Hanif writes to President about selection committee

LAHORE - There is never a dull moment in Pakistan cricket - even when their team is winning major world tournaments. Former Pakistan Test great Hanif Muhammad has written a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari about the controversial dissolution of the national senior and junior selection committees by PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt. In a scathing attack, Hanif said PCB's decision seems illogical and hoped President Zardari, who is also chief patron of the board, would take note of the issue. "I hope the President takes note and saves cricket in our country," Hanif said. "It makes no sense at all that the selectors who picked the World Cup team should be removed in such a manner," he added. Hanif's son Shoaib Mohammad, also a former Test player, was a member of the national selection committee along with Saleem Jaffer. Chief selector Abdul Qadir had resigned during the World Cup citing interference from Chairman Butt in selection matters. "They are saying the new selection committee would include representatives from all provinces. If they plan to run cricket matters on quota system then God help our cricket," Hanif said. The former skipper said he could not understand why the board was creating unnecessary controversies at a time when the country was celebrating the twenty20 World Cup win. Meanwhile, Shoaib appearing on a television channel accused former Test captain Wasim Bari, who is now the PCB director human resources, of engineering the move to remove him as a selector. "Everyone knows that Bari has an old grouse against me and he took out his enmity. There was no issue about me doing two jobs. I had written to the board offering to work on honorary basis as a selector as I could not leave my job at the national airlines," the former Test opener said. Shoaib said he and Jaffer had not resigned as selectors even though Abdul Qadir had stepped down. "But we were treated unjustly and this is not the way the board is supposed to treat former Test players who have served the country," he said.

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