The question being asked in Pakistan cricket circles is simple and pointed: how can the same rule apply to Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz, but not to Misbah ul Haq? The PCB has yet to offer a clear answer.

The Incident That Triggered the Scrutiny

At the start of PSL 2026, the PCB moved swiftly against two prominent former players. Sarfaraz Ahmed — who sat alongside Misbah on the national selection committee — was stopped from working with Quetta Gladiators, as was Wahab Riaz, a fellow national selector. The PCB’s stated position was unambiguous: employees on the PCB payroll cannot work for PSL franchises in any capacity, as it constitutes a conflict of interest.

Then came the pictures of Misbah ul Haq sitting in the Peshawar Zalmi dugout in their franchise kit during a PSL 2026 match.

Misbah is a paid national selector and batting consultant for the PCB. He is simultaneously drawing a consultancy fee from Peshawar Zalmi. Peshawar Zalmi’s team, captained by Babar Azam, contains multiple players Misbah helps select for Pakistan.

Misbah’s Defence: “My Contract Came First”

Facing media questions, Misbah offered two justifications. The first was chronological — his deal with Peshawar Zalmi was signed before he accepted the national selector role, meaning it predated the PCB’s conflict of interest restriction.

“I had signed a contract with Zalmi before I became national selector and I only work for them as consultant on given days in a season.”

The second justification framed his PSL involvement as actually beneficial to his national duties — observing players in competitive franchise conditions gives him better information as a selector than watching from a distance.

“When you watch and observe them up close and see how they react to a particular situation, it becomes easier for you to take decisions as a national selector.”

On the direct question — how did he get permission when Sarfaraz and Wahab did not — Misbah offered no explanation of his own.

“My case was different and the PCB can best explain this.”

Why the Inconsistency Is So Damaging

The specific circumstances of Misbah’s case sit at the intersection of multiple problems for Pakistani cricket governance.

His consultancy at Peshawar Zalmi involves Babar Azam — a player whose national team selection has been the subject of significant internal debate. Misbah himself has previously been credited with playing a substantial role in Babar’s selective recall and exclusion from specific formats. A selector with a simultaneous financial relationship with Babar’s PSL franchise raises questions that the “pre-existing contract” defence does not fully resolve.

There is also the broader optics problem. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz both had relationships with the Quetta Gladiators — and were stopped. That they were stopped and Misbah was allowed to continue creates a two-tier policy that the PCB has not publicly justified.

The PCB has remained silent on the discrepancy since the story broke.

A Man at the Centre of Pakistan Cricket for Seven Years

Misbah’s career with the PCB has been long and layered. He served as head coach and chief selector from 2019 to 2021, a tumultuous period that ended in his resignation. He was then reappointed in various advisory capacities, named Director of International Cricket Operations as recently as October 2025, and has continued as a national selector into PSL 2026.

His son Faham ul Haq’s non-selection despite initial reports suggesting he was to be included had already generated controversy earlier in PSL 2026. That dispute — in which Sarfaraz Ahmed was reported to have overruled a proposal to include Faham — further complicated the dynamics between the two men now caught on opposite sides of the conflict of interest ruling.

In Peshawar Zalmi’s win over Karachi Kings, Misbah addressed the media in the franchise kit and called the two roles entirely compatible.

“I personally like selectors to work closely with domestic teams to assess their skills better in different situations.”

Whether the PCB decides to formally address the policy inconsistency — or allow Misbah to continue operating in both roles until the season ends — remains the central unanswered question.