Selection committee seems confused: Jalaluddin

KARACHI: Former Test cricketer Jalaluddin has criticised the selection for the series against Bangladesh, saying that those performing well in domestic cricket had been ignored.

Talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday he said wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal was not picked although he had been performing very well for last five years.

The selection committee surprised many when it called back Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik for T20 matches against Bangladesh, and dropped Muhammad Amir and Wahab Riaz.

Jalal said the selection committee led by Misbah-ul-Haq and he himself as head coach of the team would be responsible for Pakistan’s poor performance in T20 World Cup as they are experimenting with the team.

He said that the selection committee seems to be confused. “On the one hand they said that they are planning for future. They sent four junior players to Australia. On the other now they have called aged Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez against a comparatively weak team. Both are nearing retirement. Hafeez cannot bowl, so what was Misbah thinking,” said Jalal.

He added that the selection committee was fearing defeats like the ones against Sri Lanka last year. “They are avoiding giving chances to upcoming players,” said Jalal, who registered first hat-trick in ODI cricket.

Jalal said that the selection committee was wasting chances to build up a new team. “Tough matches are ahead for Pakistan, and both old guards had indicated that they would retire after T20 World Cup. The series against Bangladesh was an ideal occasion to give chances to emerging players,” he added.