Waqar Younis, a.k.a Burewala Express, is now Pakistan bowling coach leading candidate

"I do not know if he’d get the job and how he’d be as the head coach, but he is a wonderful leader. Leaders learn in no time"

After Akram's withdrawal, Waqar Younis appears to be the next national side's new bowling coach clear favorite as the PCB panel that was headed by Intikhab Alam did not invite Jalaluddin—another former Test pacer and a qualified level four coach—for the interview process, Samaa Sports reported.

Furthermore, a press release by the Cricket Board announced that after the role of the head coach and bowling coach interviews, the five-member panel would send its recommendations to PCB Chairman Mr. Ehsan Mani.

Press Trust of India posted a blog at FirstPost stating that Jalaluddin obviously did not like the behavior of the panels towards him. Jalaluddin said: "If they treat their master coaches like this and ignore and disgrace them, then Pakistan cricket will not move ahead."

He clearly understands that it was PCB's prerogative to choose and appoint the right person. He was just not able to grasp the treatment—not inviting him—meted out to him even he met all the requirements for the bowling coach's position. It seems like the panel has something on their sleeves.

Apart from Intikhab Alam, the panel was consist of former Test player Bazid Khan,  Board of Governors member Asad Ali Khan, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan, and PCB Director of International Cricket Zakir Khan.

Also, for the head coach: Misbah-ul-Haq

According to a reliable source, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is now the leading candidate for the head coach vacant position of the Men in Green. The PCB's committee decided not to renew former head coach Mickey Arthur's contract, so more likely Misbah will replace him.

A writer of Cricket Pakistan described Misbah as someone "who represented Pakistan in 75 Tests, 162 ODIs and 39 T20Is" and "capable enough to serve as the national side’s head coach by the Ehsan Mani-led administration" in a blog post on August 7, 2019.

The writer added that Misbah is "...a former cricketer took over the reins as Pakistan captain, after the infamous spot-fixing scandal in 2010, and brought the country's cricket out of turmoil through his astute leadership."

Raja is against Misbah’s appointment

Commentator Ramiz Raja, who is Waqar's former teammate, is against Misbah's appointment. In fact, Misbah-ul-Haq has been criticized since the news of his dual role of becoming the head coach and chief selector circulated.

On his Youtube channel, Raja said that: "I do not have anything against Misbah because he took over the captaincy at a difficult time. He had his own way of approaching the game. He was defensive as he used to lie in wait for the opposition to make a mistake. It was then that he'd pounce. This won him many battles in the UAE.

"But now the team needs a new direction. The Pakistan team has aggression in its DNA, and so you need a game plan and people who have a similar approach. This is the only way to revive the team in tests.

"Playing the waiting game for an opportunity to ambush is an old school of thought. This is akin to Mohammad Ali’s rope-a-dope strategy where he would take a beating and tire out his opponent before coming alive in the later rounds."

For Raja, dual roles are impractical and unsuitable for Pakistan

One can be given both jobs as a head coach and chief selector at the same time. However, according to Raja, "This idea can work in the western block where the administration is professional not just at the top tier but at every level; and where an individual can do no funny business even if he has absolute power."

He added, "...in Pakistan cricket such an experiment is not without its risk. This is impractical and unsuitable. This has never been done before, and no one has even tried it. There is no need to such an experiment now. The coach and chief selectors’ roles should be kept apart."

Waqar to Misbah: "Misbah is a wonderful person"

However, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Waqar remarked that he does not have any qualms to work with or under anyone. During the interview, he said: "It is wrong to say that I cannot work under anyone. I learned coaching by being and playing under many coaches.

"And the stature of players does not matter these days. You saw Steve Waugh recently, and also Ricky Ponting was working under Justin Langer. I do not have any such issues. I know my domain and have done this before.

"I do not want to comment prematurely, but Misbah is a wonderful person. He made Pakistan the number one Test team in the world. We have worked together a lot, him as the captain me as the head coach. I do not know if he’d get the job and how he’d be as the head coach, but he is a wonderful leader. Leaders learn in no time."

"Whatever happened in the past, with my report and everything, I do not want to go into that," Waqar explained 

As the interview progresses, he was asked about the relevance of this current application to his last stint in the Pakistan Cricket Board as head coach. He clarified that although his supervision ended in a bitter ending, that bitterness is not the factor this time.

"It's not that I did not apply for the head coaching job this time because of my prior experiences. This is a new setup. The last time I had quit was due to my family. They were in Australia, and I was in Pakistan", he explained in the interview.

"Secondly, when you do not perform that well in a World Cup, there is always scrutiny, so that was a factor too… Whatever happened in the past, with my report and everything, I do not want to go into that. I want to look forward. If I get this job, I feel I can play a big role and help Pakistan cricket", he concluded.