Najam Sethi appointed Shahid Afridi as new the interim chief selector of PCB. PM Shahbaz Sharif proposed his name for this post. Few other old players are roped in for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi as the interim chief of the Men’s National Selection Committee for the home series against New Zealand. The PCB announced the new panel today after sacking the selection committee headed by Mohammad Wasim. The new chief selector of the team might bring a major difference in results.
Other members of the selection panel are Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum. While Haroon Rashid (member PCB Management Committee) will be the Convener.
“I am pleased to announce, with immediate effect, an Interim Selection Committee for the New Zealand tour. It comprises Shahid Afridi (Chief Selector), Abdul Razzaq, and Rao Iftikhar, with Haroon Rashid as Convenor,”. said Sethi in a tweet.
New Zealand are set to play two Tests and three One-Day Internationals on their first tour of Pakistan in 19 years. They arrived here on Thursday and will go play the first Test at the National Stadium on Monday.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi congratulated PM Shahbaz Sharif for appointing him to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management committee as chief selector. Afridi stated on a local TV channel that he is looking forward to working at the grassroots level for Pakistan cricket. But his permanent role in the new setup is uncertain.
Player’s reaction
“I am thankful to PM Shehbaz Sharif for nominating me to the committee,” said the flamboyant all-rounder of his time. “We have talked to Najam Sethi twice since morning. I told him about my schedule, which is tough due to my welfare work and family. But, I am available to them anytime, especially for working at the grass root level,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi said that he will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling this responsibility to the best of his abilities.
“We need to get back to our winning ways and I have no doubts that through meritocratic and strategic selection decisions. We will help the national side to perform strongly in the series against New Zealand and reclaim the confidence of our fans”.
Shahid Afridi played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20I from 1996 to 2018 in which he scored a total of 11,196 runs and took 541 wickets. He also captained the national side in 83 international matches. He was a member of the Pakistan side that won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 at Lord’s.