Pakistan suffered a 35-run loss in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) to Sri Lanka in the three-match series on Monday. After the loss, former Australia cricketer, Dean Jones took to Twitter and expressed his displeasure over Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to hand Misbah-ul-Haq the role of head coach and chief selector. Misbah-ul-Haq began his tenure on a positive note with a 2-0 win in the One-Day Internationals but in the shortest format, his team failed to deliver the goods. Dean Jones said that players will not be honest with their coach if he is the selector of the team.
"In my opinion in cricket, you cannot have both roles as a Head Coach and a Selector. Imagine if you were a player with some technical or mental problems.. would you be honest with your Coach as you are more likely to be sacked! #Mumstheword," Dean Jones tweeted.
Former New Zealand cricketer, Scott Styris and Royal Challengers Bangalore's director of cricket, Mike Hesson did not agree with Jones' views on Misbah.
"So you're happy being coach, with results being your form of accountability and you cant pick the team you want? Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson, Craig Bellamy, Bill Belichick NOT having a say on who is on the field! Yeah right," Scott Styris tweeted.
"I agree with a lot of what you say Deano but not in this instance. As a Coach your lifespan is dependent on performance,a huge part of performance is having the right players to play a certain style and then developing a culture to suit. The Culture deals with your last point," Mike Hesson's tweet read.
Dean Jones later clarified that he wants Misbah to do well but it is hard for one man to do all the jobs "properly".
"Re my comments today. Misbah is a dear mate of mine. I genuinely want him to do well. With 3 formats of the game and a new First Class system... it's hard to do all the jobs properly and well. I want Misbah to do well. He needs support and patience," he tweeted.
After the loss in the second T20I, Pakistan will aim for a consolation victory in the final T20I that will be played in Lahore on Wednesday.