Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has removed chief selector Inzamamul Haq from Pakistan Super League (PSL) player category committee on the basis of conflict of interest. The player categories are decided prior to the PSL draft and Inzamam used to do the honours in the past. But this time around, several franchises expressed their reservations that Inzamam had been a part of the Lahore Qalandars Talent Hunt which causes a conflict of interest and hence he should be kept away from the process. The PCB obliged after acknowledging their reservations. “Based on feedback from the majority of the franchises, PSL tried to address conflict of interest. Category renewals of players who played in the previous season have a direct impact on retentions,” said a source. “That’s why chief selector Inzamam who is linked with Lahore Qalandars and selector Tausif Ahmed who is linked with Islamabad United are not included in the committee,” the source added.

From this year, the franchises will share the responsibilities with the league organisers. Other national selectors Wasim haider and Wajahatullah Wasti along with PSL head of player acquisition imran Ahmed Khan will review draft of players for the third edition of PSL and decide on their new categories. After the new category of the domestic players, the final list of the international players and the remaining domestic cricketers will be decided. However, it is interesting here to note that Ahmed Khan, who has climbed the ladder up the hierarchy with stunning pace, is part of the committee despite not being a cricketer. Some people say he has a soft spot for certain teams. Conflict of interest in the PCB is nothing new as head coach of the national team Micky Arthur and bowling coach Azhar Mehmood are also linked to Karachi Kings franchise.

Published in Daily Times, September 13^th 2018.