Recently, both Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq faced criticism after being removed from the position of selectors for the Pakistan cricket team. Allegedly, they favored some players in the recently held T20 World Cup and pressured other selectors to make their choice. On Thursday, finally, both ex-players came out to clear their names from the blame and to set the record straight.
The Pakistan Cricket Board decided to remove Wahab and Razzaq from their respective positions on Wednesday. However, the news about Wahab’s removal was unexpected by many because he shared a good friendship bond with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Wahab had been serving as an advisor on sports in Punjab’s caretaker government before the elections earlier this year.
Wahab Riaz Speaks on Favoritism Allegations
Wahab Riaz has been the chief selector and senior team manager within the PCB. Despite his various responsibilities, allegations have surfaced that he overlooked the misbehavior of some key players, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, during the T20 World Cup, further giving fuel to the favoritism claims.
Wahab said:
It was a real privilege to be allowed to work as part of the seven-man panel to make collaborative decisions in the selection of a national team. We vote and stand by the decisions of selections carried out as an executive. Everyone’s vote carries equal weight, and we made selection decisions as a team with equal responsibility.
He altogether rejected any impression of imposing his will on other selectors.
I don’t want to be in any blame on the game. But I don’t agree with the claims that I put pressure on other members of the selection committee. How is it possible that one vote prevailed over six others?” He said and told that everything had a record in the form of minutes of the meeting.
Razzaq further came out in support of Wahab, saying that the team had been selected based on majority votes. “How can I convince the other selectors while selecting the team?” he asked, arguing that there was no question of partiality since the decisions had been collective.
Looking Ahead
Shortly after Naqvi took over as chairman in March, the PCB appointed a seven-member selection committee. Among strange things, this committee did not have a chief selector; several former cricketers were to select teams by a votary-democratic method.
Aside from Wahab and Razzaq, the other members of the selection committee included renowned former cricketers Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq. Valuable inputs were also provided by the head coach, captain of the team, and data analyst Bilal Afzal during the selection process.
Board analyst Hasan Cheema and director of international cricket operations Usman Wahla attended the meetings as well. This inclusion made sure that variety and balance were incorporated within team selection.
Whereas allegations of a serious nature have been charged against them, neither Wahab Riaz nor Abdul Razzaq have ever accepted the guilt, underscoring how the selection was collective and documented. The cricket world is still trying to digest these exposures, but the bottom line on team selection has emerged as an issue of great interest and concern.
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