Wahab Riaz, who played under Babar Azam in PSL 2023, named Pakistan cricket team's chief selector

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Wahab Riaz, who played under Babar Azam for Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023, has been appointed as the new chief selector of Pakistan cricket team. He replaces Inzamam-ul-Haq, who resigned amid the ongoing World Cup 2023, in the position.

The 38-year-old left-arm pacer announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2023. His first assignment will be the selection of the national men’s squad for the three-match Test series against Australia from December 14 to January 7 in Australia and the five-match T20I series in New Zealand from January 12 to 21.

The Lahore-born cricketer-cum-administrator, who made his international debut in 2008, and represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is picking up 237 wickets and scoring 1200 runs across the three formats. Wahab Riaz is Pakistan’s second-most successful bowler in World Cups after Wasim Akram. He picked 35 wickets across three editions of the ICC marquee event.

“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," Wahab Riaz said after the appointment.

“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 skillsets. I will always be available to the players for feedback and advice," he added.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's former Test captain Mohammad Hafeez was appointed as the director of the national team. According to a report from ESPNcricInfo, newly appointed team director Hafeez will also serve as the head coach of the Pakistan team for the three Test matches in Australia followed by five T20Is in New Zealand, in December and January.

The developments come after Pakistan's horrid run in the World Cup 2023 where they failed to qualify for the semi-final after losing five of their nine league matches. Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy across all the three formats after arriving in Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi has been named the T20I captain, while Shan Masood will lead the Pakistan Test team.