LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally decided to terminate chief selector Moin Khan’s dual role by withdrawing his post of manager and handed it back to Naveed Akram Cheema.

Moin will however visit Australia and New Zealand with the squad for the World Cup as chief selector.

“Chief selector Mr Moin Khan met PCB chairman Mr Shaharyar Khan, Executive Committee chairman Mr Najam Sethi and PCB chief operating officer Mr Subhan Ahmad in Lahore today (Saturday) to discuss his role on the future cricket tours.”

“Moin has been holding the position of chief selector in addition to his role as team manager. The chairman explained the PCB Governing Board’s decision on doing away with dual roles, and asked Moin to stay on as chief selector as part of the squad for the 2015 World Cup, which position Moin Khan has accepted,” a press release issued by the PCB stated on Saturday.

“The PCB also announces Naveed Akram Cheema as Pakistan team manager for the upcoming tours (New Zealand) including the 2015 World Cup,” it further stated.

Commenting on the decision, the PCB chairman said: “Moin has rendered excellent services in his capacity as team manager and it is extremely heartening to note that he has agreed to continue to work as chief selector.

“It was important for us to not only implement the Board’s decision on dual roles but also to provide continuity in policies, hence, the decision was taken to send him as chief selector for the World Cup.”

Moin said, “I am pleased with the Board for reposing confidence in my ability and I go along with the decision of the Board on dual roles.

“My priority is to select a team that has the capability to win the World Cup. Together I hope we would be able to achieve this objective.”

The PCB recently had been in grip of rumours that Moin was not ready to quit any of the two posts as he had threatened to relinquish both if he would not be retained as manager for the World Cup.

The situation was going worse as the PCB has to submit the World Cup squad to the ICC till Jan 7. There are also question marks on the availability of some key players for the World Cup, which is also creating problem for the PCB.

However, one of the headaches of the PCB must have gone when the issue of Moin was solved.

The decision of giving another role (chief selector) to a manager, taken by previous PCB chairman Najam Sethi, backfired badly.

There is no such precedent when a manager was given the post of chief selector because it is a high profile post which needs no interaction with players to avoid their influence.

But Moin was not ready to follow this principle as it took PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan several days to convince the former Test captain.

Sethi had given double roles to various coaches and PCB officials but Shaharyar after assuming the charge had taken a stance against this practice.

In the first phase, the PCB had taken back dual jobs from spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmad and women wing secretary Ayesha Ashar. However, Mushtaq will remain with the squad at the World Cup as bowling coach. He is also a spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy.

The PCB had also decided to terminate services of Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad Akram as selectors and wanted them to continue as NCA coaches.

Responding to a query from Dawn, a PCB spokesman clarified: “The double roles of different PCB officials will go gradually and not abruptly. So, both Ijaz and Akram are still members of the selection committee, besides holding different jobs at the National Cricket Academy.”

The PCB spokesman further said both Ijaz and Akram would continue their assignment as selectors till Jan 7 — the deadline for naming the final World Cup squad — adding the selection committee would be reshaped after the mega event.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2014