Lahore, April 19 (IANS) Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has said the national cricket team would need some time to turn things around following his appointment as the chief selector.
Inzamam is heading the new-look selection panel unveiled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday. Earlier he resigned as the head coach of the Afghanistan team.
While Pakistan briefly rose to No.2 in the ICC Test Rankings by beating England last year, they have not been able to replicate that success in the shorter formats of the game.
They lost to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup and then were sent packing from the group stage of the World Twenty20. The results saw captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis step down and the selection committee being dissolved.
“I don’t have a magic wand and things will take time. But you will see change soon,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Tuesday.
“I hope that I will be allowed to work independently. The perception is that I used to get my way as captain. But as the chief selector, my role will be different and I hope that the captain, coach and my team are all on the same page.”
He also welcomed inputs from the players, saying when he was captain he used to chip in as well.
“When I was the captain, I used to give my input and now I’m on the other side, so I will be taking input from all of them. I have included a spinner (Tauseef), a fast bowler (Wasim Haider) and Wajahatullah Wasti (a batsman) so we have an expert for each discipline.”
Pakistan will play three Tests in Australia next summer but their next assignment is a four-Test, five-ODI and one T20 tour of England, where they haven’t toured since 2010.