Inzamam-ul-Haq takes hefty pay cut for PCB chief selector post
Former Pakistan cricket team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has taken a hefty pay cut of Rs.4 lakh to be appointed as the chairman of the senior selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board. He was previously paid a monthly salary of Rs.12 lakh a month as the head coach of the Afghanistan cricket team.
The PCB announced Inzamam as the new chief selector on Monday after he resigned from his role as coach of the Afghanistan national team. Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the PCB said that all the issues surrounding Inzamam’s release from the contract he held with the Afghanistan cricket board had been resolved.
Inzamam resigned from his post as coach of the Afghanistan team eight months before his contract expired. According to a statement by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Inzamam was allowed to leave his post considering his national obligations and the upheaval in Pakistan cricket.
The former Pakistan captain is expected to make changes to the team selection procedure. He has suggested to the board that the captain and coach of the team should be in the selection committee so that they could take full responsibility for the team’s performances. They will also be allowed to appoint other members of the selection committee.
Inzamam coached the Afghanistan cricket team for the 2016 World T20 with some success. The minnows gave a good account of themselves in the tournament, managing to defeat eventual champions West Indies in the group stages.
Inzamam, a veteran of 120 test matches and 398 one day internationals, emerged as a surprise choice for the post of chief selector. Former test players Mohsin Khan, Iqbal Qasim, and Mohsin Khan were also under consideration for the same post.
Justifying their decision to make Inzamam chief selector, Shaharyar Khan said,” He is our choice given his vast experience and the board has reached an agreement with Inzamam after the Afghanistan board agreed to release him”.
Dismissing suggestions that Inzamam had been appointed after suggestions from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, he clarified that it had indeed been the board’s decision to appoint him as chief selector.
Inzamam’s experience in modern day cricket and the respect he commands from the cricketing fraternity was stated as the reason for his appointment. He has earlier worked as a temporary batting consultant with the PCB but never accepted a permanent role with the team.