Wahab Riaz, Pakistan’s ex-fast bowler, has been selected as the new chief selector for the senior men’s team, following Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation and changes in the set-up after a disappointing ODI World Cup campaign. Retired from international cricket in August, Wahab will start his new role ahead of the Test series in Australia and T20I series in New Zealand. “The decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable,” said Wahab in a board statement.
He emphasized his goal of selecting well-rounded squads with necessary skillsets and focusing on top performers in domestic cricket. Inzamam resigned amid allegations of conflict-of-interest, which emerged when it was revealed he was involved with a UK-based company that represented several prominent Pakistani cricketers, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan.
Following a disappointing World Cup and Babar Azam’s resignation as captain of all three formats, Shan Masood and Afridi were named captains of the Test and T20I formats, with no ODI captain named due to the lack of fixtures in that format for Pakistan in the near future. Hafeez has been named the Pakistan team director and temporary head coach for the tours of Australia and New Zealand, replacing Mickey Arthur.
