Wahab Riaz replaces Inzamam-ul-Haq as Pakistan's new chief selector

Days after the Pakistan Team got ruled out of the World Cup 2023 following their loss to England in the last league match, their cricket board brought in several changes. While veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez got picked as the new director of men's cricket, recently retired seamer Wahab Riaz is named the new chief selector, replacing Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Following a failed World Cup 2023 campaign amidst growing pressure of conflict of interest from the other end, Inzamam - appointed to head the selection committee in the lead-up to the marquee event, stepped down from his post on October 30, at a time when the competition was still on, with Pakistan alive in the semis race.

Though local media reported Inzamam’s connections with a UK-based company - Yazoo International Ltd, leading to all trouble, the veteran captain resigned immediately, distancing himself from any controversy.

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Meanwhile, Wahab, who retired from international cricket in August this year, remains active in the franchise cricket circle. Although he hasn’t officially parted ways with the Pakistan Cricket League (PSL), his team - Peshawar Zalmi, thanked him for his exceptional service to this league and game over the years.

Their post read, "Thank you for your countless contributions over the past 8 years and you will always remain an integral part of Zalmi family."

While addressing the nation upon getting picked as the new chief selector, Wahab, in a video recording uploaded on PCB’s official handles, said,

"The [PCB's] decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable, and I am willing to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket.

"Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant Australia tour coming up that is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and a T20I series against New Zealand that will allow us to develop a formidable unit leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June next year,” Wahab said in a board statement.

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Shedding light on his relations with the new director of men’s cricket, with whom he had shared the dressing room for around a decade, Wahab said,

"I have a good rapport with the Pakistan men's team director, Mohammad Hafeez, and we will be working closely for the success of Pakistan cricket. My primary goal would be to give weightage to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce well-rounded squads equipped with the necessary skill sets. I will always be available to the players for feedback and advice,” Riaz added.

You can watch the video here -

The other members of the selection panel have not been named yet.

Meanwhile, Riaz’s first assignment would be an away tour of Australia (three Tests) in December-January, after which the team would fly to New Zealand for five T20Is.

Besides, Babar Azam had resigned as the captain from all formats, with the PCB appointing Shan Masood as the new Test skipper and Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new white-ball captain.