Former cricket team captain Misbahul Haq has stepped down from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Cricket Committee after deciding to apply for the position of head coach, a press release issued by the cricketing body on Monday revealed.

Haq informed PCB Director (International) Zakir Khan of his decision to step down in a meeting earlier today and then formally applied for the position of head coach, which has been vacant since Mickey Arthur's contract expired earlier this month.

“I am applying for the head coach’s role fully aware that the competition will be tough, as I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game," Haq was quoted as saying by the PCB.

"In saying so, I have to admit it is everyone’s dream to coach the Pakistan cricket team, which has tremendous potential to be a force to be reckoned with across all formats."

Read: Misbah likely to get dual role of chief selector and head coach

Referring to rumours about him being interested in the role, the former captain said: "It has been interesting to see my name being mentioned as a future head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, but the fact is I only made the decision today."

Earlier this month, PCB had held a round of meetings during which Arthur's performance as head coach was reviewed, following which the board had decided not to renew his contract. It is now looking for candidates to fill the role. It had put out advertisements for the position on August 9 to invite applications from potential candidates. The last date to submit applications was August 26.