The removal of Wahab from his position came as an unexpected move, considering his close association with the current PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.Wahab had previously served as a sports advisor with extensive authority in the caretaker government of Punjab, led by Naqvi, until the conclusion of the elections earlier this year.
Since the previous year, Wahab has held various positions within the PCB, including chief selector and senior team manager. Following the dismissal of Wahab and Razzaq, allegations surfaced claiming that Wahab, in his role as senior team manager, had overlooked uncooperative and inappropriate conduct from pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi during the T20 World Cup.
Furthermore, Wahab and Razzaq were accused of insisting on the selection of certain players who were either out of form or not fully fit. Both individuals have strongly refuted these allegations.
“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,” said Wahab, adding that everything is documented on record in the ‘minutes of the meeting’.
Razzaq said the selectors took collective decisions which were determined by the majority votes. “So how can I sway the other selectors while selecting the team?” he asked.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a selection committee consisting of seven members in March, shortly after Naqvi assumed the role of chairman. However, the committee was established without appointing a chief selector.
Among the members of the committee were former cricketers Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, Wahab and Razzaq. The head coach, captain and data analyst Bilal Afzal were also part of the selection panel.
Additionally, Hasan Cheema, the board’s analyst, and Usman Wahla, the director of international cricket operations, were present during the selection committee meetings.
