Iqbal Qasim Responds to Questions from PakPassion

[Saj]

First and foremost my sincere thanks to Pakistan Chief Selector Iqbal Qasim for responding to my email.

I rang him up yesterday to talk about the squad that has been selected for Australia. He was at the hospital with his ill father in law when I phoned him. As ever he was extremely polite and professional and asked me to email him a few questions and that he would respond accordingly to my email.

Despite the fact that a family member is ill and he must be quite stressd about that matter and extremely busy with press requests he has responded very quickly to my email.

Of course there were literally hundreds of questions that I could have asked him, but as you can appreciate there is only so much he can say in the press and given the fact that he has the health of a family member to worry about, I didnt think it would be fair to bombard him with loads of questions at this time. I therefore selected 5 of the most popular questions that PakPassion members were asking. I hope though that at some point in the future we will do a full interview with Iqbal.

Also, at this moment in time I'd like to "blow our own trumpet". I think it's credit to PakPassion and all the staff and members that the Chief Selector feels comfortable in being quoted by our site. I think we can feel very proud of our achievments and our growing reputation in the world of Pakistan cricket. Our stories and articles are reaching every corner of the globe and anybody who is anybody in Pakistan cricket knows of PakPassion these days

Not many sites around the world will get direct quotes from the Chief Selector will they.

Here's the questions and answers :-

Why is there no reserve wicket-keeper for the Australia tour?


New Zealand was the home series, therefore, PCB had no objection to send 3 extra players including additional wicket keeper with the idea to gain experience on tour. Since Australia is the host hence we have to be restricted & avoided the extra burden on PCB.


Could you clarify the situation with Younus Khan and his non selection, was he not eligible for selection as he didnt play any domestic matches?


You rightly said as he did not play any domestic matches or showed his interest for selection he was not considered.



Why has the squad been reduced from 18 to 16 ?


As I said Australia will be the host of Pakistan, therefore, as per normal practice or policy 15 member squad selected and all expenses will be born by the host board. In case of extra player then respective board has to bear the expenses. Hence pakistan has to reduce the squad to 15 players however, PCB agreed with the request of selection committee along with tour mamagment to send additional player, therefore, squad was reduced to 16.



Did Yousuf and Akmal have much say in the squad?

Of course, we always consult tour selection committee for their input and give them weightage too. Yousaf, Akmal and Inti, all being consulted before, finalization of squad.


In the end thank you very much for the prayers and best wishes for better health of my father in Law.

Regards

Iqbal Qasim.



I did ask rather cheekily an additional question about which players were close to being selected, but understandably he didn't reply to that question.

[AZ]

YK has to show "interest" to be selected for an overseas tour? sorry, but that explanation is unacceptable

[Saj]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar YK has to show "interest" to be selected for an overseas tour? sorry, but that explanation is unacceptable

Why is it unacceptable. If a player has not shown any interest in playing domestic cricket, has not communicated his wishes to the selection committee then why should the selection committee risk him.

I have no idea when Younus Khan actually last played any cricket.

[zaid65]

I have no idea when Younus Khan actually last played any cricket.

You don't consider fishing as a part of cricket? Other players play this game in the cricket field, Younis was doing it outside the cricket ground.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by Saj Why is it unacceptable. If a player has not shown any interest in playing domestic cricket, has not communicated his wishes to the selection committee then why should the selection committee risk him. I have no idea when Younus Khan actually last played any cricket.

what about this then:

LONDON: Younus Khan who relinquished captaincy citing need for rest has said that he would be available for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Australia.

He told a news conference here at the Lord’s Wednesday’s evening on the occasion of the launch of Pakistan versus Australia Test series in England next summer that he has informed PCB about his willingness to play in Australia.

Asked whether he would be playing as a captain or a player, Younus said this would be decided in due course of time.

The PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt who was sitting next to Younus said the media will be informed soon regarding the status of the ex-captain.

from here : http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/sh...ghlight=younis

[Saj]

Ahmed, making statements about how he was available for the tour are different to actually confirming his availability and playing some cricket for HBL. He has not played any domestic cricket, therefore he was rightly not selected in my mind.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by Saj Ahmed, making statements about how he was available for the tour are different to actually confirming his availability and playing some cricket for HBL. He has not played any domestic cricket, therefore he was rightly not selected in my mind.

that's fine Saj, but did the Selection committee try to approach him to confirm his availability? I wish Mr. Qasim had answered that as well

[Zahid87]

Originally Posted by Saj Ahmed, making statements about how he was available for the tour are different to actually confirming his availability and playing some cricket for HBL. He has not played any domestic cricket, therefore he was rightly not selected in my mind.

I agree. Although I would have liked YK for Australia as I think he would have been our key batsmen there, since taking his break, he has gone AWOL. He is not beyond the other players that he can be selected without having proven his form and fitness in domestic cricket.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by Zahid87 I agree. Although I would have liked YK for Australia as I think he would have been our key batsmen there, since taking his break, he has gone AWOL. He is not beyond the other players that he can be selected without having proven his form and fitness in domestic cricket.

other players like Malik and Yousuf regularly skip domestic cricket in the name of "rest" too, their selection has never been in doubt though

[FAHAD KHAN]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar that's fine Saj, but did the Selection committee try to approach him to confirm his availability? I wish Mr. Qasim had answered that as well

Why does the selection committee needs to approach him???Why cant he call Ijaz Butt or anyone XYZ in PCB to tell them that he is available??
Why didnt he play any matches in the domestic to get his form back??
Do u want the whole PCB to go with a begging bowl to Younis and beg him to play ...

[AZ]

Originally Posted by FAHAD KHAN Why does the selection committee needs to approach him???Why cant he call Ijaz Butt or anyone XYZ in PCB to tell them that he is available?? Why didnt he play any matches in the domestic to get his form back?? Do u want the whole PCB to go with a begging bowl to Younis and beg him to play ...

considering the brittle and hopeless nature of our top order, the least that can be done is to inquire about YK's availability...as I posted earlier, YK did say that he is available for the tour of Australia, with Chairman sahab sitting right next to him! If they have in fact done that and got zero response from YK, then fair enough, we make a team without him...but if he was not asked at all, then this decision has been made to the detriment of the team.

[Saj]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar that's fine Saj, but did the Selection committee try to approach him to confirm his availability? I wish Mr. Qasim had answered that as well

Younus' profession is a cricketer, therefore he should be playing cricket. Thats what HBL and Pakistan pay him to do.

If he wanted to tour Australia then all he had to do was play a couple of games for HBL and show a bit of form, show some desire to play in Australia and he would be on the plane.

Sadly though he hasnt played any domestic cricket and therefore I have to agree with the selectors, although I must say I would have liked to have seen a fully comitted YK in the squad for Australia.

[Tay'yab-Ali Malik]

Saj,

I was really looking forward to a response regarding Maliks inclusion notwitstanding his woeful contributions and technique. I thought this was the most popular question? I guess you had good reasons.

There clearly must be a break down in communications between YK and the pcb. Each obviously holding out until the other makes the approach. Is this attitude in the best interest of Pakistan cricket? Finally who cares whether YK plays domestic cricket- he is still best no3 in Pakistan and one of the best in the world. I have already said this before but in the past when other great batsmen ie ponting and hussey have lost form they have simply taken time out and returned and not prove themselves playing domestic. YK hasn't helped the situation either by not talking to the pcb but IMO Yk is a contracted player and therefore the selectors are duty bound to select the best no3 unless YK categorically categorically made himself unavailable.

[Zahid87]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar other players like Malik and Yousuf regularly skip domestic cricket in the name of "rest" too, their selection has never been in doubt though

Malik and Yousuf didn't pull YK's recent stunt did they? That complictaes matters somewhat.

[FAHAD KHAN]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar considering the brittle and hopeless nature of our top order, the least that can be done is to inquire about YK's availability...as I posted earlier, YK did say that he is available for the tour of Australia, with Chairman sahab sitting right next to him! If they have in fact done that and got zero response from YK, then fair enough, we make a team without him...but if he was not asked at all, then this decision has been made to the detriment of the team.

As Saj mentioned earlier saying that in a press a month earlier is different from actually giving your confirmation...As we all know with YK s mood swings you cant predict what he will do next forget about something he said atleast a month earlier..And plus no one is bigger then the team and this is the Pakistan team we are talking about not some gully team..He should be previlaged to be a part of the team but we all know how he feels about that...

[Imr4n_Khan]

Atleast they could have selected better openers. Instead of having useless Farahat and Masnoor.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by FAHAD KHAN As Saj mentioned earlier saying that in a press a month earlier is different from actually giving your confirmation...As we all know with YK s mood swings you cant predict what he will do next forget about something he said atleast a month earlier..And plus no one is bigger then the team and this is the Pakistan team we are talking about not some gully team..He should be previlaged to be a part of the team but we all know how he feels about that...

so then clearly the Selection committee is no better than YK...all I want to know is that did they do their all in making sure we give our team the best possible chance of doing well in Australia? YK ditched the team, fine, and he lost the captaincy for that...but what now? we give up on one of our best Test batsmen?

[12thMan]

Here is what Iqbal Qasim and some sources said few days ago and it looks consistent and right decision has been made as YK is not in contact or confirming his availability at selection time. Iqbal Qasim surely doesn't know if he wants to play. They surely don't want to select him and then him saying I can't play. Ignore the QEA part as that is also important
==========

‘Unless he clearly lays down his plans whether he wants to tour Australia or not, the selectors also remain in a quandary,’ a source in the PCB said.

He said the most important thing remains that since Younis had himself withdrawn from the Test tour of New Zealand owing to poor form, the selectors were keen to have a look at him in the domestic tournament.

‘It would be strange if the selectors pick up a player for the Aussie tour who pulled out from a tour because of poor form,’ the sources commented.

Meanwhile, when asked, chief selector Iqbal Qasim declined to comment on the situation. ‘I think in the situation will become clear in the next few days when either Younis or myself have a meeting with the Chairman of the board. But so far, Younis has not informed anyone about his plans for the Australian tour,’ Iqbal said.

Meanwhile, sources close to Younis said the batsman was in two minds about making the tour at all. ‘He has not had a very good experience as captain after the World Twenty20 victory in June and he is not sure if this is the right time for him to join the team in Australia,’ the source said.—Agencies

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...tourney--bi-08

[luvthegame]

YK should go see mental doctor. We dont need unstable guys like him. Ok he needed rest for NZ but then he should have called PCB and told them that he is available.

But he didnt. So let MOYO take charge and build lead the team in AUS also.

[tauseefm]

Originally Posted by Saj Younus' profession is a cricketer, therefore he should be playing cricket. Thats what HBL and Pakistan pay him to do. If he wanted to tour Australia then all he had to do was play a couple of games for HBL and show a bit of form, show some desire to play in Australia and he would be on the plane. Sadly though he hasnt played any domestic cricket and therefore I have to agree with the selectors, although I must say I would have liked to have seen a fully comitted YK in the squad for Australia.

Younis rested rather then being dropped. so why he has to play for HBL to show some form? He was mentally tired and could've gotten form anywhere. Trust me there is something else going on between Younis and PCB. And PCB needs to find some other valid excuse rather then lying over and over again.

[mindless slogging]

It just seems to me that the selectors didn't want YK back as captain.

I'm sorry but if you need your best, and one of Pakistan best ever, batsman to play a domestic game (not as though he will be playing against Warne, McGrath or Ambrose here) to tell you he is in form, you don't know much about selection. Selecting on merit? Yeah, right. I suppose Malik's poor form has gone unnoticed then.

YK didn't make himself unavailable. The selectors have a right to select the best players. What do you do? You call him up because he is your best player and your job is to select the best. What they've actually done is to make this into a political game and take the easy route to select Bhanja. When we get hammered, it will be 'Oh, YK didn't want to be in the side'.

YK needed a rest for this series. Maybe he needed a complete rest (inc. domestic). If we got 'YK didn't want to be selected for the tour', the whole blame would be square on the shoulders on YK. But we haven't got that. So the selectors don't have a leg to stand on here. Just political and moral BS put ahead of Pakistan cricket once again. Well done PCB and the selectors. You deserve all the Malik, Bhanja, Farhat failures you will get from the tour.

[tauseefm]

Originally Posted by mindless slogging It just seems to me that the selectors didn't want YK back as captain. I'm sorry but if you need your best, and one of Pakistan best ever, batsman to play a domestic game (not as though he will be playing against Warne, McGrath or Ambrose here) to tell you he is in form, you don't know much about selection. Selecting on merit? Yeah, right. I suppose Malik's poor form has gone unnoticed then. YK didn't make himself unavailable. The selectors have a right to select the best players. What do you do? You call him up because he is your best player and your job is to select the best. What they've actually done is to make this into a political game and take the easy route to select Bhanja. When we get hammered, it will be 'Oh, YK didn't want to be in the side'. YK needed a rest for this series. Maybe he needed a complete rest (inc. domestic). If we got YK didn't want to be selected for the tour, the whole blame would be square on the shoulders on YK. But we haven't got that. So the selectors don't have a leg to stand on here. Just political and moral BS put ahead of Pakistan cricket once again. Well done PCB and the selectors. You deserve all the Malik, Bhanja, Farhat failures you will get from the tour.

Well said bro!!! I am even seing waqars back once he push players to work hardar.

[90MPH]

Originally Posted by luvthegame YK should go see mental doctor. We dont need unstable guys like him. Ok he needed rest for NZ but then he should have called PCB and told them that he is available. But he didnt. So let MOYO take charge and build lead the team in AUS also.

I concur with that. I wanted Younis to play in Aus, but He does not seem to be in the right frame of mind at the moment. I mean in the last 2 weeks he at least could have made a statement that he was fully commited to the tour, but he has said nothing and doing nothing. He is only hurting Pakistan cricket with these actions, not just himself.

[Sufian84]

i agree with the selectors. you cant send an out-of-form batsman with no match practise to a tour in australia.

[saeed-sohail]

Originally Posted by Sufian84 i agree with the selectors. you cant send an out-of-form batsman with no match practise to a tour in australia.

Yes with inform and great batsmen like malik misbah butt Faisal and farhat in the team you don't need an out of form batsman who scored 83 two tests ago and 313 four tests ago.

[germanboy]

Originally Posted by tauseefm Younis rested rather then being dropped. so why he has to play for HBL to show some form? He was mentally tired and could've gotten form anywhere. Trust is there is something else going on between Younis and PCB. And PCB needs to find some other valid excuse rather then lying over and over again.

First i agree with the selectors about Younis Khan "he did not play any domestic matches or showed his interest" thats a good reason to not pick up him for Aus tour but Tauseefm is also right this is not the only reason there is something else going on between Younis and PCB you just cant ignore it.

[saadjhussain]

it's unfortunate that questions regarding farhat, malik and misbah weren't asked. anyway, it's nice he replied so soon.

[90MPH]

Originally Posted by saeed-sohail Yes with inform and great batsmen like malik misbah butt Faisal and farhat in the team you don't need an out of form batsman who scored 83 two tests ago and 313 four tests ago.

It is not his form I question or that he did not play any domestic matches.

It is his intent. Does or did he really want to play in the upcoming Aus tour ?? If he did then he should have either stated to the Pak management he wanted to do so, or even make a media statement in the last week or so.
When you have an incompetent board operating Younis should have known staying quiet does not help his cause. Its a shame as I believe Pakistan need his services in the middle order.

[d0gers]

cheers Saj, thanks for putting this together, and thanks to Iqbal Qasim for taking the time to answer our questions. all the best to his father-in-law.

pretty disappointed with the whole Younis Khan saga. but knowing Pakistan cricket, I'm hoping another twist is just around the corner. maybe a collapse at Napier can lead to a Younis Khan recall? remember they went about face on Misbah pretty quickly.

[Dr. Khan]

Originally Posted by Sufian84 i agree with the selectors. you cant send an out-of-form batsman with no match practise to a tour in australia.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
I guess Imran, Mansoor, Salman, Misbah, Malik, and Fawad are all in form.

I dont know what is worse, Malik and Misbah, having match practise for the last two years and no form. Or someone with no match practise.

In my opinion the latter leaves room for the batsman coming good in the middle, while the former two are rusting away.

[qaiser]

was khurrum the best option for opener therefore selected or does he have some connections

[qaiser]

Originally Posted by germanboy First i agree with the selectors about Younis Khan "he did not play any domestic matches or showed his interest" thats a good reason to not pick up him for Aus tour but Tauseefm is also right this is not the only reason there is something else going on between Younis and PCB you just cant ignore it.

pcb has treated yunus as a sotella beta (foster child)

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by tauseefm Younis rested rather then being dropped. so why he has to play for HBL to show some form? He was mentally tired and could've gotten form anywhere. Trust me there is something else going on between Younis and PCB. And PCB needs to find some other valid excuse rather then lying over and over again.

Tauseef, I agree with your first two sentences. however, 3rd one I have a problem with. How can he be mentally tired playing 3 ODI after a long gap? Do we want a captain who gets mentally tired after 3 ODI matches ? That is not a sign of a mentally strong captain. So every time YK is captain, we should anticipate a change in captaincy after 3 ODI ? Defending YK is totally justified , however defending him for the wrong reason is not.

[mindless slogging]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat Tauseef, I agree with your first two sentences. however, 3rd one I have a problem with. How can he be mentally tired playing 3 ODI after a long gap? Do we want a captain who gets mentally tired after 3 ODI matches ? That is not a sign of a mentally strong captain. So every time YK is captain, we should anticipate a change in captaincy after 3 ODI ? Defending YK is totally justified , however defending him for the wrong reason is not.

I don't think it was mental tiredness fom 3 ODI's. It was a culmination of intensifying pressure that had started right from the the T20 WC. Fans were becoming increasingly impatient and he got the brunt of that at the U.A.E. where he was booed. Hence he needed a break to recollect his thoughts and get some sanity back.

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by mindless slogging I don't think it was mental tiredness fom 3 ODI's. It was a culmination of intensifying pressure that had started right from the the T20 WC. Fans were becoming increasingly impatient and he got the brunt of that at the U.A.E. where he was booed. Hence he needed a break to recollect his thoughts and get some sanity back.

That is a much better reason. I will go along with that

[FAHAD KHAN]

Originally Posted by Dr. Khan Brilliant. Simply brilliant. I guess Imran, Mansoor, Salman, Misbah, Malik, and Fawad are all in form. I dont know what is worse, Malik and Misbah, having match practise for the last two years and no form. Or someone with no match practise. In my opinion the latter leaves room for the batsman coming good in the middle, while the former two are rusting away.

2 wrongs dont make a right...
Agreed that this is perhaps the worst ever squad selcted not due to lack of talent but due to lack of lack of commen sense and alot of other factors...
But Younis the state of mind that he is in right now does not warrant a place in the team...He should have played in the domestic,, got some match pratcice and confidence back and only then the selectors could have judged about his willingness and form..
So its 100% Younises fault, and the people supporting him here that want him to play in Australia dont evan know if he wants to play in such a tough series...

[AZ]

Originally Posted by FAHAD KHAN 2 wrongs dont make a right... Agreed that this is perhaps the worst ever squad selcted not due to lack of talent but due to lack of lack of commen sense and alot of other factors... But Younis the state of mind that he is in right now does not warrant a place in the team...He should have played in the domestic,, got some match pratcice and confidence back and only then the selectors could have judged about his willingness and form.. So its 100% Younises fault, and the people supporting him here that want him to play in Australia dont evan know if he wants to play in such a tough series...

and neither does the PCB

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar and neither does the PCB

PCB doesn't because Younis never informed them of his availability

[cric]

Originally Posted by Saj Why is it unacceptable. If a player has not shown any interest in playing domestic cricket, has not communicated his wishes to the selection committee then why should the selection committee risk him. I have no idea when Younus Khan actually last played any cricket.

I think it's both parties fault. it's lack of commitment from both sides. when yunus khan went england with mr butt (to promote the pakistan tour of england) yunus khan and specially mr butt said it 100 times that yunus khan will play in aus for sure. i don't know what happened after. something must have happened. when you select a team you don't talk to all 15 players. if a players like malik can play in the team, i don't think yunus needed to prove any thing to be in the team.

[AZ]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat PCB doesn't because Younis never went by the protocol of informing them of his availability

LOL, protocol...protocol

how hard was it to give YK a ring and ask him if was available for the Aus. tour? they had a 4 hour meeting, probably spent a fair bit of time on intl. calls to NZ, yet they can't reach Younis Khan? hell they could have given a missed call, and he would have called them back

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar LOL, protocol...protocol and PCB are an oxymoron how hard was it to give YK a ring and ask him if was available for the Aus. tour? they had a 4 hour meeting, probably spent a fair bit of time on intl. calls to NZ, yet they can't reach Younis Khan? hell they could have given a missed call, and he would have called them back

How do you know they didn't. Since Younis rested himself, it was his obligation to let the board know if he was available. That's is how things are done in professional world. When you will start working, you will find out

[AZ]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat How do you know they didn't. Since Younis rested himself, it was his obligation to let the board know if he was available. That's is how things are done in professional world. When you will start working, you will find out

why was my post edited? Oxymoron is not a bad word

it is also their obligation to put forward the best possible team Pakistan can assemble, and YK is part of that team...and it looks pretty obvious that they did not bother to check his status either...or there is something going on in the background that they have not revealed to us

as for "professional world", you don't know anything about me buddy, so better to keep your ideas to yourself

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar why was my post edited? Oxymoron is not a bad word it is also their obligation to put forward the best possible team Pakistan can assemble, and YK is part of that team...and it looks pretty obvious that they did not bother to check his status either...or there is something going on in the background that they have not revealed to us as for "professional world", you don't know anything about me buddy, so better to keep your ideas to yourself

Here I have to agree with your last sentence. I think there is more to it than meet the eyes. By the way about the professional world was a joke, of course I don't know. Nothing bad intended

[tauseefm]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat Tauseef, I agree with your first two sentences. however, 3rd one I have a problem with. How can he be mentally tired playing 3 ODI after a long gap? Do we want a captain who gets mentally tired after 3 ODI matches ? That is not a sign of a mentally strong captain. So every time YK is captain, we should anticipate a change in captaincy after 3 ODI ? Defending YK is totally justified , however defending him for the wrong reason is not.

Again mentally tired means not becuse of playing too much cricket but dealing with bs player power. yaar begharti ki bhi koi had hoti hay, yeh log to asteen kay sanp hain. They don't wana work hard and still wana play for pakistan team. Shoaib Malik's inclusion in the team justify why YK is out of the team.
If waqar try to resist or make these guys work harder, he won't lost long either.

[shaaan]

Lets just move on. I agree with one of the posters above that there is something between YK and PCB, coz as I recalled he did make himself avaoable for the Aus tour in his press conference in UK. I agree with most of the posters above that YK didn;t have to prove his form in the domestic games to be part of the team.

[Rizwan25]

I think its a good thing we got rid of younis as he was completely out of form and also him being out means fawad will get more chances.

[waqar_ahmad]

Originally Posted by Saj Younus' profession is a cricketer, therefore he should be playing cricket. Thats what HBL and Pakistan pay him to do. If he wanted to tour Australia then all he had to do was play a couple of games for HBL and show a bit of form, show some desire to play in Australia and he would be on the plane. Sadly though he hasnt played any domestic cricket and therefore I have to agree with the selectors, although I must say I would have liked to have seen a fully comitted YK in the squad for Australia.

A player of YK's stature should not have been dropped jsut coz he failed to show up in a domestic game or two. He is still our best test batsman. A side which has the likes of Butt, Farhat, Khurram Manzoor, Malik and MIsbah, with bhanja as the replacement can not afford to drop someone like YK.

He needed some rest, mental rest more than physical, and that's exactly what he got.

We, as a nation, have a history of treating good people unfairly.

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by waqar_ahmad A player of YK's stature should not have been dropped jsut coz he failed to show up in a domestic game or two. He is still our best test batsman. He needed some rest, mental rest more than physical, and that's exactly what he got. We, as a nation, have a history of treating good people unfairly.

Agree that a player of YK stature does not have to prove his worth by playing domestic cricket. But he was not dropped, he made himself unavailable. Also he sure had to prove his mental fitness to lead the team or to even be in a team. YK is done now

[insaaniyat]

I don't think we should criticize Iqbal Qasim, he is only trying to earn his living the only way anyone knows there. He goes against Mr. Butt and he would be out of job. If anyone to be blamed, it has to be Mr. Butt

[kingusama92]

I am sure Saj will get a hold of him later on. We should at least be thankful that he got some answers out of Iqbal Qasim.

Even though the questions asked were pretty easy to answer. I feel there were some nice points in them. Such as the reduction of the squad and the fact that an extra player was added due to some pressure from the people choosing the squad.

[samiakh]

i would have loved to have heard the justification for retaining Malik, and for the lame handed treatment provided to Fawad Alam. You would think a kid who scores a 168 in his test debut would at least get a run of 5-6 matches in the side!

[IMMY69]

There seems to be a cover up going on with respect to Younis Khan.

Afterall, he is a contracted player so rather then wait for Yk to come along they should surely have tried to contact the guy...

On the other hand, if Yk did not communicate his availability and has not played any domestic cricket then is his contract going to be torn up?

The interview seems to have brought up more questions then answers..

[Extreme Pace]

Did you ask him why Malik was selected ? Or why was Farhat selected ? Those are the two questions i need answers to.

[Legal Eye]

YK was taking a break from cricket, was he not? Why should he be expected to play domestic cricket, in that case?

He should have been selected, and even reinstated as skipper.

[Guenon123]

First of all: PakPassion rocks!!!!!!

Secondly, YK and PCB should get things in order for the future at least because there is plenty of cricket for Pakistan after Aus test series. IMO, Both of them have to show interest so that YK can make a come back. Pakistan has not spent so much time and money on YK to just discard him like this. And YK, the cricketer knows this v.well that he owe his country to perform well when ever possible.

[hashmist]

Originally Posted by luvthegame YK should go see mental doctor. We dont need unstable guys like him. Ok he needed rest for NZ but then he should have called PCB and told them that he is available. But he didnt. So let MOYO take charge and build lead the team in AUS also.

Give the guy a break. So he does not feel like playing cricket yet. Let him rest and clear his mind. He'll come back when he is ready to play, whenever that might be. Meanwhile lets focus on who is ready and willling to play and hope for the best. My only wish is that they should have given a chance to one of the promising youngsters in YK's absence. We need another young batting talent like Umar in the team for the WC2011, not the recyclables like Faisal and Misbah.

[srh]

Saj I think you missed the chance to ask the most important question: Why Shoaib Malik is selected for the Australia tour?

[cricwiz]

Originally Posted by srh Saj I think you missed the chance to ask the most important question: Why Shoaib Malik is selected for the Australia tour?

The question is incomplete still. The complete question would be:

Why Shoaib Malik is selected for the Australia tour, given his form as well his overall batting credentials in Tests? Does a batsman with batting average of 36 (strike rate 44) deserve to be in top 6 specialist batsmen of national team?

I hope someone can ask such blunt questions from selectors...

[shaaan]

Originally Posted by hashmist Give the guy a break. So he does not feel like playing cricket yet. Let him rest and clear his mind. He'll come back when he is ready to play, whenever that might be. Meanwhile lets focus on who is ready and willling to play and hope for the best. My only wish is that they should have given a chance to one of the promising youngsters in YK's absence. We need another young batting talent like Umar in the team for the WC2011, not the recyclables like Faisal and Misbah.

Completely agree with you here. Lets move on and support the team. I'm sure YK will be back soon.

[Saj]

Originally Posted by srh Saj I think you missed the chance to ask the most important question: Why Shoaib Malik is selected for the Australia tour?

Worry not, we'll catch up with Iqbal again in future.

A few of you need to learn the meaning of the word patience

[volcyz]

We have selectors who are obviously appeasing certain groups with their bizzare explanations on certain matters and unnerving silence on other areas.
Really sad.

[Tay'yab-Ali Malik]

Originally Posted by Saj Worry not, we'll catch up with Iqbal again in future. A few of you need to learn the meaning of the word patience

Saj, it's not about being patience but seizing the moment. Malik may have scored a match saving hundred by then which will mask the previous selection. Most people wanted to know on current form how does malik justfy his selection?

[Oxy]

I cant believe Iqbal Qasim chose to stay in hospital instead of answering every question that was set to him.

Man has his priorities all wrong

[Wazeeri]

Personally I think Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi's contracts should be cancelled.
The whole point of a central contract is for it to act as a retainer. You have to make yourself available whenever Pakistan needs you.

[Gollum]

Originally Posted by Oxy I cant believe Iqbal Qasim chose to stay in hospital instead of answering every question that was set to him. Man has his priorities all wrong

In his defense he did say he was 'volunteering' for this job.

[Saj]

Originally Posted by Oxy I cant believe Iqbal Qasim chose to stay in hospital instead of answering every question that was set to him. Man has his priorities all wrong

Cant beat a bit of Oxy sarcasm

[mindless slogging]

Originally Posted by Oxy I cant believe Iqbal Qasim chose to stay in hospital instead of answering every question that was set to him. Man has his priorities all wrong

Sure has. He was even on that sports show, 'Score' on Geo justifying the selections.

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by mindless slogging Sure has. He was even on that sports show, 'Score' on Geo justifying the selections.

World of difference in Geo and a bunch of fans asking questions...

[mindless slogging]

Originally Posted by Oxy World of difference in Geo and a bunch of fans asking questions...

PP and Geo both serve as a medium for getting his reasoning across to the fans justifying his selections. No-one doubts Saj and co did a great job in getting a response from him (I've stated this in response to numerous posters- all deleted) but why not ask the 5 most important questions? He was, afterall, going to respond to only 5, and I'm sure Malik's selection was the first on list.

[MajidBhuta-AamirFan]

Originally Posted by Saj Ahmed, making statements about how he was available for the tour are different to actually confirming his availability and playing some cricket for HBL. He has not played any domestic cricket, therefore he was rightly not selected in my mind.

Saj bhai, could you please ask our chief, does pakistan domest has any value?

can you ask him at what reasons shoaib malik and faisal iqbal got selected for tour AUS?

Could you please ask our(so called chief selector) does he know that what is avg of shoaib malik in first class cricket, if he didn't know his avg then please tell him that its only 29.

could please ask why naved yasin hasn't got selected for this tour, who made almost 1000 runs with six 100s in this first class season while shoaib malik made only 8 first class 100s in his entire career.

I am really upset with our selection committe..

we all know why faisal iqbal is in the team, bcoz of javed miandad...people like miandad, bari, iqbal qasim, sallu and intkhab alam are cancers for pak cricket...these all old pople are very brainless.

Naved yasin's only fault is he was born in a small city like multan and he doesn't have father in law or uncle in cricket board and sadly we don't have an educated captain like imran khan who can pick talented player(inzi from multan) from anywhere

[qaiser]

Originally Posted by Wazeeri Personally I think Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi's contracts should be cancelled. The whole point of a central contract is for it to act as a retainer. You have to make yourself available whenever Pakistan needs you.

I agree central contracts should be reserved for players available for all forms of cricket rather than picking/ choosing.

[Wiji]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar other players like Malik and Yousuf regularly skip domestic cricket in the name of "rest" too, their selection has never been in doubt though

I think that's a fair point. But two wrongs don't make a right.

[d0gers]

Originally Posted by Saj Why has the squad been reduced from 18 to 16 ? As I said Australia will be the host of Pakistan, therefore, as per normal practice or policy 15 member squad selected and all expenses will be born by the host board. In case of extra player then respective board has to bear the expenses. Hence pakistan has to reduce the squad to 15 players however, PCB agreed with the request of selection committee along with tour mamagment to send additional player, therefore, squad was reduced to 16.

just thought about this question again in light of Sami's inclusion. does this mean that the PCB is sending Sami as the 17th member of the squad at its own expense? because there has no been no mention of dropping someone to make room for him.

[adeelsid]

Originally Posted by d0gers just thought about this question again in light of Sami's inclusion. does this mean that the PCB is sending Sami as the 17th member of the squad at its own expense? because there has no been no mention of dropping someone to make room for him.

The assistant manager has been called back to make room for Mr. Sami.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by d0gers just thought about this question again in light of Sami's inclusion. does this mean that the PCB is sending Sami as the 17th member of the squad at its own expense? because there has no been no mention of dropping someone to make room for him.

I think Butt with his family will go there for few days (maybe ODIs as I think he likes that more) to sort this out and report to ICC about another $7 millions lost (as the figures keep going up)

[saadjhussain]

Originally Posted by d0gers just thought about this question again in light of Sami's inclusion. does this mean that the PCB is sending Sami as the 17th member of the squad at its own expense? because there has no been no mention of dropping someone to make room for him.

he'll be staying at waqar's house...

[sali]

They are calling the assistant manager Mohd Ahmed back to accommodate Sami. Source Express News.

I was hopping that they will call Misbah and Shoib back.

I think soon they will call Razzaq also. That may be a good chance to send Inti back,

[Black Zero]

Iqbal Qasim has no moral compas. Do not expect anything good from him.
Qadir had a loaded compas and was so angry/bitter on everyone.
Saloo was typical non-performing selector.
Aamir Sohail produced good results but he was revengefull.
So all in all Garbage in garbage out. As Saeed bin Nasir was mourning we need properly laid selection system based on "Survival of the fittest"
But before PCB structure needs to changed. Why President has all the say... and he can pick anyone (touqeer, altaf, butt etc.) without any merit and then these selected ppl develop their team also without any merit and we get Inti and co. Its not easy being pak fan.

[Kriketer]

Iqbal Qasim has to go down as one of the WORST selectors in the history of Pakistan cricket.

[Yaser]

call back Wajahatullah Wasti whilst we're at it, atleasr he had bite