ISLAMABAD – Misbah-ul-Haq stepped down from national selection committee, adding to growing uncertainty surrounding Pakistan cricket. A well-placed source confirmed that Misbah submitted his resignation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and will serve a notice period before formally stepping down.
The decision of former skipper comes just a day after the PCB made sweeping changes to Pakistan’s Test setup ahead of the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston, scheduled for September 9-13. Misbah was unhappy with the scale and timing of the changes, particularly the decision to release seven players from the Test squad so close to the crucial match.
Cricket Board also removed red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and fast-bowling coach Umar Gul, handing responsibility for the final Test to white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke.
Misbah’s resignation is the latest development in a turbulent period for Pakistan Test cricket. The team are already 2-0 down to England, following a 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh and a 1-1 draw with the West Indies.
The recent matches fuelled debate over whether 2026 is becoming Pakistan’s worst Test year. Under one stats model that rewards wins and draws while penalising defeats, 2026 ranks first among Pakistan’s poorest Test years, with a record of 1 win and 5 losses from six Tests, producing a score of -0.042. The analysis places 1962 second, followed by 2019, while 2004 and 2024 are tied for fourth.
However, the ranking changes depending on how draws are valued, meaning 2026 cannot yet be labelled definitively as Pakistan’s worst Test year. For Misbah, the resignation is another big moment in his long association with Pakistan cricket. After captaining the national side across formats and later coaching the team, he had been serving as an acting member of the selection committee.
With England already in control of the series, Misbah’s departure has added another layer of drama to an increasingly unsettled Pakistan cricket setup.
England beat Pakistan by 194 runs at Lord’s, take unassailable 2-0 series lead
