The ongoing season of Pakistan’s domestic 50-over tournament saw many of their former and veteran players helping the teams as the mentors of the side to share their knowledge and advice with the young players. Despite having some of the notable members for the role, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former captain of the Green Brigade, was overlooked for the position by the board.
Instead, they have decided to earn the services of Shoaib Malik, Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Saqlain Mushtaq, all of whom are retired players for the country. The board members also interviewed Inzamam-ul-Haq for the position before the PCB ultimately decided to go with Sarfaraz Ahmed, who remains an active international player.
The veteran is the leading run-scorer for the team across formats, with 20541 runs in 547 innings at an average of 43.51 and a strike rate of 63.94 with the help of 35 centuries and 129 half-centuries at a best score of 329 runs.
PCB ignores Inzamam-ul-Haq for the mentor role due to a conflict of interest
It was a surprising decision from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to ignore Inzamam-ul-Haq as the mentor despite the veteran’s prior relationship with the board, through the exit as the chief selector last year following allegations of a conflict of interest.
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In October 2023, they revealed that Inzamam held shares in ‘Yazo International’, a company managed by his agent, Talha Rehmani. His agency represents several prominent Pakistani players, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest while Inzamam-ul-Haq served the role of the chief selector.
Following the reports, the batter resigned, and the board formed a five-member committee to investigate the problem, and because the inquiry has been stalled, there has been no such outcome has been made public.
For the Champions Cup, the Pakistan cricket board appointed five mentors, each on a monthly salary of PKR five million. The selected members, Waqar, Shoaib, Misbah, Sarfaraz, and Mushtaq, are going to receive the prize, as the board has released a press statement for the selection process.
Even though Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Multan-born, was interviewed for the role, the sources have suggested that the selection dilemma was between Sarfaraz and the veteran batter, and the former’s ongoing involvement in the game at the international stage has favored him to give balance to the side, especially as he will also be playing in the event.
The exclusion of the 54-year-old from the mentorship role was a couple with the unresolved inquiry, as it raises questions about the board handling the conflict-of-interest cases, but the board is yet to provide any clarity on that.
The tournament started on a good note, as Usman Khan made a century for the Panthers, while their captain Shadab Khan smashed 65 runs. Babar Azam, playing for the Stallions, scored 70 runs before Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed him.
The former captain of the Pakistan Test side will look to get back his old touch as they prepare for the upcoming three-match red-ball series at home against England. The games will be vital for them, having already lost the Bangladesh series with a 2-0 margin.