Shahid Afridi likely to be appointed chief selector till World Cup 2023: sources

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling appointing legendary former cricketer and ex-captain Shahid Afridi as the chief selector for the men’s national team till the World Cup 2023, scheduled to be held in India, said well-placed sources.

The all-rounder is currently rendering his services as the interim chair of the Men’s National Selection Committee for the home series against New Zealand after he was appointed for the role by the PCB Management Committee — headed by Najam Sethi.

“I feel honoured to have been assigned this responsibility by the PCB Management Committee and will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling this responsibility to the best of my abilities,” Afridi said after his appointment.

“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,” he added.

Other members of the panel are former cricketers Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum, while Haroon Rashid (member Management Committee) is the convener.

Shahid Afridi played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is from 1996 to 2018 in which he accumulated 11,196 runs and claimed 541 wickets. He also led the national side in 83 international matches. He was also a member of the Pakistan side that won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009.

Afridi was named for a position in the management committee as well but opted out of that role because he wanted to focus on his charitable foundation.

Mickey Arthur set to be new head coach

Meanwhile, Mickey Arthur is on track to become the new head coach of the Pakistan men’s team and is likely to arrive in Pakistan within the next few weeks.

The South African will touch down in Pakistan as soon as he has finalised his exit plan with the English county team Derbyshire, where he is the head of cricket.

Arthur was in charge of the Pakistan team for three years in the past as well, having taken up the mantle in 2016.

It must be noted that the contracts of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling coach Shaun Tait will expire on February 9, 2023.