ISLAMABAD: Former Test off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed is likely to be appointed as the national chief selector on a temporary basis following the recent resignation of Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Inzamam stepped down amid allegations of a conflict of interest related to his affiliation with a UK-based player agency, which prompted an inquiry by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The PCB is considering the temporary appointment of Tauseef, a member of the selection committee, specifically for Pakistan’s upcoming three-Test series in Australia scheduled for December and January.
A five-member investigation committee was formed to look into Inzamam’s and national team vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan’s connection to the player agency. This committee was supposed to submit its report to PCB Interim Management Committee chairman Zaka Ashraf by November 6, but it failed to meet the deadline, and no new completion date has been set.
Given the ongoing ICC World Cup in India and the impending selection of the national Test team for the Australia tour, the PCB feels it is essential to have a responsible individual in charge to handle any emergent situations. Therefore, Tauseef is being considered for the temporary role of chief selector.
It’s worth noting that the caretaker Prime Minister has not allowed Zaka to make any appointments during his fresh three-month extension as PCB chief, making it impractical to hire a permanent chief selector at this time. This situation is reminiscent of a previous interim PCB chief who also received instructions not to make any appointments but still made several high-level hirings in the PCB.
