Pakistan: Selectors meeting rescheduled (28 Jul 1998)

28 July 1998

Selectors meeting rescheduled

By Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, July 27: The cricket selectors meeting for the selection of a 14-member Commonwealth Games team has been rescheduled for Tuesday because of the failure of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to complete the formalities.

The meeting was to take place on Monday but the cricket board could not provide the selectors with the required documents (averages of domestic season and Pakistan team's tours of Africa and Malaysia).

The copy of averages has been faxed to the selectors. A letter has also been delivered to PIA and sources said the establishment would issue the release orders on Tuesday morning.

In this connection, the PCB chairman has issued stern warning to the secretariat while mincing no words in saying incompetence would not be tolerated in future.

The chairman of selectors Wasim Bari told Dawn that his committee will finalize the Commonwealth Games team on Tuesday and would also prepare a tentative side for Canada's Sahara Cup.

The former celebrated wicketkeeper said the Commonwealth Games side would be submitted to the cricket board (on Tuesday) for approval by the executive council which is expected to meet in the second week of next month.

The former Pakistan captain said a sketchy team for the Sahara Cup would be prepared so that the players who don't qualify in that side can be accommodated in the `A' team. "The best players have to go to Canada," he said.

Bari said he met the PCB chairman (Khalid Mahmood) on Saturday and drew outlines from him. He stated that his meeting was very fruitful and encouraging in the sense that the selection committee was told to be pressure-free and remain independent.

Bari stated that his committee, in future, would be submitting the best sides and from that team the executive council will be appointing a captain. "We follow the Australians instead of England who first appoint a captain and then select the team."

Bari was of the view that besides physical fitness, the team lacked good, mature and strong leadership. "It is very unfortunate that we don't have a good leadership like South Africa, India, Sri Lanka or Australia to extract the best from one of the most talented cricketers."

Bari admitted that he has been out of cricket for sometime but emphasised that the subject was not new to him. "I have played cricket for more than 17 years and I cannot forget it in a couple of years."

Source:: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)