PCB limits Misbahs selection powers ahead of South Africa series

"Younis has just started his contract with the PCB with the New Zealand tour while Misbah and Waqar have completed 16 months on the job, that is why the cricket committee is keen to discuss cricket issues with them", the official told PTI.

Waqar and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq were summoned by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday to explain the team's results, but both men will be given another chance in the home series against South Africa before their performance is re-evaluated.

Pakistan lost the recent test series to New Zealand 2-0 and the Twenty20 encounter 2-1, and Waqar said it was especially tough for the players to go through 14 days of quarantine which limited them to their hotel rooms.

"It's all lies! The whole performance review thing after South Africa series is not true". Committee has made a decision to give Misbah a chance, but the truth is, Misbah will be asked to leave.

Its a performance-based (job) whether you do coaching or play global cricket, Waqar said.

"All prominent coaches including Mark Boucher [South Africa], Mickey Arthur [Sri Lanka] and Ravi Shastri [India] are facing problems as their players' performances are affected by the bio-secure bubble issues caused by Covid-19 pandemic".

Pakistan's squad for the South Africa series is expected to be announced on Friday morning by Chief Selector Mohammad Waseem in Karachi. He will consult the six selectors, head coach Misbah and Babar before naming it.

"Still Pakistan, barring the second Test [in New Zealand], exhibited good fight in the first Test in which we were near earning a respectable draw". Batting coach Younis Khan, who joined before Pakistan's tour of England last summer, was exempt.

"In New Zealand, we start training three days after the arrival but [this time] due to the positive Covid-19 test of some Pakistan players the isolation period spread over 18 days", the coach continued.

The 49-year-old Waqar has been kept busy, touring England before his team went on to host Zimbabwe and then visited New Zealand for another series of matches. It then beat Zimbabwe in both the ODI and T20 series.

"All professional and high-performing athletes require an environment where they can prepare their best for the worldwide stage, which was not the case for the last two tours and most definitely not at the last tour where players had been confined to their rooms for two weeks due to the policies of that particular Covid-free country", said Yousaf. Why would he when he is the head coach?

The pacer added that it is an alarming situation for Pakistan cricket and he is afraid of the team getting humiliated by South Africa at home.

On the forthcoming home series against South Africa, Misbah said there would a plan in place for the series which, he hoped, would increase the players' confidence level to give improved performance.