Abdul Qadir made national cricket chief selector

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) here on Thursday appointed former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir as chairman of the national cricket selection committee.

The 53-year-old takes over from former fast bowler Salim Jaffer, who was made head of an interim selection committee last month.

"Qadir will be our new chief selector,"

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters, adding that other members of the selection committee will be announced shortly.

Qadir's appointment is part of the PCB's drive to use the experience of former players to put Pakistan's team cricket back on track. The Board on Wednesday also appointed former captain Javed Miandad as its director general.

Abdul Qadir said his priority will be to select the most deserving players.

"I want to give my honest dedication and will select players on merit and devise a system where no first class player can complain that he was not selected despite doing well,"

Qadir told media.

Abdul Qadir played 67 Tests for Pakistan in the 1970s and 80s and took 236 wickets. He also played 104 one-day internationals. This is the first time that Qadir has been appointed to the selection committee.

"I want to make the most of the opportunity and hopefully help Pakistan cricket with my experience,"

said Qadir, whose first task will be to select the team for a high profile home series against India.

"The first task is difficult, but we will do a honest selection so that we can put the best fight against India who are improving by leaps and bounds,"

said Qadir.

India is scheduled to go on a January-February tour of Pakistan, but it is still unclear whether the side will receive clearance by its government because of security fears in the wake of suicide bombings in Pakistan by militants.

India are slated to play a side game, three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international.

Aamir Sohail likely to be PCB chief selector

Former skipper Pakistan cricket team Aamir Sohail is likely to become the Chief Selector of national cricket team, sources said.

The current selection committee, under Saleem Jafar had responsibility to select players of Abu Dhabi series, was temporary and this would be dissolved after the series against West Indies.

Former captain Aamir Sohail is the strong frontrunner for the post and sources added that he has been offered the post by the PCB.

However, Sohail will have to bid fare well to cricket commentary as long as he remains on the job.

Sohail is scheduled to meet Chairman PCB Ejaz Butt in Lahore on Wednesday to discuss and settle down all the related issues in this regard.

He remained the Chief Selector in 2003 and some additional charges would also be provided to him.

Salahuddin resigns as chief selector

Former Test cricketer Salahuddin Ahmed resigned as chief selector on Wednesday just hours after Ijaz Butt was formally installed as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Salahuddin, who took over as the chairman of the national selection committee soon after Pakistan’s humiliating first round exit from the 2007 World Cup, said that he was unable to carry on his duties as the chief selector in what he termed as a “changed scenario”.

“I welcome the appointment of Mr. Ijaz Butt as the new PCB chief and wish him all the best,”

he told media.

Salahuddin said that he spent a productive time as chief selector under former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf, who resigned in August.

“I must give credit to former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf for his relentless hard work and dedicated efforts,”

said Salahuddin.

“He (Ashraf) gave the selectors a free hand and we were never pressurised to select any player in the team,”

said Salahuddin.

He stressed that the biggest reason behind his resignation was the fact that he wants the new chairman to bring in his own team to lift Pakistan cricket.

“I gave my best as chief selector but was not sure whether I could continue doing that in the changed scenario. It is better to let the new PCB chief bring in his own team.”

Salahuddin was given a taste of what lay ahead on Tuesday when a change was made in the Pakistan team for this week’s four-nation twenty20 tournament that was chosen by the national selection committee.

The list of players handed over to the PCB by Salahuddin included the name of specialist spinner Saeed Ajmal, but the squad that was later released to the media instead included Quetta opener Shoaib Khan. The change was made by the Sports Ministry which approved the squad before it was made public by the PCB.

Shoaib’s inclusion in the 15-man touring party for the Toronto quadrangular meant that it has four opening batsmen and not a single specialist spinner.

But Salahuddin refrained from commenting on it and instead focused on the ‘achievements’ during his 18-month stint as chief selector.

“As selection committee members, we began the stint at a very difficult phase as the Pakistan team’s morale was really low after the World Cup debacle.

“But the team improved and we also managed to blood some talented youngsters,”

he said.

Former Test cricketers Shafqat Rana and Saleem Jaffer — the other two members of the national selection committee — have so far decided against following suit.

Butt, who was a member of the PCB Governing Board, is regarded as a hard task-master and a tough administrator and it is being widely anticipated in the national cricket circles that he would make some sweeping changes in the cricket set-up in the coming weeks.

Wasim Akram criticises Shoaib Malik, selecters

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised Shoaib Malik for his captaincy and for not bowling his off-spin in important matches, and also not including the match-winning bowler in the team.

The former captain of Pakistan cricket team, criticizing the captain of the present national team, said that he avoided to bowl in important matches and bowled against easy rivals.

Wasim Akram said that it was the captain’s fault and not the selectors’ for not playing Abdul Rauf after he took three wickets in a match.

He also criticized the selection committee and called for inclusion of Mohammad Aamer, the 16-year-old left-arm seamer from Rawalpindi, into the national team.

Pakistan to test bench strength against Zimbabwe

Pakistan will be trialling fresh faces during the five-match one-day international series against Zimbabwe, due to begin from January 26. The relatively low-key nature of the series provides an ideal opportunity for Pakistan's selectors to test players in three departments, before Australia visit in March for a full tour.

"We will definitely try out some new faces in whichever department we need them in,"

Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector, said.

"That's not to say that we are taking Zimbabwe lightly, but we need to assess players on the fringes of the national side and this is a good opportunity."

The bulk of the experimentation will be carried out with fast bowling, opening and the wicketkeeping slot, areas which have for various reasons troubled Pakistan in recent years. Salahuddin suggested domestic pace stalwarts such as Abdur Rauf and Mohammad Irshad would be in line for debuts.

"We're also keeping an eye on the progress of Anwar Ali [former Under-19 star] and Sohail Khan."

Sohail, a right-arm fast-medium bowler from the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) but based in Karachi, has lit up this season's Quaid-e-Azam trophy with a string of outstanding performances.

In nine matches of what is his debut first-class season, for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), he has taken 65 wickets; he has already taken eight five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket match hauls. This includes, in his last match, a Pakistan first-class record haul of 16 for 189, including 9 for 109 in the second innings.

The selectors also have an eye on three openers in particular prospering domestically.

"Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif and Nasir Jamshed have been very good this season from all reports and they are definitely in the mix for that series, as is Asim Kamal,"

Salahuddin said.

Manzoor, who opens for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is the only batsman with over 1000 runs this season (including matches for Pakistan A), while the left-handed Jamshed and Latif, with three hundreds apiece, are not far behind. Latif, in fact, was called up to the Pakistan ODI squad for three matches of the series against South Africa in October, though he didn't eventually play.

And following more mediocre performances behind the stumps in India, it is almost inevitable that Kamran Akmal will be rested and former U-19 captain Sarfraz Ahmed given a run in his place. Sarfraz was called up to India as cover for Akmal and made his debut in the last ODI at Jaipur, impressing most observers with an assured display. The idea that both play, with Akmal as a specialist middle-order batsman, has also been discussed by the team management.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to arrive on January 12 and will play a four-day match and a three-day match before the ODI series begins.

Amir Sohail Hits Out At Selectors

Former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail has hit out at selectors for failing to spot quality domestic fast bowlers to play for the national team.

Sohail also blamed the panel for not selecting the right bowlers at the right time, which has seen many pacemen fade at the start of their international careers.

The 41-year-old former opener told The Hindu:

"They (the selectors) are essentially opting for medium-pacers who can seam the ball around. But we hardly get seaming pitches these days."

"Pace and swing are the requirements and these were Pakistan's strengths. We have some genuinely quick pacemen back home but they are not getting selected. These bowlers have done extremely well in domestic cricket."

"Now we see pacemen figuring in a Test series or two and then disappearing from the scene. This hurts the side in the long run."

"We had a potentially great fast bowler in Mohammad Zahid. He should been used carefully, camouflaged, early in his career. Before his body developed fully, he bowled too many overs. He suffered a serious back injury."

In contrast, Sohail praised the efforts of former Pakistan cricketers in spotting talent at the right stage and giving them a go early in their careers.

He said:

"In the past, even if the selection panel was not always right, Imran Khan groomed the pacemen and Javed Miandad did so with the batsmen."

"Confidence was instilled in these cricketers and they were given a fair run."

‘Salman will bounce back in Tests’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu on Tuesday defended the national team’s vice-captain Salman Butt in spite of the player’s unimpressive performance in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa saying that he will regain his form in the forthcoming Test matches.

Salahuddin, a former Test cricketer, said that Salman is a good batsman and suffered a bad patch during the tournament where Pakistan lost in the final against India on Monday.

After a series of poor outings, Salman was dropped from the playing line-up in the semifinal and the final of the 12-nation tournament. He was replaced by rookie all-rounder Fawad Alam in the semifinal and later Yasir Arafat was selected ahead of Salman in the final.

Salahuddin Sallu defended the decision to include Salman in the Twenty20 squad saying that the Lahore-based batsmen batted superbly in a series of Twenty20 matches at home this summer.

“Salman was one of the most prolific batsmen in those practice games and in fact he was the only one who scored a century in one of the matches,”

said Sallu.

He said that Salman would regain his form in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa starting with the opening Test here at the National Stadium from October 1.

“Salman is a very talented young batsman and I’m sure that he would get some runs and regain his confidence in the Test series against South Africa,”

he said.

Sallu praised Pakistan’s performance in the ICC World Twenty20 and said that in spite of losing in the final, the national team did a great job in South Africa.

“Our team played really well and it was a bit unlucky that it didn’t win the world title,”

he said.

Sallu praised the performance of Misbah-ul-Haq, the middle order batsman who almost helped Pakistan win the final against India.

“There was a lot of criticism against the selection of Misbah but the batsman has proved that he was the right choice,”

he said.

The chief selector also hailed the performance of newcomers Sohail Tanvir and Fawad Alam in the tournament.

“Sohail and Fawad have showed us that if given a chance our young cricketers have the guts to do well even against the world’s top teams,”

he said.

Performance Evaluation Committee meeting

Statement issued by Mr Ijaz Butt, Chairman of the Performance Evaluation Committee:

President of Peshawar Wisal Muhammad Drrani, President of Abbottabad Region Aamir Nawab and President Swabi District Cricket Association Muttiullah appeared before the Performance Evaluation Committee (PEC) constituted by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at Servis House on Monday.

Ijaz Butt, chairman of the Committee and member of the Committee former Test cricketer Salahuddin Ahmad were present.

During their 90-minute long interview the district cricket associations’ representatives provided in depth knowledge of the problems faced by the regional associations in terms of selecting their teams and the performances of their coaches.

The Committee regretted that despite of his commitment, the LCCA President Aamir Hayar Khan Rokhari failed to be available. As president of one of the biggest cricket associations in Pakistan, Rokhari's presence could have benefited the Committee to know the exact nature of relationship between the Board and its affiliated units.

The Committee has completed its findings and will submit its report to the PCB Chairman Dr. Nasim Ashraf after his return from abroad.

Pakistan selectors resign after World Cup exit

LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket selection committee has resigned in the wake of the team's disastrous World Cup campaign, chief selector Wasim Bari said on Tuesday. A series of resignations of top cricket officials continued in Pakistan after the national team’s ouster of the cricket World Cup at Caribbean.Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq had earlier announced his resignation from the team’s captaincy and retirement from one-day cricket. PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf had also submitted his resignation yesterday.The cricket selection committee has resigned in the wake of the team's disastrous World Cup campaign, chief selector Wasim Bari said today. The three-member committee's tenure was to be reviewed after the World Cup, but Bari said they had decided to quit and shoulder some of the blame for the poor performances. Bari said he along with two members of the committee Iqbal Qasim and Ehtishamuddin have tendered their resignations.