Cricket: Separate teams for all formats on the cards

Plan to be taken up on priority basis, says chief selector.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s loss to England in the One-Day International (ODI) series that eclipsed their dream run in the Tests has ignited the debate of having a separate pool of players for all formats of the game.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Selector Mohammad Illyas is convinced that having separate teams for each format was the need of the hour ahead of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka later this year.

“Having a separate pool of players for each format has been a part of our plans for a long time,” Illyas told The Express Tribune. “The idea may click and there’s a strong possibility of improved results after its implementation. We’ll take up the plan seriously after this series and it’s an important task for us because of the upcoming World Twenty20.

“I think we can find enough specialist players for each format. We have no dearth of talent.”

Qadir backs idea of  separate teams

Meanwhile, former chief selector Abdul Qadir has said that he had also insisted on having separate teams during his tenure as the head of the selection committee.

“I wanted to have separate teams too because I felt it was a very important step that needed to be taken,” said the former leg-spinner. “The players must be chosen for each format as per their technical game. For instance, steady players of the calibre of Inzamamul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf may be considered only for Tests. Similarly players like Ahmed Shehzad or Abdul Razzaq, who are aggressive, can be preferred in the limited-overs format.”

Another former chief selector Iqbal Qasim said he had to discontinue the plan of having separate teams during his tenure because he did not have enough players at his disposal.

“I started forming separate teams but unfortunately senior players like Yousuf became unavailable at that time,” he said. “Having specialists for each format with only a few players playing in all forms is a good idea and can help Pakistan progress well.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2012.