Watch- Abdul Razzaq hilariously admits he received a termination letter from PCB on LIVE TV
Published - 14 Jul 2024, 01:22 PM | Updated - 24 Aug 2024, 05:33 AM
Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz were removed from the national selection panel after Pakistan's poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan lost to the USA first and then India to make a group-stage exit from the tournament.
There has been a lot of chopping and changing within the Pakistan cricket team since the ODI World Cup. The process continued in the T20 World Cup. Razzaq and Wahabi Riaz were removed from the national selection panel.
The PCB has now formed a new national selection panel. The newly constituted five-member committee features former cricket legends Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq. Esteemed coaches Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten also joined the panel, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience. There are reports that Shan Masood the Tets captain and Babar Azam the white-ball captain will have a major say in the selection process.
Meanwhile, Razzaq while speaking to a local Pakistani news channel from Birmingham addressed what led to his and Wahab Riaz's axing as national selectors post Pakistan's World Cup exit.
Razzaq was asked on the show by former Pakistan pacer Sikander Bakht if there has been some support or prize money promised by the PCB to the team if they beat India in the WCL final. However, as it turned out India beat Pakistan in the final here as well.
"Tell us if the team has received any support or message from the PCB, something like 'win the trophy and we will award you 10,000 dollars?'" Bakht asked Razzaq.
Watch: Abdul Razzaq's Hilarious Take On PCB Sacking
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"Letter aaya hai termination ka (received termination letter)," Razzaq said on a lighter note, relating the answer to his removal as a selector. After his sacking as selector, Razzaq spoke on the allegations against him and Riaz, saying that the selection of players for the T20 World Cup was a collective decision of the committee. “How can I sway the other selectors while selecting the team?” he had said.
Meanwhile, the removal of Wahab Riaz came as a shocking move by the PCB considering his close association with PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. After their removal from the post, accusations came that Wahab Riaz in his role as the senior team manager had overlooked inappropriate behaviour from Shaheen Shah Afridi during the T20 World Cup. Wahab and Riaz were also accused of selecting players despite not having proper fitness standards. However, both of them have denied these accusations.
"To make collaborative decisions as part of the seven-man panel to select the national team was a privilege — everyone's vote carries equal weight, we made selection decisions as a team and shared the responsibility of that process equally," said Wahab, as quoted by PTI.
"I don't want to be in any blame game. But I don't agree with claims that I put pressure on other members of the selection committee. How is it possible that one vote prevailed over six others" he further added.
Thus it is very clear that the PCB and the Pakistan Cricket Team are in a rebuilding process following their recent T20 World Cup performance. They will next play in a Test series against Bangladesh which is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2024 consisting of two Test matches.
