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Mumbai · Sunday, 6 September 2026

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India made gradual investments has left them far ahead of Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq

By Sohail Khan 6 September 2026, 9:51 pm

Pakistan’s tendency to keep chopping and changing personnel in their cricket team is what has ended up leaving them lagging behind India, former captain Misbah-ul-Haq said. Pakistan’s heavy defeats in their first two Tests in England, and their drastic reaction to it by sacking their head coach and seven players from the side, has followed by many lamenting the state of the side in the longest format of the game.

Misbah, who was captain of the team the last time they climbed to the top of the ICC Test rankings, said that India have rarely axed their senior players, captains and coaches since the turn of the century and this has helped them build stability. “India took time to process and develop and they made gradual investments in their system after the 90s. There is no quick fix to the system,” he said in a television show, according to PTI.

“Our youngsters are playing too much white-ball cricket and their exposure to red-ball cricket is limited. Not enough four-day cricket. This means they have more chances of cracking under pressure.”

Misbah resigned from his position in Pakistan’s selection comittee after the PCB’s upheaval following the two losses in England. Among the players they sent back to Pakistan was Salman Ali Agha, who had captained the team in the first Test. They also sacked Sarfraz Ahmed, who had led Pakistan to victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy as captain, from the head coach position, a role he had taken up only a couple of months ago.

Pakistan have gone through as many as six Test coaches in the past three years.

Sarfaraz was replace by Mike Hesson, who had been head coach of Pakistan’s limited overs sides until then. Misbah alleged that foreign head coaches tend to be given a longer rope than domestic ones in Pakistan.

“It is a fact that local and foreign coaches are treated differently in Pakistan cricket. Local coaches have to face more scrutiny and criticism when compared to foreign coaches,” Misbah said.

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“I don’t think there is anything wrong in having foreign coaches but what bothers me is we (fans, critics, media, PCB) tend to have a soft corner for foreign coaches,” he added.

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