By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : He was born in India, played Test cricket for Pakistan and has the unique distinction of being a national selector 10 times over a 27-year period. His elder sister, Mohsina Kidwai, is a long-standing member of the Indian parliament and an integral part of the Congress Party.
Salahuddin Ahmed, who is watching the first India-Pakistan Test match here in his capacity as chairman of the Pakistani selection committee, is now heading the committee for the second time. His first tenure as chairman was in 1999.
“There is no such problem in Pakistan, no discrimination whether you were born in India or Pakistan. For that matter, Shaharyar Khan was also born in India (Bhopal) and went on to become chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB),” Salahuddin told IANS in an interview at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium.
“The pressures of being a selector is the same in India and Pakistan. I was talking to Dilip Vengsarkar (chairman of the Indian selection committee) and he agreed with me,” Salahuddin said.
Salahuddin, who played five Tests for Pakistan in the 1960s, is enjoying his visit as he is combining official work with socialising with his family members and friends. He is staying with Mohsina, who at 74 is still an active member of the Rajya Sabha.
Salahuddin replaced Wasim Bari as chairman of selectors this April after Pakistan’s first-round exit from the World Cup.
On his 10th stint as selector now — the second time as chairman — Salahuddin said that both the selectors and the teams are selected fairly in Pakistan.
“I was also a selector with the Karachi Cricket Association for 10 years, from 1986 to 1996. We select teams only on merit.”
Born Feb 14, 1947, in Aligarh, Salahuddin and his family migrated to Karachi in October 1950. His father was born in Daryabad town of Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh.
“My father, Qutubuddin Ahmed Mullah, played tennis and captained the Aligarh Muslim University team in 1928,” said Salahuddin.
As he grew up, the cricket bug bit Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman and off-spinner. He made his first-class debut in 1964-65. After just six first-class matches, he made his Test debut against New Zealand in Rawalpindi in 1965.
“I also played league cricket for West of Scotland Cricket Club in Glasgow for 13 years, from 1969 to 1981, after former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam recommended my name to the club,” he said.
“Besides, I played for the Ayr Cricket Club, also in Scotland, for which India’s Budhi Kunderan and former England captain Mike Denness also played. Kunderan and I had a good time there as we were friends.”