(Reuters) – Former captain Shahid Afridi has been appointed interim chair of Pakistan’s men’s national selection committee, the country’s cricket board (PCB) announced on Saturday.
The all-rounder retired from international cricket in 2017, playing more than 500 international games across all formats after his 1996 debut.
He replaces Mohammad Wasim, sacked this week following a year in which Pakistan were beaten in the finals of the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup, before their 3-0 defeat to England in a home test series.
Afridi’s appointment comes in the build-up to New Zealand’s two-test tour of Pakistan, beginning on Monday.
“We need to get back to our winning ways and I have no doubts that through meritocratic and strategic selection decisions, we will help the national side to perform strongly in the series against New Zealand and reclaim the confidence of our fans,” Afridi said in a statement.
“I will soon convene a meeting of the selectors and will share my plans with reference to the upcoming matches.”
Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Abdul Razzaq have been added to the panel, the PCB said.
PCB management committee chair Najam Sethi said that despite limited time, he was sure the committee “will make brave and bold decisions that will help us produce a strong and competitive side in the series against New Zealand”.
The appointments, the latest step in a shake-up of PCB’s operations, follow the sacking this week of Ramiz Raja as chairman.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Christian Radnedge)
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