Pakistan board appoints Wahab Riaz as chief selector

Riaz’ first assignment will be the three-match Test series against Australia in December in Australia and five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January in New Zealand.

Published : Nov 17, 2023 18:38 IST , CHENNAI - 2 MINS READ

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz had announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

Former Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been appointed as the chief selector of the national men’s selection committee, country’s cricket board announced on Friday.

Riaz’ first assignment will be the three-match Test series against Australia in December in Australia and five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January in New Zealand.

“I am honoured to assume the role of chairperson for the national men’s selection committee, and I extend my gratitude to Chairman PCB Management Committee, Mr Zaka Ashraf, for entrusting me with this responsibility,” the 38-year-old said.

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“Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant Australia tour coming up that is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.” Riaz said that the New Zealand T20I series will be key to developing a unit leading to the T20 World Cup next year.

“My primary goal would be to give weightage to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce well-rounded squads equipped with the necessary skillsets,” he added.

Riaz, who announced his retirement in August earlier this year, played 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is for Pakistan picking up 237 wickets across formats.

Tanvir to head junior selection

Another Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir has been appointed as selection head of the junior selection committee. His first assignment will be selection of the Pakistan U19 squad for the 2023 ACC U19 Asia Cup in December before the U19 World Cup in January 2024.