Mohsin, the stylish Pakistan batsman of the 1980s who took over as chairman of selectors few days ago after Iqbal Qasim quit the post on Jan 31 in the wake of Pakistan’s wretched tour of Australia, was scheduled to meet the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday.
PCB’s General Manager Media, Nadeem Sarwar informed newsmen on Sunday that the announcement of the T20 squad has been delayed by almost a week and the team is likely to be named on the 14th of this month now.
With uncertainty still hovering over the delayed announcement of Pakistan captain, which is purely a domain of the PCB chief, Mohsin and his fellow selectors are still in the process of deliberating over the make-up of the final squad which is to be picked from the provisional list of 30 players already submitted to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
As usual, there are several names floating around for the final squad which could lead to heated discussions among the selectors. According to reports, one of the selectors has been extremely vocal and adamant on ensuring that Imran Farhat gets the nod in the final squad. It is no secret that Imran’s father-in-law Mohammad Ilyas, the selector in question, had in the past expressed his annoyance whenever the left-handed opening batsman was sidelined.
Being new to the job, a refined man like Mohsin could find himself in the middle of an unwanted controversy if the debate over Imran Farhat’s selection lingers on till the squad is finally named, probably on Monday.
But the chief selector, in his media briefing last week, had indicated that he would take full responsibility of the final squad picked in consensus after taking the inputs of fellow selectors, coach and the captain.
According to sources, the selectors are in a fix as regards to the opening slots for the shortest format of the game. Several players have been tried as openers since the Younis Khan-led Pakistan side defeated Sri Lanka in England last June to lift the World T20 trophy.
The RBS Twenty20 Cup, which concludes here at the National Stadium on Sunday night with the final between reigning champions Sialkot Stallions and Faisalabad Wolves, has made the selectors’ task somewhat easier as a number of contenders have emerged with strong performances.
Mohammad Hafeez, who sadly has had an in-and-out international career since his debut in 2003, is one cricketer heavily tipped to force his way into the senior squad as opener. In addition, his athletic fielding and more than useful off-spin bowling support his credentials.
Hafeez staked his claims in strong terms on Saturday when his explosive 100 off 53 balls against Lahore Lions guided Faisalabad Wolves into the final.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the Faisalabad Wolves skipper whose Pakistan career got a new lease of life following his heroics in the first World Twenty20 Championship, is also in the reckoning for the World Twenty20 having rediscovered his batting form which deserted him so badly in New Zealand and Australia.
Despite catching on years — he will be 36 this May — Misbah was in prime nick during the national one-day tournament which preceded the Twenty20 Cup and is one of the few experienced batsmen among the 30 probables.
The selectors, meanwhile, are likely to fall back on tried and tested names, but there are still a couple of borderline cases that are being sorted out. Sources say that the selection is so tough for the World Twenty20 that even a bowler of Mohammad Asif’s class remains an uncertain selection.
Likely squad: Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Aamir, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Saeed Ajmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Khalid Latif.
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