Iqbal Qasim is new head of PCB selection committee

Islamabad: The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim as the head of a revamped national selection committee after Mohammad Illyas resigned from the post.

Former Test pacer Saleem Jaffer has also been appointed on the committee which was revamped after Pakistan lost to England in the one-day and T20 series last month in the UAE. Azhar Khan, Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman have been retained from the old selection committee. "Illyas has submitted his resignation and we have appointed Iqbal Qasim as the new chief selector. The board will be provide him all the supports and backing he needs," PCB chief Zaka Ashraf told reporters. Qasim also worked as chief selector during the tenure of former Chairman Ijaz Butt but had resigned voluntarily after Pakistan was drubbed in Australia in the first quarter of 2010. Mohsin Khan replaced Qasim as the chief selector and worked in the position until he was asked to take over as interim coach of the national team last September following the sudden resignation of coach Waqar Younis due to personal and health reasons. Qasim`s appointment now leaves a big question mark on how the PCB plan to utilise the services of Mohsin Khan in future. Illyas said he had stepped down as he felt after the England series there was a need for new faces to take charge in Pakistan cricket. "I got full support from the board and my fellow selectors and now I feel this is the right time for someone else to head the selection committee and make a new beginning," Illyas said. It is no secret that Illyas faced a lot of criticism as chief selector for preferring his son-in-law Imran Farhat in the national team for the one-day series over other deserving candidates. PTI