PCB names former pacer Wahab Riaz as new chief selector

By Special Correspondent

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday named former pacer Wahab Riaz as new chief selector in place of former Test captain Inzamamul Haq who stepped down last month following allegations of a conflict of interests. Inzamam resigned after national media reported one of his co-directors in a UK-based company was managing director of an agency representing leading Pakistan cricketers. He quit during Pakistan’s disappointing World Cup campaign in which they exited at the group stage after finishing fifth in the standings. Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel stepped down on Monday and batsman Babar Azam resigned as captain on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Riaz, who played 27 Tests and 91 one-day internationals (ODI) for Pakistan, retired as a player in August.

Wahab, who retired from international cricket in August this year, will get going in his new post ahead of the three-match Test series in Australia, to be played in December-January, which will be followed by a five-match T20I series in New Zealand in January. Though he hasn’t formally retired from franchise cricket, his PSL team, Peshawar Zalmi, posted a tweet on Friday thanking Wahab for his “exceptional services to the team”, adding, “thank you for your countless contributions over the past 8 years and you will always remain an integral part of Zalmi family”.  The other members of the selection panel have not been named yet.

“The PCB’s decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable and I am willing to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” Wahab said in a board statement. “Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant Australia tour coming up that is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and a T20I series against New Zealand that will allow us to develop a formidable unit leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June next year. I have a good rapport with the Pakistan men’s team director Mohammad Hafeez and we will be working closely for the success of Pakistan cricket. My primary goal would be to give weightage to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce well-rounded squads equipped with the necessary skillsets. I will always be available to the players for feedback and advice.”

Pakistan formally exited the World Cup on November 11 after losing their last league-phase game to England in Kolkata, and Babar Azam resigned as Pakistan’s captain from all three formats on November 15. Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were subsequently named captains of the Test and T20I formats respectively, while no ODI captain was named since Pakistan’s next engagement in that format is some way away. The ICC’s future tours programme doesn’t have an ODI listed for Pakistan for a year –––– their next fixtures in the format are in a series of three games scheduled in Australia in November 2024. Hafeez, meanwhile, has been named the Pakistan team director, replacing Mickey Arthur, and has been given the additional responsibility of being the team’s head coach in a temporary capacity for the tours of Australia and New Zealand.