Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq on Thursday strongly denied allegations of showing favouritism towards certain Pakistan players and exerting undue influence over fellow selectors during the T20 World Cup.
Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq on Thursday strongly denied allegations of showing favouritism towards certain Pakistan players and exerting undue influence over fellow selectors during the T20 World Cup. Both former Test cricketers, Wahab and Razzaq, were removed from their roles as selectors by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday.
The decision to dismiss Wahab came unexpectedly, given his perceived close relationship with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Wahab had previously served as a sports advisor with extensive authority in the caretaker government of Punjab under Naqvi, until elections earlier this year. Since last year, Wahab has held various positions within the PCB, including chief selector and senior team manager.
Shortly after Wahab and Razzaq were dismissed, allegations surfaced that Wahab, as senior team manager, had overlooked uncooperative and disruptive behaviour from pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi during the T20 World Cup. Additionally, Wahab and Razzaq were accused of pushing for the selection of players who were either out of form or not fully fit.
"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 in a statement.
"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,” said Wahab, who pointed out that all decisions were meticulously documented in the 'minutes of the meeting'.
Razzaq emphasized that team selections were made collectively, based on majority decisions by the selectors.
“So how can I sway the other selectors while selecting the team?” he asked.
The PCB established a seven-member selection committee in March, operating without a chief selector following Naqvi's appointment as chairman. The committee featured former cricketers like Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, Wahab, Razzaq, alongside the head coach, captain, and data analyst Bilal Afzal.
Hasan Cheema, the board's analyst, and Usman Wahla, director of international cricket operations, also participated in selection committee meetings.