Shoaib Akhtar reveals Misbah ul Haq's successor for Pak chief selector job before PCB does

Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar let slip the name of the person most likely to succeed Misbah-ul-Haq as the Pakistan Cricket team's next chief selector post after Misbah-ul-Haq announced his resignation. Shoaib Akhtar has not been silent about the myriad of problems in the Pakistan Ccicket team. In an interview on the 'Inside out with Yousaf Anjum'  series on YouTube, the Pakistani firebrand even hinted that he himself might be well suited for the role. Akhtar said that while no one had approached him for the job, he was confident that people would want someone who thinks like him for the role. 

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Shoaib Akhtar predicts the next chief selector of the PCB

Less than an hour after Misbah-ul-Haq announced his retirement from the role of chief selector at a press conference, Shoaib Akhtar took to Twitter disclosing who he believes will take over from Misbah-ul-Haq. In his tweet, Akhtar named Muhammad Akram, the current coach of the Peshawar Zalmi side. Muhammad Akram had a short cricketing career with Pakistan, playing 9 Tests and 23 ODIs for the side. Playing as a right-arm fast-medium bowler, Akram took 36 wickets across all formats from 1995-2001. 

Shoab Akhtar himself was rumoured to be in contention for the spot that he has publicly admitted he wants. However, it seems that Muhammad Akram's selection is final, since Akhtar seems to have posted a second, congratulatory message for him. Akram has previously been a bowling coach for the Pakistan cricket team and has led the Peshawar Zalmi side to a PSL victory. There has been no official communication from the PCB on this note yet.

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Misbah-ul-Haq's reign as the chief selector of the PCB

Misbah-ul-Haq was given the dual roles of chief selector and head coach following Pakistan's dismal showing at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In his press conference, he admitted to feeling under the pump as he negotiated his way through two such high profile roles. He said that he was stepping down from the chief selector's role so as to be able to devote his energy to his role as the head coach. He further added that he was would fully cooperate with the new selector, to help take Pakistan cricket to their older glory days. 

Misbah-ul-Haq's tenure as the chief selector/head coach has been a rather dismal one. Under him, Pakistan lost their T20I series against Sri Lanka at home followed by back-to-back Test series and T20I series defeats in Australia. After the resumption of cricket, Pakistan travelled to England, where they were beaten by England in the Test series. Their best result has been the drawn T20I series against England. 

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Image Credits: PCB and Shoaib Akhtar Twitter