Tauseef Ahmed appointed Pakistan’s interim chief selector

LAHORE: Former Test cricketer Tauseef Ahmed has been appointed as chief selector for Pakistan cricket team following Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation over allegations of “conflict of interest”, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to the cricket governing body, former cricketer Wajahatullah Wasti has been appointed as the head of the junior selection committee.

The first assignment for the selection committee under Tauseef Ahmed will be the selection of the national squad for the upcoming Australia tour for the three-match Test series after the ongoing World Cup 2023.

It is pertinent to mention here that both the new appointees are members of the existing selection committee.

Inzamam-ul-Haq resigned as the chairman of the national men’s selection committee and junior selection committee.

He is accused of being a stakeholder in a certain players’ agent firm. It was also said that he selected the World Cup 2023 squad keeping in view the firm’s interests.

“I am stepping down from the post to offer the PCB the opportunity to conduct a transparent inquiry about the conflict-of-interest allegations raised in the media. If the committee finds me not guilty, I will resume my role as the chief selector” Inzamam-ul-Haq said in a statement.

While talking to a private TV channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq said that he is ready for any inquiry that the Pakistan Cricket Board wants to conduct regarding his days as chief selector but is resigning for questions were raised about the transparency in the selection process for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 amid the team’s failing campaign.

‘Inzamam-ul-Haq kept PCB unaware of agent’s identification’

Earlier in the day, PCB’s media head Aalia Rasheed – while talking to ARY News – said that Inzamam-ul-Haq kept the board unaware of the agent’s identification.

“If Pakistan players and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s agent are the same, then there is a conflict of interest. He can also influence a lot of players,” said the board’s media director.

She believed that Inzamam had the responsibility to inform the cricket body about any potential conflict of interest. “No cricket board wants to create controversy during a World Cup and get ridiculed in the media,” she added.

Aalia Rasheed further said that PCB has formed a fact-finding committee to assess whether there was a conflict of interest but it didn’t remove Inzamam as chief selector.

She added that the board has not yet accepted the resignation of Inzamam-ul-Haq, and he can resume working for PCB if the “committee clears him”.