KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif on Wednesday declined to become chairman of the national selection committee after conflicting media reports signalled he was ‘unhappy’ with the working environment in the PCB set-up.

In a brief statement, Rashid said: “I refuse the PCB offer officially. No hard feelings for both parties. I don’t want to get into any controversy and hope Pakistan cricket will flourish under the chairman and board.

“There has been too much [speculation] in the media and I would like to break my silence and announce that I will not join the PCB as chief selector.”

Rashid, 45, was officially due to begin his tenure from April 1 after being announced as chief selector in late February by Najam Sethi, who had replaced Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman.

Rashid, while, talking to Dawn, said that he wanted his privacy to be respected and at this point in time and that he was in no position to elaborate on the decision he had taken.

“This is a personal matter between the PCB and me and I think as a free citizen of this country, people should respect my privacy,” he said. “As I said earlier, I don’t wish to create unnecessary fuss over the issue. The matter is closed. I’m grateful that the PCB considered me for an important role which I have now politely turned down.”

But according to reliable sources, Rashid, a man known for his integrity and commitment, wanted no interference from the board officials and that he was willing to report to the PCB chairman Najam Sethi or in his absence, the board’s chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed.

But sources revealed the bone of contention was that the PCB hierarchy wanted Rashid to report to ex-Test batsman Haroon Rasheed, who is now the board’s director game development.

Moreover, the sources said, the PCB was unwilling to accommodate Rashid on the composition of the selection committee while regarding some of the names suggested by him as persona non grata.

Rashid, who appeared in 37 Tests and 166 One-day Internationals between 1992 and 2003 and skippered Pakistan in six Tests and 25 ODIs, was to work with the PCB on deputation from his parent organisation — Port Qasim Authority (PQA) — where he is the department’s sports chief.

The sources further said that Rashid has also refused to serve the cricket board as an adviser on anti-corruption matters.

It is still unclear whether Rashid — who would have been the first official chief selector since Iqbal Qasim left the job in July last year — would be meeting Sethi after the PCB chief returns from Dubai where he is currently attending an ICC Executive Board meeting.