The turmoil in Pakistan cricket continues to grow, with Misbah-ul-Haq becoming the latest high-profile figure to step away from the men’s team setup. Misbah has reportedly resigned from his role as a selector amid Pakistan’s disappointing campaign in the ongoing three-Test series against England, although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to formally accept his resignation. He is expected to serve his notice period before leaving.
The development comes just a day after the PCB made major changes to Pakistan’s squad for the third Test, while also sending head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul home. According to reports, the decision to drop seven players — Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad — was taken without consulting Misbah.
Misbah had already stepped down from his position as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Cricinfo reported that while his resignation as selector has been submitted, the PCB is yet to accept it.
The 52-year-old was appointed to Pakistan’s four-member selection committee in March 2026, alongside Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq. He had also been working with the PCB on a 180-day-per-year contract as a batting consultant.
Since retiring from international cricket in 2017, Misbah has held several roles within Pakistan cricket. He served as both head coach and chief selector between 2019 and 2020 before stepping down from the selection role in 2021 to focus on coaching. He later worked as an adviser to the ad-hoc management committee headed by Zaka Ashraf, mentored domestic women’s teams and coached Pakistan Gold to the 50-over National Champions Cup title in Multan under Shaheen Shah Afridi’s leadership.
Pakistan face another tough challenge at Edgbaston
The changes come at a difficult time for Pakistan, who are yet to win a Test at Edgbaston. Having first played at the Birmingham venue in 1962, Pakistan have appeared in eight Tests there but have failed to register a victory. Their most recent outing at the venue came in 2016, when they suffered a 141-run defeat.
With seven new players added to the squad for the final Test — Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah — Pakistan will have plenty of fresh faces looking to make an impact.
Of the seven additions, only Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have previous Test experience. They now face a demanding challenge against an England pace attack featuring Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson.
With Pakistan already under pressure on the field and major changes taking place off it, the Edgbaston Test promises to be another crucial chapter in what has been a turbulent period for the visitors.
