| Player: | Abdul Qadir, Shoaib Akhtar, Intikhab Alam |
DateLine: 15th July 2009
Pakistan's former chief selector Abdul Qadir accused coach Intikhab Alam and manager Yawar Saeed of conspiring against Shoaib Akhtar and keeping him out of the team. Qadir, who appeared before the national assembly standing committee on sports, said Intikhab had told him twice that he didn't want Shoaib in his team.
"I don't want Shoaib in my team, Intikhab told me when we met to select the team for the T20 World Cup," Qadir told the committee. I checked Shoaib, he was fit and bowling with speed and was working on his game," he said.
Shoaib was dropped from the team at the last minute after a medical panel of the board found him down with a skin infection and advised him 12 days rest. But Qadir said Intikhab had conjured up the story about the fast bowler having a serious medical condition.
"I will never forgive these two even if Shoaib forgives them because they played around with the national team. Shoaib is still an asset for the team and should have been played," said Qadir, who resigned last month during the World Cup.
Qadir also admitted that the selectors were not allowed to pick teams independently and they were under immense pressure from the board and team management.
The PCB on Monday appointed a new national selection committee headed by former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim, which also includes Saleem Jaffer, Ijaz Ahmed, Mohammad Illyas and Azhar Khan.
