Former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim has been appointed chief selector of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as new five-member selection committee has been formed on Thursday following resignation by interim chief selector Mohammad Ilyas. The five-member selection committee of PCB is comprised of Iqbal Qasim, Saleem Jaffar, Azhar Khan, Asif Baloch and Farukh Zaman.
The decision to appoint Iqbal Qasim as chief selector was taken after Mohammad Ilyas submitted his resignation on the sidelines of the governing board meeting in Islamabad, recently. A spokesman of PCB said here Thursday that new selection committee will select Pakistan team for the forthcoming Asia Cup to be played in Bangladesh.
Iqbal Qasim, currently the sports head of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), had resigned from his first stint as chief selector following a poor tour of Australia in 2009-10. The team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series while star cricketer Shahid Afridi was banned for biting the ball. Saleem Jaffar was also a member of the selection committee from 2007 till July 2010, when his contract was not renewed due to a rift in selection. Currently the head coach of Karachi City Cricket Association, he will now work as a full-time selector.
Ilyas' resignation was expected because the PCB had already been making plans to form a new selection committee soon after Zaka Ashraf, taking over as chairman, refrained from major changes in order to maintain the team's winning momentum. Ilyas was part of the selection committee throughout the former PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt administration in different positions, and had served as the interim chief selector since Mohsin Khan was appointed as interim head coach.
Ilyas said he gave up his role owing to his personal commitments and the extensive fieldwork required for a national selector. "I am quite busy at the moment," Ilyas said. "I've been there for three and a half years so it's time for new people to take over. I have enjoyed working with everybody." Iqbal Qasim also acknowledged Ilyas' work: "I give my full support to Ilyas for his wonderful contribution. He did his work with dedication and honesty. The board appreciates his services with compliments and he was with us as an important member of the team."
AFP adds: Qasim, who resigned as chief selector following Pakistan's winless tour of Australia in 2010, said he prayed this time he would be more successful. "I will try to make the best and balanced team for the upcoming Asia Cup. I resigned in the past because the team lost 14 consecutive matches. There is no justification for me to stay if the team loses continuously," Qasim said. "I pray it will not happen again," he said.
Defending champions India join Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the event which is played from March 11-22. "We have very little time to select the squad so we will do the best possible without disturbing the team and hope that it does well," said Qasim.
Pakistan are also likely to replace interim coach Mohsin Khan with former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, due to arrive in Pakistan on Friday. Whatmore guided Sri Lanka to a World Cup title in 1996 and also coached Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup where they defeated India and reached the Super Six stages.