LAHORE - Pakistan team head coach Dav Whatmore showed that he is going to play an influential role in Pakistan cricket in the future as Pakistan Cricket Board and national selectors went for a revamp of policies while announcing the national squads for all the three formats of the game for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
The selectors after consultations with Whatmore have recalled several discarded players and inducted some new faces in the squads announced Thursday for all three formats. Fast bowler, Sami back in all three squads after absence of two years as he last played for Pakistan in 2010 while other recalled players include batsmen, Imran Farhat, Faisal Iqbal, Khalid Latif and the exciting Ahmed Shahzad. The new faces include batsmen, Haris Sohail, M Ayub Dogar and Afaq Raheem.
The revamped policy decisions saw Misbah-ul-Haq removed as captain of the T20 and also dropped as a player for the format while all-rounder Hafeez was appointed T20 captain and also given the position of being deputy to Misbah in tests and ODIs.
Hafeez’s promotion and preference over former captains, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi confirmed that the board was ready to give Whatmore his say in cricket matters. Insiders told that it was Whatmore and Intikhab Alam, an influential figure in the board and the head of the national cricket academy, who had backed Hafeez for the new roles although PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and chief selector Iqbal Qasim were in favour of having Shahid Afridi as the T20 captain. “The fact that for the first time in history the selectors have announced separate squads for Test, ODI and T20 formats with several changes in their line ups show that Whatmore is calling the shots.
“The debate over whether Hafeez was ready for the new responsibilities was the reason the announcement of the teams was delayed for one day,” a reliable source said. Malik, who was thought to be a strong candidate for the T20 captaincy, surprisingly was only included in the T20 squad but ignored for selection in the other two formats.
As expected Ashraf had words of praise for Misbah at a press conference called to announce the new policy decisions. “Misbah has done a wonderful job as captain in difficult times for Pakistan cricket and we salute him. But it is time to move on and everyone felt we need to start afresh in T20 cricket,” Ashraf said.
He hoped that Misbah and Hafeez who are close friends would work well together as captain and vice captain. “They have done well in the past and we hope this partnership will continue in future as well.”
But Ashraf also warned that the board had no intention of compromising on discipline. “Our stance is clear there will be no compromise on discipline if we have to take hard decisions we will take it even if it means losing key players,” he said.
Pakistan tours Sri Lanka from May 29 to play three tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 matches after which it will play five ODIs and three T20 matches against Australia in Sri Lanka before the ICC T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, Misbah-ul-Haq was not happy at being removed as captain and player of the Pakistan Twenty20 squad but vowed to continue to play in the format at the domestic level.
“It is the board’s and selectors’ decision about me and T20 cricket but I feel that I can play in this format and will continue to do so at the domestic level,” Misbah told reporters. “I will be playing in the T20 events organised in Pakistan including the planned premier league and if the selectors ever feel I can play for the national team I am available,” he said.
He said he still has a lot to give to Pakistan cricket.
Well-placed sources said that Misbah was only informed about the decision to remove him as T20 captain after the selectors and coach had held discussions with PCB chief on Monday.
The senior batsman claimed he was 100 percent fit for international cricket and was looking ahead to the tour of Sri Lanka where Pakistan play three Tests, five ODIs and 2 T20 matches.