Former pacer Wahab Riaz named Pakistan chief selector

Former Pakistan pacer Wahab Riaz has been named the chief selector of the Pakistan men's national team in the aftermath of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. He will take over from Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had tendered his resignation during the tournament.

The latest announcement is among the many new appointments Pakistan have made after a disappointing end to the World Cup campaign.

Babar Azam resigned as captain from all the formats, with Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi replacing him as red-ball and T20I captains respectively.

Pakistan failed to make it to the semifinal of the marquee event, with only four wins in nine games taking them to the 5th spot in the table.

Among other personnel changes, Morne Morkel, who was on-boarded as the bowling coach on a six-month contract, too left his position while the PCB changed the portfolio of the Pakistan coaching staff at the World Cup to working in the National Cricket Academy.

Mohammad Hafeez was appointed to take over as the Team Director and together with newly-appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz, their first task will be to take the team to Australia for a three-match Test series starting 14 December which will be followed by a five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Speaking on his appointment, Wahab Riaz said: "I am honoured to assume the role of chairperson for the national men's selection committee and I extend my gratitude to Chairman PCB Management Committee, Mr Zaka Ashraf, for entrusting me with this responsibility.

"The decision to involve former players in cricketing matters is commendable and I am willing to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket."

"Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant Australia tour coming up that is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle and a T20I series against New Zealand that will allow us to develop a formidable unit leading up to the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in June next year.

"I have a good rapport with the Pakistan Men’s Team Director Mohammad Hafeez and we will be working closely for the success of Pakistan cricket. My primary goal would be to give weightage to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce well-rounded squads equipped with the necessary skill sets. I will always be available to the players for feedback and advice."