Speaking to PakPassion.net ; former opening batsman Khan clarified that the PCB consititution does not state that the captain(s) or coach must have a say in selection matters.

Saj Sadiq

14 October 2010

Pakistan Chief Selector Mohsin Khan responded to comments attributed to one day captain Shahid Afridi and head coach Waqar Younis, regarding the lack of consultation with them both when the squad(s) for the forthcoming series in South Africa were announced.

Speaking to PakPassion.net ; former opening batsman Khan clarified that the PCB consititution does not state that the captain(s) or coach must have a say in selection matters.

"Let me clarify that it is not written down in the PCB constitution that the coach and captain(s) must have a say in the selection of any squad. My selection committee and I were asked by the PCB management to select squads for the series against South Africa, so we did that. We were asked by the PCB management to select a squad at short notice, because of the logistics of the series in the UAE and the travel arrangements of the team had to be sorted out very quickly."

Continuing his point regarding the selection of the squads for the series in the UAE that comprises of two Twenty20 internationals, five one day internationals and two test matches, Khan added that "I always prefer if the coach and captain has a say in the selection of any squad and it is always my request to the PCB management to take on board the views of the coach and captain. However let me clarify, the captain was not announced by the PCB Management and Waqar Younis was not in the country. Regarding the matter of the captain not being announced before the squad was announced, that is something for the PCB management to answer and does not fall under my domain."

Responding to a question regarding the timing of the selection of the squad for the series in UAE against South Africa, especially the fact that the squad was announced prior to the Faysal Bank Cup competition, Khan feels that the timing of the squad announcement did not devalue the domestic Twenty20 tournament currently ongoing in Lahore.

"No I don't agree that the tournament (Faysal Bank Cup) has been devalued by the timing of the squad announcement. The players who are doing well in the Faysal Bank Cup will no doubt be in the selectors minds for future Twenty20 matches and competitions for Pakistan and we will monitor the progress of those players. The team that is going to the UAE is not a Twenty20 team, there are test matches, five one day internationals and only two Twenty20 matches. The Twenty20 matches did not dominate our selection."

Looking ahead to the on field action in the UAE Khan stated that he felt that if the players performed according to their potential maintained their focus on cricketing matters and kept away from the "dirty stuff" that happened in England, then our players have the talent and are good enough to beat any team, anywhere in the world."

Pakistan commence battle with South Africa on 26th October in a series that will put them up against one of the world's leading cricket teams and is sure to be another thorough test after the poor series in England.