness to lead — and said so plainly.
- Waqar Younis, who had entered the role alongside Misbah and built genuine progress with Pakistan's young bowlers, chose solidarity over self-preservation and resigned in step.
- The PCB moved swiftly, naming Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as interim coaches for the New Zealand series while deferring the T20 World Cup coaching structure to a later announcement.
- Rather than expressing frustration, the board's chief executive framed the departures with respect — an implicit admission that pandemic-era cricket had quietly become an unsustainable burden for many.
Two of Pakistan cricket's most respected figures — Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis — stepped away from their coaching roles in early September 2021, not in defeat, but in honest reckoning with the limits of human endurance. After nearly two years of bio-secure isolation, pandemic-era travel, and sustained separation from family, both men chose clarity over obligation. Their departure, just days before a New Zealand series, reminds us that even those who have given the most to a sport must eventually weigh what the sport asks in return.
On a Monday morning in early September 2021, Pakistan cricket's immediate future was quietly redrawn. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis both resigned, with New Zealand's tour days away and the national squad not yet gathered in Islamabad. The Pakistan Cricket Board responded quickly, naming Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as interim coaches for the series, while deferring decisions on the T20 World Cup management to a later date.
Misbah had spent his quarantine period in Jamaica — following Pakistan's West Indies series — taking stock of what the next stretch of international cricket would demand. What he saw was a calendar full of extended absences and bio-secure confinement, the pandemic-era isolation that had become routine but never easy. He concluded, with candor, that he was not in the right frame of mind to serve the team well, and that fresh leadership would serve Pakistan better than his own continuation under those conditions.
Waqar's resignation followed naturally. The two men had arrived together in September 2019 and had worked as a unified pair throughout. Waqar spoke warmly of the progress he had witnessed in Pakistan's younger bowlers, but he was equally honest about the toll that sixteen months of bio-secure living had taken — a form of isolation neither had experienced during their playing days.
PCB chief executive Wasim Khan responded with measured respect, praising both coaches for their contributions and framing their departures not as failures but as the decisions of men who had given much and recognized their own limits. The board's tone of acceptance, rather than reproach, quietly acknowledged something larger: that the demands of modern international cricket, compounded by a pandemic, had reached a point where even the most dedicated figures could reasonably say enough.
On a Monday morning in early September, the Pakistan Cricket Board received word that would reshape the team's immediate future. Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach, and Waqar Younis, the bowling coach, had both decided to step down from their positions. The announcement came with less than a week before New Zealand was scheduled to arrive for a series of one-day and Twenty20 internationals, and just three days before the Pakistani squad was meant to gather in Islamabad.
Misbah had been in the role for just under two years, having been appointed in September 2019 alongside Waqar. Both men still had a year remaining on their contracts. The timing of their departure—communicated late Monday morning—forced the Pakistan Cricket Board to act quickly. Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq were named as interim coaches for the New Zealand series, while the board indicated it would announce a separate management structure for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at a later date.
Misbah's reasoning centered on the accumulated weight of the job's demands. During a quarantine period in Jamaica following Pakistan's series against the West Indies, he had taken time to assess the previous twenty-four months and look ahead at the international cricket calendar stretching before him. What he saw was a future that would require him to spend extended periods away from his family, much of it confined to bio-secure environments—the isolation protocols that had become standard during the pandemic. He concluded that continuing under those conditions would not serve the team well. "I don't think I am in the right frame of mind for the upcoming challenges," he said, "and it makes sense for someone fresh to step-in and take the side forward." He acknowledged that the timing was far from ideal, but he believed a change was necessary.
Waqar's decision followed naturally from Misbah's. The two had entered their coaching roles together, worked as a unified pair, and now they would exit together. Waqar noted that his time working with Pakistan's bowlers—particularly the younger players—had been deeply rewarding. He had seen tangible progress in their development. Yet he also spoke candidly about the toll that sixteen months of bio-secure environments had taken. It was a form of isolation neither man had encountered during their playing careers, and the cumulative effect had registered.
Wasim Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board's chief executive, issued a statement that framed the departures as decisions the board respected and understood. He praised both coaches for their commitment over the past two years, describing their contributions to Pakistani cricket as substantial and worthy of recognition. Khan emphasized that Misbah and Waqar had given much to the sport over long careers, both as players and now as coaches, and that they deserved respect for their service. The board's tone was one of acceptance rather than disappointment—an acknowledgment that the demands of modern international cricket, especially under pandemic conditions, had simply become unsustainable for these two men at this moment.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Considering that I would have had to continue to spend considerable time away from my family and that too in a bio-secure environment, I have decided to step down from the role— Misbah-ul-Haq
Bio-secure environments in the past 16 months have had their impact, something we had never experienced during our playing days— Waqar Younis
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei The News International ↗
Sports