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As part of a big reorganisation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named Wahab Riaz as the new chief selector of the national men’s selection committee. Riaz used to play international cricket and is very fast.
Since former captain Inzamam ul Haq quit on October 30 over “conflict of interest” allegations, the position of top selector had been open. The former left-arm pacer was appointed to fill the opening.
After it came out that Inzamam was a partner in Yazoo International Ltd, a company run by Talha Rehmani that manages Pakistan’s best cricket players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, the board set up a five-person committee to look into the matter.
Riaz has played for Pakistan in 27 Tests, 90 ODIs, and 36 T20Is. The PCB said that Riaz’s first job will be to pick the team for a tough tour of Australia, which will include a three-match Test series against the Kangaroos starting on December 14 and a five-match T20I series against New Zealand from January 12 to 21 in New Zealand.
The fast bowler with a left arm thanked PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf for making him chief selector and said, “I am honoured to take on the role of chairperson for the national men’s selection committee.”
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“The decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable and I am willing to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” he said.
He also talked about how important the tour of Australia was as part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023–25 cycle and the T20I series against New Zealand, which will be a key part of the team’s training for the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies in June 2019.
Riaz also said that he and Mohammad Hafeez, who was recently hired as Director of Cricket, will “work closely for the success of Pakistan cricket.” Hafeez will focus on players who do well in local cricket to make sure that the team is “well-rounded.”
This is part of a big reorganisation of the team’s leadership, coaching, and management staff that happened after the Green Shirts were eliminated early from the World Cup. They failed to make it to the semifinals.
After Babar Azam quit as leader of the team in all three formats on November 15, the PCB has named new captains for the T20 and red-ball formats.
In Test matches, Shan Masood will be in charge of the national team. In 20-over games, Shaheen Shah Afridi will be in charge.
The board has also named Hafeez, a former cricket player, “Director Pakistan men’s cricket team” to replace Mickey Arthur.
Aside from that, changes have been made to the teaching staff’s duties, and coaches have been told to stay at the National Cricket Academy.
