History maybe written in Pakistan cricket when the non-cricketers will become the members of the National Selection Panel as directed by the court of law.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been ordered to enhance the role of the selection committee by Islamabad High Court’s Honourable Judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.
In his 30-page order, the copy of which is in our possession, the Justice directed: “Criteria for the appointment of Selection Committee is highly questionable but no remedial steps are being taken to bring credible criteria of the nomination/appointment of members of Selection Committee and its Chairman”.
“The decades old formula of appointment of Selection Committee need to be reviewed and all the regions be given right to be members of the selection committee on rotation”.
“The scope of selection committee is required to be enhanced by including one Sports Journalist, Cricket Commentator, and one keen follower of the game of cricket having sufficient knowledge from the general public”, he has said in his order.
Later, speaking exclusively over telephone from his chamber of Islamabad High Court, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui said: “I have been receiving several calls on this order. It may be an unprecedented move to have non-cricketers in the selection panel, but to improve the structure of the game in Pakistan, this is what I have recommended. All selectors must be impartial”.
Cricket historians were wondering whether any national boards ever had non-cricketer in the selection committee.
“Off the hand, I can recollect M. Datta Ray, who never played any forms of cricket but still became BCCI’s chief selector (1963-67). He was made selector because of his football background”, Sudhir Vaidya informs.
Include non-cricketers in the selection panel, IHC orders PCB
