Inzamam set to be named chief selector: reports

KARACHI: Former Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is set to take over as the Pakistan chief selector even as team director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn will know by next week whether they will remain part of the national selection committee, Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Saturday.

Sources confirmed that Inzamam has given his consent to becoming a paid chief selector again after he held the position between 2016 and 2019. “The Cricket Technical Committee members including Misbah ul Haq, Inzamam and Muhammad Hafeez have been discussing the new selection committee and it is yet to be decided whether Arthur and Bradburn should remain members of it,” the source told PTI.

He said Misbah would make his recommendation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) interim Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf after taking the point of view of captain Babar Azam on whether the experiment of having the team director and head coach on the selection panel has been beneficial for the team.

“Once Babar’s views are taken, the Cricket Technical Committee will also finalise its recommendation for the chairman.”

The decision to be made is whether only Inzamam should take over as the new chief selector or the entire selection committee be revamped.

During the tenure of Najam Sethi as head of the interim Management Committee, a new look selection committee was announced and included Arthur and Bradburn and also a secretary Hasan Cheema, who is dealing with data analysts for the Pakistan team.

No other former Pakistani player was named on the committee which was headed by Haroon Rasheed, who was part of the former Management Committee.

The source said next week would be important because if Arthur and Bradburn are removed from the selection process, they might not be happy as they accepted coaching positions only after getting firm assurances from Sethi that they would have a say in selection matters.

Arthur is yet to physically join the team as he has been busy with his coaching assignment with English County side Derbyshire but he is scheduled to take charge of the team in the latter part of the Asia Cup and will be available for the World Cup in India and during the side’s tour to Australia later this year.

Inzamam has worked with Arthur during his previous tenure, which saw Pakistan lift the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph before failing to qualify for the semi-finals of 2019 ICC World Cup.

Published in Dawn, Aug 6th, 2023