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Published 04 Apr, 2014 08:10am

Mistakes from captain, selectors, team management led to loss: Sethi

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi said on Thursday that mistakes were made by everyone including the captain, selectors and team management which led to the national team’s exit from the ICC World T20.

Talking to the media after holding a hard-hitting meeting with T20 captain Mohammad Hafeez, head coach Moin Khan, and chief consultant Zaheer Abbas, Sethi said they reviewed the entire situation and added that after spending two months in the cricket board, he feels that he has a better grasp of things and will soon be taking steps to streamline things for betterment of the game.

“I first met the PCB think-tank comprising Haroon Rashid, Inti khab Alam and ex-chief selector Azhar Khan [on Wednesday] to take inputs from them about the early ouster of the Pakistan team from the mega event,” said Sethi.

“Today I met the top managers of the team and we all reviewed the entire situation and discussed every point and now both PCB and myself are in a better position to take decisions for the future,” he said.

He hailed Hafeez’s decision of stepping down as captain and called it as a bold move on the player’s part. “It is good that the captain has taken the responsibility and he should be appreciated for it,” said Sethi.

“Hafeez’s decision has also cleared the way for PCB and the media to think in better way about the future of Pakistan cricket,” he said.

He said in the meeting both Moin and Zaheer also stepped down as they had completed their respective tenures of two months.

“People had been asking me to give two-year contracts to officials but I want to assess their performance in short-term contracts,” he clarified.

About the selection of Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik, Sethi said though objections were raised over those selections, in the end it was a unanimous decisions of the stakeholders to pick them. However, he admitted that their selection proved to be a wrong decision.

Pinning hopes on new chief selector Rashid Latif, Sethi said he (Rashid) is a strong man and believes in merit which is a good thing.

Commenting on bowling coach Mohammad Akram’s fate, Sethi said his predecessor Zaka Ashraf had given two-year contract to him, so he would continue.

He also said that PCB doors were open for former Test captain Waqar Younis to assist the team if he is willing.

Sethi, however, clearly said a new foreign fielding coach and a full-time physio would be hired for the national team. “The performance of the last fielding coach was not up to the mark, so we will now hire a qualified foreign coach.”

To a question about Shahid Afridi’s interview at the Karachi airport in which he had declared his availability as the Twenty20 captain, the chairman said the all-rounder should have sought permission from PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad before speaking to the media.

“Hafeez sought permission from me for the media talk at the Lahore airport but about Afridi I have no knowledge.”

Sethi also refused to make any comment on the next T20 captain and whether it will be Afridi or anyone else.

He disclosed that he has summoned a meeting on April 15 to discuss the future action for the team.

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