Daily Times

LAHORE: Former Pakistan batsman Haroon Rasheed has been named chief selector by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi, who said that the rest of the selection panel would be named later. Rasheed, 69, had previously served as Pakistan’s chief selector between 2015 and 2016, and will take over from Shahid Afridi, who served as the interim chief selector after the Sethi administration removed Mohammad Wasim from the position soon after taking charge late last month. Rasheed played 23 Tests and 12 ODIs for Pakistan between 1977 and 1983 and apart from his previous role as a selector, has also served as PCB’s director of cricket operations and the Pakistan team manager. On December 22 last year, Rasheed had been appointed to a 14-member cricket management committee to run the PCB but he will now step down from that post. “Haroon has now resigned from the management committee as we don’t want a conflict of interest as he is now chief selector,” Sethi said. The cricket management committee had appointed Afridi as interim chief selector on December 24 and Sethi had wanted him to take on the responsibility for a longer duration. Afridi, however, wasn’t keen, citing his busy schedule with commitments to his foundation and charity work. The next series for the Pakistan men’s team is a three-match T20I contest against Afghanistan in March.

Haroon said: “I am honoured to have been entrusted with this responsibility and look forward to working very closely with the team management and the National High Performance Centre so that we have clear pathways and can work collectively to select best available players for what will be a busy and high-profile year of cricket, including the ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the tour of Australia for three Tests. One of the key aspects I will like to focus on my time will be improving communication. This is a critical area as the players need to have absolute clarity on why they have been selected or not selected, which, in turn, will help them to deliver the desired results, work harder on their skills and remain motivated.”