0
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a bid to avoid any controversy or rift between the national selectors and the tour selection committee, arranged a clear-the-air meeting between chief selector Mohsin Khan, head coach Waqar Younis and captain Misbah-ul-Haq on the eve of Zimbabwe tour.
The PCB also threw its full support behind Mohsin-led selection committee to announce the 16-member team for the Zimbabwe tour which will start in late August.
To avoid controversies, it took the PCB two days to announce the team for a low-profile tour to Zimbabwe.
Sources told Dawn that delay in the team announcement occurred because this time the PCB did not want any controversy, which marred Pakistan’s last tour to the West Indies earlier this year.
An in-house controversy hit Pakistan cricket during the West Indies series when the visitors’ Test squad was announced for the two-match series following the end of their five-match ODI series against the same opponents.
Some three changes in the team were noted, which Mohsin and his selection committee members had picked for the Test matches.
This gave rise to an unwanted situation, as Mohsin, also not happy with the tour selection committee for giving half chances to the youngsters in the ODI series, was about to address a news conference in Karachi on May 4, most probably to quit his post of chief selector in protest.
However, the PCB in a timely action asked Mohsin not to address the news conference and told him to first meet the board chairman Ijaz Butt to express his grievances, if any. Mohsin agreed and later met the PCB chairman as both apparently resolved the issues, at least for that time.
Mohsin in his Test squad had selected wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal to replace Mohammad Salman, while axing Umar Akmal for his reckless batting Mohsin and his selection committee had also included Khurram Manzoor.
However, on the request of the tour selection committee, the PCB allowed Salman to continue the tour for the Test series too. The board also retained Umar in the team — against the wishes of Mohsin — besides keeping Khurram out.
But this time, Mohsin and his selection committee received the required support from the PCB chairman in finalising the team.
In another change, this time Mohsin announced the team himself before the media after a very long time, in contrast to the past practice by the PCB of announcing teams through press releases.
In yet another development, sources further said, Mohsin also met Waqar and Misbah and urged both of them to develop and maintain a good level of coordination between themselves, something which is believed to be lacking in the past.
Mohsin further told them that the selection committee had always picked any youngster under some specific strategy, adding if he would not get proper chances then the entire exercise to prepare a good team would remain futile.
On the last tour to the West Indies, two new comers — Usman Salahuddin and Hammad Azam — both picked by selectors, could not get proper chances to show their mettle.
