Salim Altaf - Pakistan Team Selection Now More Difficult (23 Jan 1997)

23 January 1997

Team selection now more difficult: Salim Altaf

Sports Reporter

KARACHI, Jan 22: A happy Chairman of Selectors, Salim Altaf, admitted that the team selection for the coming assignments will now be a more ticklish job.

"The fact of the matter is that the youngsters have done brilliantly in Australia. They matured a lot as players. Honestly, the selection will now be very difficult," Altaf said from his Lahore residence.

Mohammad Wasim, Shahid Afridi, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Zahid are the four outstanding youngsters who impressed all with their potential. "Wasim has been the most impressive player with his consistency with the bat. Need not to mention Saqlain Mushtaq who is undoubtedly now a world-class spinner," Altaf said.

Mohammad Wasim has put Salim Malik in the background after the former captain pulled out from the Australian tour because of ankle injury. Similarly, Shahid Afridi has also made the place of Mushtaq Ahmad doubtful, at least, in limited overs internationals.

"Let the captain and managers submit their report. After that only we will be in a better position to deliberate on the best possible combination for April`s Sharjah Cup and followed by back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka," said Salim Altaf.

"Hasan Raza is another future star. He has shown great form in the first couple of juniors matches in South Africa."

Salim Altaf, however, said the batting was still patchy in the absence of Saeed Anwar and Salim Malik. "You see only Ijaz Ahmad Senior and Mohammad Wasim scored consistently. Performance of the other batsmen was in bits and pieces.

"Of course we (selectors) would like to recommend the cricket board to prepare more seaming and bouncy tracks but unfortunately those type of wickets only exist at Lahore and Rawalpindi. We left some grass at Faisalabad against Zimbabwe but the wicket turned out to be uneven," Salim Altaf said.

Salim Altaf stated the credit for the victory in Australia can only be given to the players. "To beat Australia and the West Indies with a depleted and almost second string is one of the greatest achievements in Pakistan`s cricket history." It was a team effort and all the players gave Wasim Akram their best, said the Chief Selector, adding that the skipper also deserved praise for his magnificent leadership qualities.

Commenting on the forthcoming SAARC Gold Cup team, the Chairman of Selectors said it would be announced in the first week of next month. "Basic discussions on the composition of the team were held before Haroon Rasheed left for South Africa. More or less the team, a mixture of experienced players and those who have shown promise in the domestic circuit, will be given chance to play in Bangladesh."

Salim Altaf said he would like to see the National One-day Championship be put forward so that the players going to Dhaka can also take part in the premier tournament. "We want to give the players the best possible opportunities so that there were no regrets."

The putting off of the One-day Championship is very much on the cards because the dates of the SAARC Gold Cup cannot be altered and Bangladesh, who play host in the February tournament, will also be taking part in the Wills Cup. However, if the Oneday Championship is postponed for a couple of weeks, it can create problems for the cricketers who play league cricket in England as the season there begins in April.

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