Pakistan’s selectors job is both tough and thankless: Qasim

KARACHI - Pakistan’s chief selector and former Test spinner, Iqbal Qasim, believes that in a country like Pakistan, a selector’s job is both tough and thankless.

Qasim, who took 171 wickets from 50 Tests, took over as the chairman of the national selection committee on August 1. He replaced Abdul Qadir, another ex-Test spinner, who resigned from the post in June.

“It’s a tough and thankless job to be a selector in our country. I mean when the team does badly everybody blames the selection committee but when it’s doing well nobody gives the selectors a pat on their back,” he said.

Iqbal, who turns 56 on Thursday, said that in the given circumstances, the national selection committee has no option, but to focus on doing its job on a series to series basis.

“Our aim is to give our best and pick the best available players for Pakistan duty ahead of every international assignment,” The News quoted him, as saying.

Under him, the selection committee’s first task is to pick a final 15-man touring party for the ICC Champions Trophy from a 30-member squad preliminary squad that was finalised by interim selectors last month.

There have been speculations that Qasim and company will axe several senior players from the squad after their below par showing during the tour of Sri Lanka.

However, the chief selector made it clear that the committee will only take a decision once it receives detailed input from the team’s captain and coach next week.

Iqbal is expected to hold meetings Pakistan captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam soon after they return home from Sri Lanka where their team lost in both the Test and one-day series. (ANI)