By Omar Khalid, IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan’s cricket board chief Ijaz Butt Thursday said that differences between the board and its chief selector Mohsin Khan have been resolved.
Mohsin had reservations over the 15-man squad announced for this month’s Test series against the West Indies and threatened to resign.
Butt summoned Mohsin to the board’s headquarters in Lahore Thursday for a meeting and later stated that they have sorted out things.
“Mohsin and I had a fruitful meeting today and we had a discussion on a number of matters. We also discussed some of the issues that were appearing in the media for the last couple of days. Without going into the details of the matters discussed, I am pleased to inform that there are currently no unresolved issues between the PCB and Mohsin Hasan Khan,” Butt said in a statement.
Butt said he has assured Mohsin that the selection committee has “independence” of taking its decisions.
“We have today discussed the importance of bringing in clarity in the role and functions of the National Selection Committee and I have advised Mohsin that the selection committee has the independence of taking selection decisions,” he said.
“To clarify our stance on some speculations that have appeared in a section of media, after hearing Mohsin’s point of view, the PCB has decided that no further action in this matter is required.”
Mohsin had openly expressed his displeasure over the selection of the team, and later invited Karachi’s media for a press conference Wednesday. However, the briefing never took place as Mohsin agreed to meet Butt in Lahore.
The chief selector, who was lambasted by media people, defended his move to call off the press meet at the last moment, saying he was convinced by senior officials to call off the press conference.
“I was all ready for the press conference but senior PCB officials and some members of the (PCB) Governing Board requested me to meet with the chairman (Butt) tomorrow. I’ve accepted the request and will inform the chairman about my grievances in our meeting,” Mohsin told ‘The News’ Thursday.
Mohsin rejected the impression he has taken a U-turn on the issue, and said he is ready to take a firm stand on principles.
However, Mohsin’s critics are not convinced.
“He (Mohsin) is a spineless chief selector,” Salahuddin Ahmed, a former chief selector and Test cricketer, told this correspondent.
“He just cares about his salary and perks and I’m sure that he won’t resign even after making all those threats.”