The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday appointed former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim as chief selector after the interim head of the selection committee Mohammad Ilyas was asked to resign. In its first step towards changes in the PCB, a new selection committee was appointed in which former Test pacer Saleem Jaffer was also inducted in the committee. The revamp of the selection committee was expected after Pakistan lost to England in the one-day and T20 series last month in the UAE.
Azhar Khan, Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman have been retained from the old selection committee. “Ilyas has submitted his resignation and we have appointed Iqbal Qasim as the new chief selector. The board will be provide him all the supports and backing he needs,” PCB chief Zaka Ashraf said while talking to reporters.
Qasim also worked as chief selector during the tenure of former Chairman Ijaz Butt but had resigned voluntarily after Pakistan was drubbed in Australia in the first quarter of 2010. Mohsin Khan replaced Qasim as the chief selector and worked in the position until he was asked to take over as interim coach of the national team last September following the sudden resignation of coach Waqar Younis due to personal and health reasons.
Qasim’s appointment now leaves a big question mark on how the PCB plans to utilise the services of Mohsin Khan in future. Ilyas said he had stepped down as he felt after the England series there was a need for new faces to take charge in Pakistan cricket. “I got full support from the board and my fellow selectors and now I feel this is the right time for someone else to head the selection committee and make a new beginning,” Ilyas said.
It is no secret that Ilyas faced a lot of criticism as chief selector for preferring his son-in-law Imran Farhat in the national team for the one-day series over other deserving candidates.
The 58 year old Qasim said: “It was an honour to be given the responsibility of such an important and respected role in Pakistan cricket. I thank the Chairman and the Board members for giving me this responsibility once again and I promise that I will carry out the role to the best of my ability. I ask the well wishers of Pakistan cricket to pray for the team’s success.”
Qasim, presently the sports head of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), resigned from his previous stint as chief selector following a terrible tour of Australia in 2009-10. The team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series and all rounder Shahid Afridi was banned for biting the ball. Qasim who played in 50 Tests and 15 One Day International from 1976 to 1988 confirmed that he would be travelling to Lahore as soon as possible to meet new Head Coach Dav Whatmore and to meet Misbah ul Haq, in order to discuss the make up of the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
“My first priority is to get a squad ready with Dav (Whatmore) and Misbah (ul Haq) that can mount a serious challenge for the Asia Cup title. I’ll be heading for Lahore very soon and look forward to meeting Dav and Misbah so that we can finalise the squad for the Asia Cup. I would expect that the squad would be announced either tomorrow or Friday. I obviously haven’t had much of a chance to think about the role due to the short notice, but I’m sure we can come up with a competitive squad for the Asia Cup.” “After the Asia Cup we will look at who are the players that we feel can perform well in international cricket. Let’s analyse all the talent around the country, because there is a lot of talent that needs to be given a chance. Age is no barrier, young players or experienced players will all be given a fair chance. Let’s take stock of what we have and utilise the resources in the best way possible.” Qasim also thanked Mohammad Ilyas for his hard work as chief selector and wished him well for the future. “Ilyas has done a good job. He worked hard and everyone at the PCB appreciates his efforts. The Asia Cup commences on 11th March when Pakistan take on Bangladesh in Mirpur.
PCB appoints Qasim as chief selector after Ilyas resigns
