PCB names panel to pick provincial sides

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finalised a three-member panel of former cricketers to select provincial association teams for the forthcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Grade II cricket.

The panel includes Misbahul Haq, Nadeem Khan and Rashid Latif. The committee will hold its first meeting

at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday (tomorrow). Teams will be announced next week.

Rashid, when approached, said he had just arrived from a foreign trip and would be needing a couple of days to look into the details.

“Give me a couple of days and I will be in a position to say something on the new assignment. My first impression, however, is that we have to select two teams — 16 for first class cricket and 16 for Grade II. I will make sure all deserving players are there,” Rashid said.

“We all need to see a highly competitive and strong domestic cricket structure in which there should be cut-throat competition. This is the only way we will be able to narrow the gap with international cricket. In this relation, selection of players and team combinations are critical elements.

“Pakistan boasts some very exciting and talented cricketers and we will try our best to provide a good and equal balance across all sides so that every match counts and each performance is valued.”

The provisional sides were prepared by Tauseef Ahmed, Wajahatullah Wasti, Wasim Haider (all members of former selection committee), Saleem Jaffer, Arshad Khan, Rao Iftikhar, Taufeeq Umer (all members of junior selection committee) and Akram Raza, Azam Khan, Ijaz Ahmed Junior and Raj Hans, who had taken into consideration the performances of the players in the previous season and their future prospects.

The independent panel will finalise 32 players for each association — who will be offered domestic contracts by the PCB for a 12-month period — and recommend names of the captains for the first and second XIs.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “With the void of a current national selection committee, the PCB drew on the knowledge of former national selectors, the current junior selection committee and coaches to select the provisional squads.

“This initial process was required to keep moving forward positively in the interim period until the cricket associations are fully operational and functional.

“Bringing in an expert independent three-member panel to critique and sense check the provisional player lists will support our ongoing pledge to remove any claims of nepotism or favoritism through a merit based and transparent process.”

The cricket associations will participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class competition, National T20 Cup and Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament. The 2019-20 season will run from September 12 to April 24, 2020.

Meanwhile, a pre-season training camp started at the National Cricket Academy on Tuesday. The camp will conclude on September 7.

All players attending the camp will undergo fitness tests at the NCA in Lahore.

Following players have reported for camp: Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Shaan Masood, Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Shinwari, Fakhar Zaman, Imamul Haq, Wahab Riaz, Abid Ali, Rahat Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Zafar Gohar , Bilal Asif, Asif Ali, Mir Hamza.

Players to join camp later: Hasan Ali (Aug 26), Shadab Khan (Aug 22), Azhar Ali (Aug 24).