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Pakistan chief selector walks away, denies rift with captain

Agencies Published July 4, 2013
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Pakistan's chief cricket selector Iqbal Qasim stepped down from his post on Thursday, denying any rift with the national team's captain and coach.

“I have told the top officials of the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) that I have completed my tenure so they should appoint a new panel for future selection,” Qasim told AFP.

The acting PCB chairman, Najam Sethi, accepted Qasim's resignation and lauded his services to the sport in an official press release issued shortly after Qasim's statement.

"Iqbal Qasim has done a great service to the country. He has given a fitting farewell to the team by presiding over its selection committee prior to the West Indies tour starting soon. He said his term was up (in April, 2013, extended to July by suspended chairman Zaka Ashraf) and asked to be relieved after concluding his professional duties. I wish him well and shall continue to seek his advice and guidance on cricketing matters in the future," Sethi said.

Local media had regularly speculated about differences between Qasim, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq, coach Dav Whatmore, and Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez over selection, but Qasim denied any rift.

“I had no differences with anyone,” said Qasim, a former left arm spinner who played 50 Tests and 15 one-days for Pakistan.

“I completed my tenure in April but then PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf requested me to continue until (July and) the West Indies tour, which I did,” said Qasim.

Qasim's committee came under criticism after the team crashed out of the Champions Trophy in England last month.

He has served repeated tenures as chief selector. In 2010, he resigned after the team's 3-0 rout in Australia in 2010.

“The team wins and the team loses, which is part of the game so there should be no differences,” said Qasim.

“I thank Misbah, Whatmore and Hafeez for their cooperation.”

The PCB will consider the formation of a new selection committee and chairman in the days to come, the press release added.

Pakistan will play five one-day and two Twenty20 matches in the Caribbean.

They will tour Zimbabwe in August for two Tests, three one-day and two Twenty20 matches.

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khan
Jul 04, 2013 02:56pm
Ironic... this guy wants to quit but PCB keeps bringing him back whereas other talented people willing to do the job are ignored. I think Sethi should take up this position as he clearly demonstrated his selection credentials being the CM for interm govt.
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nasim khan
Jul 04, 2013 03:38pm
It is not bad if Iqbal Qasim quit the chief selector's position, because he has not done any thing good, except dropping seniors, making statement that the seniors have no finished heir cricket, and again selecting the same seniors for no good reasons. I think Mohsin Khan was the better Chief Selector.
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Oz
Jul 04, 2013 04:36pm
Thank heavens for that!!!! Please bring in Mohsin Khan or one of the recent players in the selection panel.. who can induce some young blood and give chances to youngsters on merit.
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zahid
Jul 04, 2013 05:10pm
Thanks Allah that Iqbal Qasim resign. He played his role has a YES-MAN. He was a bad chief SELECTOR. Even though he was bowlers but he was involve in BATSMAN SELECTION.
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pier
Jul 04, 2013 05:13pm
Iqbal Qasim, you should be the first one to go forever, you are the worst selector among the worsts. please leave Pakistan Cricket Alone let professional with experience manage cricket in Pakistan. Plea from a Pakistani fan in USA.
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AJ
Jul 04, 2013 06:00pm
Good news. His choices were always dictated by the ex-PCB chairman and captains. He only did what was already going on for years, that select the same non-performing players again and again. We need a selection committee which can unearth new batting talent. Someone who can give as many chances to Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Fawad and Umar Akmal as Farhat, Shoaib Malik and others who never did the job.
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Shan
Jul 04, 2013 06:41pm
I think some one should sack **Ilyas Khan** too, how come this persons tenure never finishes. He has been selecting his son in law **Farhat** for the last 12 years. There should be a whole new selection comitee, possibly 1 member from each province and then their wings so they could go and watch regional talented players.
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Shan
Jul 04, 2013 06:48pm
Thank you very much Iqbal Qasim sahab, You should have resigned accepting your wrong selection and due to loosing all three matches of the ICC championship. Not because of your tenure being complete, It seems like in Pakistan no one is ready to accept the blame. Look at salman butt he was still pleading innocent until a week ago and only accepted his involvement in match fixing once he knew that if he did not and go through the rehabiliation process he will be ban for 10 years.Another example is Keneriya still arguing. May allah give us some integrity and courage to accept our mistakes.
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Youth
Jul 04, 2013 07:08pm
Najam Sethi this buttering talk cannot be digested. The fact is that the selection committee along with the entire cricket setup has miserably failed. All should be thrown out and those understanding cricket well should be given a chance to run PCB. Six out of the eleven playing players have crossed their peak, no amount of efforts can make them play any better a simple economics theory in in place " Law of diminishing returns" this is simple the yield will not increase no matter whatever efforts you put in. Our senior players are suffering from mind blocking, they cannot refresh anymore. Pick some of the outstanding players from under 19 team & groom them, they will play better.
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Amir
Jul 04, 2013 07:19pm
Job well done by Iqbal Qasim. Bravo! When a group of three or four people get together to make a decision than arguments and debates are the part of the process. Enjoy Mr. Qasim
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observer
Jul 04, 2013 07:55pm
First of all we should get rid of Sethi and then get a a right person on merit as PCB chief. For the selection committee, Rashid Latif is the best choice as he has really demonstrated practical approaches in improving cricket at the grass root level.
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Ahmad
Jul 04, 2013 08:50pm
@Youth: THEY need these senior players for their vested interests.
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Green Oval
Jul 04, 2013 09:14pm
Will this open the door for Mohd Ilyas and yet another return of Imran Farhat? Plus Malik and Kamran. Hope not.
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Omar
Jul 04, 2013 09:33pm
Pakistan overall is going through a very lean patch as far as talent is concerned.I don't see marquee names in lineup.World beaters they are not. The upcoming so-called young talent is not very promising either.That begs the question whether Pakistan has run out it's "luck" of prodigiously gifted super stars of past era who had immense raw talents and had skills honed by playing proper county cricket in England. We are an average to below average team at best and any selection based on the available pool will provide the same results.
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optomist
Jul 04, 2013 10:30pm
Once a selection committee announces a team he owns its merits and demerits. Iqbal Qasim has been a total failure every time he is in the selection committee. We heard that Iqbal Qasim wanted to include Afridi, Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shahzad and Rizwan for the Champions trophy but Misbah, Hafeez and Whatmore insisted on Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Kamran Akmal. Kamran record since 2010 has been dismal, Imran Farhat has been a disaster only Shoaib Malik selection was on his performance. Mr. Qasim should have resigned before the selection of the team for the Champions Trophy, he did a great disservice to the nation by compromising and bowing down to nepotism which is a cancer in cricket. The only man of guts is Salahuddin Ahmed who should be assisted by Rashid Latif and Moin Khan who runs the cricket academy. The committee should have complete power on selection like the rest of the international cricket teams.
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akbar
Jul 04, 2013 10:50pm
A disastrous selection panel is finally gone! Hopefully some sensible and competent people are selected at the panel in the future, who do not select sifarishi players.
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AJ
Jul 04, 2013 11:17pm
Pakistan cricket needs total clean-up. Start with Miandad, Ilyas, Intekhab and all others who have nothing to do but are there for decades. Being a super star player of his time does not mean that Miandad should be drawing millions for doing nothing. Bring in some professionals with high education base. Change pakistan's first class set-up to not more than 8 teams so that competition is hard and able to produce batsmen who then can succeed at international level. And Plz Plz arrange A-team tours to Australia, South Africa, NZ and England, at least two of the kind to these destinations a year so that our young batsmen get exposure to these alian conditions.
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Shahid
Jul 04, 2013 11:19pm
Pakistan needs Majed Khan or Ehsan Mani to run its cricket. You need selectors who are ready to introduce changes and not bringing the old faces again n again
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Que
Jul 04, 2013 11:29pm
Thank God we got rid of Qasim!!!! Now Misbah is next to get rid off!!!! Afridi should be made the ODI captain!!!
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aisha
Jul 04, 2013 11:27pm
Finally!!! Hope this is the last we see of this group and kamran akmal, mailk and farhat.
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SKhan
Jul 05, 2013 12:27am
Good riddance Iqbal Sahib. I would like to see the selection committee constituted in Butt tenure which comprise Salahuddin Sallu, Saleem Jaffer and Shoaib Muhammad Alternative setup: Rashid Latif, Basit Ali, Aaqib Javed
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abdul
Jul 05, 2013 12:29am
Sir, We unfortunately do not have the basic infrastructure for anything, No leader , no national game so we could be proud of , no funds in the coffers to spend on areas preffered , no good reputition in the world as a sport loving country , no finances for development of the country , education system , , no leader to guide us or be respcted as a honest leader , no ideology as a nation , allways begging for funds through different institutions like I.M F. and others , no respect of green passport, no shame on stealing money from the excheckers of the nation ,on the other hand proud to escape the revenue owing and decieving nation by curtailing funds in swiss accounts , In short we donot have anything to be proud of and cricket comes in the same bracket , so dont worry be happy , the whole nation is fast sleeping so do not wake them they are immune to suggestion and remedies. by the way we still have the first position holding in match fixing , we are recognised as masters of fraud, cheates of high quality, our cities and villages are devoid of GAS, WATER AND ELECTRICITY , these are some of our achievements , you name any negetive event of the whole world and you will find my country as the winner . oh god what have we done wrong so as to change the dynamics of this nation , please forgive us , Abdul
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Dilawer
Jul 05, 2013 12:38am
@AJ: If you talk about merit then please do not mention your favorites. Please let the stats speak for themselves. Do not please do not put names.
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Dilawer
Jul 05, 2013 12:37am
@Shan: Please do not invoke Allah's name. May I use a little bit less religion in sports.
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Dilawer
Jul 05, 2013 12:42am
@observer: We should bring some person of Integrity in Selection Committee, a person who can stand up against back door inductees. It is not an easy job by the head selector should be the one who should be held accountable for the not selecting the proper team. Don't follow any other country's cricket/management format set up your own and start to set new bench mark for integrity and fairness for rest of the World. Nothing less than super stellar.
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Ali
Jul 05, 2013 12:49am
I will only acknowledge Iqbal Qasim's or anyone else's services to the country only if they come out and tell the whole truth about all the favoritism and corruption in the cricket industry.
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ammar
Jul 05, 2013 01:35am
Great call I am so glad he stepped down. He was not a good selector anyway. Should have fired him long ago.
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Javed
Jul 05, 2013 02:04am
Sarfaraz Nawaz should be part of the selection committee. Although controversial, he is a no nonsense type of a personality, and will shake things up.
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junaid
Jul 05, 2013 08:26am
Those who are demanding the young blood in the team should know that young players can not be included in the team overnight. There is no shortcut to experience. Australia replaced almost whole team with young players and lost last 10 to 15 matches since then. Remember Australian first class cricket standard is much higher than of Pakistan. Pakistani test player matures after he is selected and fails few times in test cricket. Would you like to see whole team out in 20 to 30 runs? There is a step by step process to include young players along with seniors. Iqbal Qasim or Dave Whatmore are no magicians. Even the best coach will not be able to turnaround the team until each player takes responsibility seriously. Bottom line is hard work.
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waseem
Jul 05, 2013 11:32am
Good riddance.
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Shan
Jul 05, 2013 04:12pm
@observer: I second you, Bhai I think being the first ever whistle blower of corruption in cricket. He should be given some important role if not chairman atlease selector...Or ACU head. Rather than paying millions to non active people like intikhab alam.
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Pier
Jul 05, 2013 04:55pm
Thank you Mr. Qasim for resigning,now i would request Mr. Misbah to do the same, Mr. Captain you are a final nail in the coffin, you make sure that Pakistan looses the game you should have some pride & love for the country, for the sake of cricket in Pakistan you should be out. we have many example of you made sure that we loose the game. thanks for not selecting Shoaib Malik, kamran Akmal & Imran Farhat . Selecting Shahid Afridi is a bad choice, he is a spent force a player with lots of attitude, he was the reason for Waqar Younus to resign he should have never been picked. Pakistan should inject young blood in the team for the next world cup in 2015. Pakistan will not succeed with Afridi & Misbah in the team,it is high time they should make way for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan.
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Shan
Jul 05, 2013 08:10pm
@Dilawer: That was a pray, nothing to do with sports ....if you would read it again please. **May allah give us some integrity and courage to accept our mistakes.** Sorry for confusing you.
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Optimist
Jul 05, 2013 09:38pm
@Shahid: Agreed 100%. The people who run a cricket academy could become selectors. The only crioteria must be on merit and any player failed twice should give to new comers.
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Hadi B.
Jul 06, 2013 01:45am
The general public of Pakistan is so ignorant, it is amazing. The ignorance is shown in comments all across this page- Did you all not denounce everyone else whose been in this position prior to Mr. Qasim? No matter what any seclector does for Pakistan, with one loss of a match, there will be criticism and insults all across the internet from people who hide behind their screens and think they are cricket experts. If you read all the reports from the media, it is stated that the selection committee did choose young talent and provide them to the team management. The team management, often times, refused to put those players on the field. So whose fault is that? It is also stated that the team selection was NOT done by selectors alone, but had a huge input from the coach and captain- so how can selectors be blamed for failure on the ground? The performance of players is not guaranteed by the selection committee, how can it be? Shouldn't we all hold the coach and captain responsible instead, who cannot train their team mates to perform and who cry under pressure? PLEASE PEOPLE, stop posting ignorant comments because we know you will be back to comment on the failure of he next chief selector, whoever that may be.
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