Mohammad Wasim, who has represented Pakistan in 19 Tests and 25 ODIs, has been selected as the successor of Misbah-ul-Haq for Pakistan Chief Selector’s position, which was vacant for three weeks. His tenure will begin after he quits his current position of Northern head coach at the end of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Misbah-ul-Haq held the position of the head coach and chief selector for one year but decided to leave the selection committee only this year in November after selecting the 35-member squad for the New Zealand tour.
Mohammad Wasim named Pakistan chief selector until the 2023 World Cup:
Mohammad Wasim, a former Pakistan cricketer, will serve as the chief selector until the 2023 World Cup, which will be hosted by India. After being announced for holding the prestigious position, Wasim promised to work for the benefit of the organization.
“I have been very fortunate to have played with some of the finest cricketers and am confident that I will be able to [use] those learnings in this challenging role,” Wasim said on his appointment.
“We have a busy 2021 ahead and I will focus on positive selections that not only address our short-term needs but also fulfill our long-term ambitions. We have immense talent in Pakistan and it is important that they are given opportunities.
Pakistan’s selectors are always under the radar and the latest case of Mohammad Amir, who openly showed his dissatisfaction with being dropped from the New Zealand tour. But Mohammad Wasim has assured that he would select the squad based on a meritocracy. It will be interesting to look at how well the relation between Wasim and Amir will turn out.
“This is a performance-oriented world and, as such, my philosophy will be to promote meritocracy and select squads according to home and international conditions and requirements. As a chief selector, I will always be willing to make the hard calls, if these are in the best interest of Pakistan cricket. I look forward to working closely with head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam as we collectively strive to take Pakistan cricket forward.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team has lost the first T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand. After the T20I series, they will also play the Test series.