The Pakistan Cricket Board has delayed the announcement of the team for the upcoming Bangladesh series. Reports say that the delay was caused due to the development of differences between the national selection committee and governing board members of the PCB. Reports quoting sources say said that the selectors were not happy with the pressure being exerted by some governing board members to have players of their region picked in the squad for the Bangladesh tour. The selection committee, which is headed by Mohammad Ilyas, met in Lahore but did not announce the squad. Ilyas said the selectors had decided to hold back the announcement as they wanted to wait for matches of the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka in the UAE to be completed. “Basically we don’t want players to be complacent if we announce the touring squad now. There is nothing wrong in waiting a bit and then announcing the squad,” Illyas said. Pakistan is due to tour Bangladesh after a gap of nearly 10 years for a Test, three ODIs and a Twenty20 match. The Pakistan squad will leave directly from Dubai for Dhaka after completing their series against Sri Lanka next week.
But a well-informed source confirmed that the delay had also occurred because some governing board members were insisting players of their regions, who had performed well recently, should be inducted into the side as the series against Bangladesh is not expected to be a tough one. “For example Shakil Sheikh who is a governing board member from Islamabad and Rawalpindi wants all-rounder Umar Amin and opener Owais Zia in the squad for the limited over matches in Bangladesh,” reports said. Reports further said similarly Aamir Nawab, who heads the Abbottabad Region, wants leg-spinner Yasir Shah in the team. Owais Zia and Umar performed well in the recent SAARC tournament in Maldives where Pakistan won the T20 tournament. They have also done well on the domestic front in recent times.
“The chief selector’s main objection is that the selectors should be allowed to work independently,” the source added. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah went with the senior team to Zimbabwe in September but did not impress in the matches he played. “Ilyas is a straight forward person and is not happy with this interference and is waiting to talk to Chairman Zaka Ashraf,” another report said. He said the selectors were not in favour of making changes in the squad that is already playing against Sri Lanka. “The feeling is that the Bangladesh series should be used as a springboard to give players confidence for the next year’s series against England in the UAE,” the source said.
The proof of pudding lies in it's eating. If Mr. Ilyas, the chief selector is really a man of integrity, who does not like interference in selection process, then he should prove his credentials and drop his son in law Mr. Imran Farhat, who has failed to impress with his batting as well as fielding. Now, it is high time nepotism culture is eliminated from the blood streams of PCB.
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