Najam Sethi unveils names of new PCB selection committee members

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi has unveiled the members of the new selection panel for the national men’s side.

Sethi, in an interview with BBC Urdu, said that the committee will include Chief Selector Haroon Rasheed, Team Director Mickey Arthur, Head Coach Grant Bradburn and Data Analyst Hassan Cheema.

The PCB. through a statement released on Sunday, also confirmed tha appointments.

It should be noted that the first task of the selection committee is to name the players for the fast and spin bowling camps next month in Lahore, which will be announced in due course.  

Among the members, Cheema is currently the strategy manager for Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United.

“We want to use incorporate data in our selection and Hassan is an expert in this field,” Sethi added.

Haroon featured in 23 Tests and 12 ODIs from 1977 to 1983 and was also the chief selector in 2015-16.

“I want to congratulate Haroon Rashid and hope he will use his cricket knowledge, understanding and background while picking squads for the upcoming international assignments,” Sethi said in January earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Haroon stated: “I am honoured to have been entrusted with this responsibility and look forward to working very closely with the team management and the National High Performance Centre so that we have clear pathways and can work collectively to select best available players for what will be a busy and high-profile year of cricket, including the ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the tour of Australia for three Tests.

“One of the key aspects I will like to focus on my time will be improving communication. This is a critical area as the players need to have absolute clarity on why they have been selected or not selected, which, in turn, will help them to deliver the desired results, work harder on their skills and remain motivated.”

Arthur is a part of the coaching staff for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, away tour to Australia and home series against the West Indies. He will also be present with the side for Pakistan’s matches against India in the ACC Asia Cup.

During his time from 2016 to 2019, Arthur coached Pakistan to No.1 in Tests and T20Is, and also helped the side to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

The PCB also confirmed the appointment of Grant Bradburn as head coach of the national men’s side on Saturday for a period of two years last week.

Bradburn also served as the head coach, on consultancy basis, of the Pakistan team during the recently-concluded home series against New Zealand.