KARACHI: Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim opened up for the first time on fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf’s exclusion from the recently announced Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Central Contracts 2022-23.
Fast bowling all-rounder Faheem, who is considered an integral part of Pakistan’s red-ball side and a consistent member in the squads of the team’s recent fixtures, remained unable to find himself in the list of players named in the recently-revealed central contracts.
In response to the host’s question about Faheem’s exclusion from the PCB Central Contracts on ARY News’ Sports Room (Eid Special), Wasim asserted that the all-rounder was not selected in the contract due to his below-par performance over the previous 12-month period, however, claimed that he is still part of the team’s future plans.
“Playing for the team does not guarantee a player’s inclusion in the central contracts. The criteria are straightforward, and they include performance over the previous 12 months, our plans for the next 12 months, and the role in the team, as well as the automatic selection,” Wasim responded.
“It further includes some other factors like commitment, fitness, and the extent of participation in the domestic circuit,” he maintained.
The chief selector then clarified that Faheem’s exclusion from the central contracts does not rule him out of the team’s future plans.
“Nobody said that Faheem isn’t a part of our future plans. The biggest proof of this is that he is accompanying the team on their tour to Sri Lanka,” Wasim stated.
“It is important to note that it is not the case that we will never choose a player who is not a part of the central contracts; rather, this is a common practice all over the world. Many players who are not covered by the contracts represent their teams,” he stressed.
On being asked about left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq, who was awarded the Category B in white-ball cricket despite being ranked second in the latest ICC ODI batting rankings, Wasim claimed that the policy does not permit double promotion.
“No doubt, Imam’s performance has been improved a lot. He was in Category C in the last year’s contracts, so he got promoted. He made runs in domestic cricket and got introduced in the red-ball side, and performed well so he did get promoted,” Wasim stated.
“Double promotion, however, is not the criteria, which means a player can not be promoted by two categories. Then again I would say how many match-winning performances a player has produced is the key,” he concluded.
READ: Netizens irked over Faheem’s exclusion from PCB Central Contracts
