PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirms national selection committee overhaul

Mohsin Naqvi (Pakistan) (Twitter)

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi recently stated that the national selection committee will be given more authority and independence to appoint the captain and the team.

PCB is looking forward to appointing a new head coach. They made lucrative offers to the likes of Daren Sammy and Shane Watson. However, both of them have turned down the offers. While the Men in Green are yet to name their new head coach, Naqvi, who was elected as PCB chairman last month for a three-year term, said that he doesn’t want to take calls regarding the appointment of the captain and the selection of the players.

“I don’t want to get involved in appointing the captain, team and all that. I will be revamping the national selection committee and will give it more authority and independence to take cricket-related decisions,” Naqvi told the reporters on Monday during a press conference.

“The revamped selection committee will, after discussions with the team’s head coach, recommend the captain and team. I want the selection committee, coach and captain to be independent to make decisions which they feel are best for the Pakistan team. My job is to govern and administrate the board affairs properly to facilitate the players,” he added.

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‘I don’t want to take his name before everything is finalised’ – Mohsin Naqvi on Pakistan’s new head coach

The 45-year-old asserted that PCB are in the closing stages of their talks with a candidate for the head coach’s role. However, he said that he won’t reveal the name of the individual until everything gets finalised.

“Our team is talking to this person, and I don’t want to take his name before everything is finalised. We were also in talks with Shane Watson and one reason for him not accepting the offer was because so many things leaked out in the media most of which were not correct,” Naqvi said.

Naqvi also said that he wants to facilitate improvement in the domestic cricket structure, which would help in identifying talented players at a young age and grooming them to become future stars.

“As far as the Pakistan team is concerned, I am okay if we win some or lose some, but everyone just wants to see 100 percent commitment and the players giving their best on the field,” he said.

Currently, former Test pacer, Wahab Riaz heads the national selection committee, which also includes some other former players like Kamran Akmal, Tauseef Ahmed, and Rao Iftikhar. Riaz is expected to retain his position as he has the trust of the PCB chairman. They had worked together in the Punjab government when Naqvi was the caretaker chief minister.