Pakistan Chief Selector Mohsin Khan stresses selection of players based only on merit
Pakistan Chief Selector Mohsin Khan has said that the selection committee is working with full independence without the interference of anyone and the selection of players is based on pure merit.
Khan claimed that the players who were overlooked for selection in the national squad are ones who either had disciplinary issues or were plagued by fitness concerns. He rubbished the rumours that the selection committee was working under the shadow of the mighty Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ijaz Butt. Khan, however, admitted to the fact that the final selection was approved by the Chairman PCB. Explaining the selection process, he said: “Selecting the team is the responsibility of the five members [in the selection committee] and we ask the coach and captain for their input. But the announcement is made after it gets approved by the PCB Chairman [http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128].”
“Things are being blown out of proportion as the selection committee is working independently and selection is being made based entirely on merit and according to our policy. I follow a simple three-point rule that a player should only be considered for selection if he’s cleared by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board in all aspects: discipline, fitness and performance,” he said, putting concerns of interference from ‘other’ quarters in regards to the team selection to rest.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohsin-c77587 Khan clarified that the experienced Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal were dropped from the New Zealand tour because the Pakistan Cricket Board did not clear their names for selection, while Mohammad Yousuf was ignored because of poor fitness. “Mohammad Yousuf has failed to prove his fitness while those players who are in the news for their omissions [Kamran, Malik] were dropped only because we didn’t get clearance from the PCB,” he said.
Mohsin said that the selection committee was also keeping a close eye on the younger lads (the Under-19s and the Pakistan ‘A’ Team) and any player performing well will be considered for the national squad. These remarks come as a warning to the senior players in the national squad to perform well otherwise he will feel no hesitation in replacing them with a younger, more in-form player.
Mohsin http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754. A tough series against the Kiwis will give Pakistan a good opportunity to prepare for the World Cup.
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