Sadiq wants chief selector fired after Asia Cup debacle

KARACHI: Former Test cricketer Sadiq Mohammad on Monday urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja to replace the national selection committee, especially the chief selector Mohammad Waseem, for failing to constitute a solid T20 team.

“It’s the right time to change this selection committee, especially Mohammad Waseem,” Sadiq told ‘The News’.

The demand came hours after Pakistan miserably failed in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka in the UAE on Sunday. Expressing concerns over the undisciplined batting from Pakistan, Sadiq said that there were only two proper batsmen in the squad -- skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan. The rest were just sloggers, he said. He said that Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali were the favourites of the chief selector.

“It seems that Asif and Iftikhar are favourites of our chief selector. They are selected in the team for all away tours although they haven't done well. I think that they should be rested for good,” Sadiq said. I wonder why the chief selector keeps picking these two. It is a big question mark on the selection criteria,” he said.

“These two batsmen are of club standard and they should not be selected even for the domestic regional teams as it will deprive the upcoming deserving youngsters,” Sadiq said. He said that batsmen with good techniques can help Pakistan achieve targets through sensible batting “the way Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas and Asif Iqbal used to do,” Sadiq said.

He said Pakistan direly needed solid batsmen in the middle order. He said that batting coach Mohammad Yousuf must be giving lectures on how to play but the current middle order batsmen have not got the mind to learn the tactics of the game.

“Asif, Iftikhar and, to some extent, Fakhar Zaman cannot take ones and twos. Fakhar could have been better as opener as he could utilise the circle in the power-play in the Asia Cup.

Coach Saqlain should have taken a decision or suggested to Babar Azam to play at No 3 as he was going through a lean patch,” Sadiq said. “I would suggest that Imam-ul-Haq should open with Rizwan in all T20s due to his correct technique. And they should be followed by Babar, Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafiq.

Forget about the strike rate of Fakhar Zaman as he has never been consistent,” Sadiq said. “A technically correct middle order batsman can also hit sixes and he is capable of keeping the scoreboard ticking and keeps bringing seven to eight runs in an over,” he said.

He wondered why Mohammad Nawaz was sent at No5. “Mohammad Nawaz batting at No 5 is unbelievable and unacceptable,” said Sadiq, a former left-handed opener who played 41 Tests and 19 ODIs for the country.