The announcement by Pakistan head coach Mibahul Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis to step down from their roles on Monday has been met with a range of reactions, with some cheering the move while others condemning their decision to resign so close to a major competition.

Misbah, who had tested positive for Covid-19 at the conclusion of the team's tour of the Caribbean last month and was forced to quarantine in Jamaica, cited bio-secure bubbles as the reason behind his decision to quit while Younis said his decision was a "straightforward" one once the former expressed his intent to resign.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan paid tribute to the outgoing coaches, saying: "Both Misbah and Waqar have given so much to Pakistan cricket over a long period of time and for that they deserve a huge amount of respect."

However, others were seemingly not as appreciative or accepting of the decision to step down.

Former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, while talking to Geo News, said: "This is the same thing that the Taliban did with the American forces. I don't think they had any need to do this [...] I would call this running away. They should have waited for the decision and seen what the board decides."

He alleged the two had "exposed" themselves with their decision, questioning why they felt the need to leave. Akhtar said they should have discussed their concerns with Ramiz Raja — who has emerged as the leading contender to take over as the PCB chairman — and tried their best till the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

"But what can a coward do ultimately? He can only run," he said, slamming the two. "You could have only expected this from them and they had to do this. It was not an unusual thing for me that Misbahul Haq resigned, I know what kind of person he is," he said.

Some people on social media echoed Akhtar's views with Ary News Chief Editor Anees Hanif tweeting with a succinct "Good riddance!".

Cricket analyst Saleem Khaliq opined that the two should have been replaced long before the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"Resigning a month before can hurt the team. What can the new coaches do so quickly? If the results aren't good then they will say they didn't have time to adjust the team," he tweeted.

Former cricketer Tanveer Ahmed said the two had resigned after seeing the team selected for the upcoming World Cup. "It was in their benefit to retire," he tweeted.

Sports journalist Mirza Iqbal Baig too slammed the squad selection, claiming that Misbah was not supportive of Azam Khan and had conveyed it to the PCB chief.

Meanwhile, ESPNcricinfo senior editor Osman Samiuddin posted on a more cryptic note, saying, "You can dress it up as a 'we wanted to step down' but..."

Others, however, came to defend the decision. Cricket commentator Aatif Nawaz said those questioning the resignation needed to consider that Misbah had spent a week in isolation with Covid-19.

"As someone who's had it before, I can promise you it puts your life into perspective. Stay safe people and remember not everything in life is a conspiracy," he advised people.

Another cricket writer echoed the thought, saying that "people criticising Misbah for not being man enough to spend time in biosecure bubbles — I dare you to spend time locked up in a hotel room, having numerous Covid tests, not seeing family for months on end, this can affect anyone — and does."

He said he was not a fan of Misbah as a coach but that was not a reason to question the reason behind his resignation.