Tag: Haroon Rasheed

LAHORE: Pakistan men’s cricket team’s Chief Selector Haroon Rasheed on Tuesday opened up regarding the possibility of Sarfaraz Ahmed’s inclusion in the squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s World Cup in India this year.

Although Sarfaraz Ahmed has proved his mettle in the Test format after making a remarkable comeback to the format in December, Chief Selector Haroon Rasheed insisted that his performance in the shorter format needs to be evaluated.

“As far as Sarfaraz Ahmed is concerned, he has given outstanding performance in Test cricket, there is no doubt about it, and that’s why you see him in the Test squad. But talking about his performance in One-Day and shorter formats, it is obviously premature,” said Rasheed in an interview with a local media outlet here.

Haroon Rasheed however pointed out that there is still plenty of time for evaluations and considerations and that no player should be written off at this point.

He added that each player’s skills and shortcomings will be carefully considered by the selectors when they meet to make the final decision on the team selection. Finding people who can prosper in the particular conditions anticipated in India would be their main focus.

“The Asia Cup is happening in Sri Lanka, and we don’t know what decision will be made for the World Cup in India. There are spin-friendly and slow pitches there, where you need batters who can play spinners well,” said Haroon Rasheed.

“So you can’t rule anyone out, but when we sit down for the final selection, we will weigh their good and bad points and see who can benefit us more in those conditions, and then decisions will be made,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Sarfaraz Ahmed last played an ODI for Pakistan back in 2021.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly-appointed chief selector, Haroon Rashid gave a green signal to experienced pacer Mohammad Amir for his potential return to international cricket, stating that the doors are open for everyone.

Rasheed, while talking to the media at a private event here on Sunday, stated that the left-arm pacer should take back his retirement first in order to be considered for selection in the national team.

“Amir is an outstanding pacer but the ball is in his court, not ours. If he wants to serve Pakistan Cricket again then the doors are open for him,” said Rasheed.

“But, he will have to take his retirement back first, so we are aware of which players are available for selection,” he added.

The chief selector further clarified that the left-handed explosive opening batter Sharjeel Khan and all-rounder Imad Wasim can also make their way to the national team by improving their fitness and solid performances in the domestic circuit.

“Similarly, Imad Wasim and Sharjeel Khan will also have to follow the fitness standards set and perform in domestic and PSL to make a comeback,” stated Rasheed.

Rasheed then went on to term the upcoming eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 an important platform for the players to make a strong platform for their berth in the national team.

“There would be huge responsibilities on me, Mohammad Sami and Yasir Hameed. I will try to keep an eye on the players who are performing well in PSL,” said Rasheed.

“We all want to improve Pakistan cricket. We are aiming to strengthen our bench strength and also to make a pool of 25-30 players before the 2023 Cricket World Cup,” he concluded.

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LAHORE: Former Test cricketer Haroon Rasheed has been appointed Pakistan men’s cricket team’s new Chief Selector. 

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Management Committee Najam Sethi, named Rasheed as the head of the selection committee while the rest of the members of the panel will be announced later.

Rasheed, who previously served in the same role between 2015 and 2016, was a part of the interim selection committee led by Shahid Afridi, established soon after Sethi took charge of the PCB in December last year.

He was also a member of the 14-member PCB’s Management Committee constituted by the federal cabinet in the previous month. But following his appointment as the chief selector he has resigned from the committee, Sethi confirmed.

“Haroon has now resigned from the management committee as we don’t want a conflict of interest as he is now chief selector,” Sethi said.

Rasheed, 69, represented Pakistan in 23 Tests and 12 ODIs between 1977 and 1983. Apart from his previous role as a selector, he also served as PCB’s Director of Cricket Operations in 2017 and manager of the national team from 2003 to 2005.

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s former chief selector at junior and senior level, Haroon Rasheed confessed that he was offered money so many times to select players. 

In an exclusive interview in ARY News’ show Bouncer, Rasheed said chief selectors often work under a lot of pressure.

“There is no doubt that selectors work under immense pressure. I have experienced so many things that people don’t know,” he said.

“Being a junior selector and head coach, I received many offers to take the money and select players in the squad. Before one of our matches against India’s U19 team, I was offered a blank cheque to select a player. But, I always denied those offers and selected players on merit, ” he added.

Younis Khan’s selection

The former chief selector shared that he was the one who spotted talent in the only Pakistani to score 10,000 in Test cricket, Younis Khan.

“In 1994, New Zealand U19 team came here and I was national team’s selector and head coach. I selected Younis Khan in the squad so Javed Burki called me and questioned his selection out of the given players’ pool. I showed confidence in his selection and after one and a half years, he made his debut for Pakistan,” Rasheed disclosed.

Waqar, Moin, Inzamam, Mushtaq

Rasheed claimed that Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and Mushtaq Ahmed didn’t know the basics of the game despite being talented cricketers.

“Waqar, Moin, Inzamam, and Mushtaq worked with me at junior level. They were exceptional talent but when it comes to game awareness, they had zero. I was surprised to see them in such a state and I observed that lack of skilled coaching at grassroots was the reason behind it,” he stated.

“In my report, I suggested PCB involve skilled coaches and techniques at grassroots to aware players about the game,” he concluded.