PCB accepts chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation as rift grows | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: The conflict between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq escalated as the country’s sports governing body accepted the former captain’s resignation amidst allegations of a conflict of interest.
Despite the Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team vying for the last remaining semifinal spot in the World Cup in India, the PCB released a statement on Thursday confirming the acceptance of the resignation tendered by the legendary player.
The statement further mentioned that a replacement for the role of chief selector would be announced in the near future.
“Pakistan Cricket Board has accepted Inzamam-ul-Haq’s resignation as the chairman of the national men’s selection committee and junior selection committee and will announce his replacement in due course.
“Inzamam-ul-Haq voluntarily stepped down from his position on 30 October in order to offer the PCB the opportunity to conduct a transparent inquiry about the conflict of interest allegations,” said the PCB statement.
On October 30, Inzamam resigned from his position as the chairman of the national selection committee after the PCB initiated an inquiry to investigate whether his involvement with a company, Yazoo International, which oversees several national team players, constituted a conflict of interest.
The PCB set up a five-member panel to examine Inzamam’s connection to the company, where he shares the same agent, Talha Rehmani, who represents players such as captain Babar Azam, fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan.
Despite Inzamam’s resignation, he maintained that his affiliation with his agent and partner, Talha Rehmani, had never influenced or compromised his decision-making as a selector.
“A five-member fact-finding committee has been formed by the board to investigate allegations regarding conflict of interest reported in the media about the team selection process. The findings of this inquiry will be submitted to the PCB Management promptly,” said the PCB statement.
Inzamam was appointed as the chairman of the national men’s selection committee on August 7 this year and also assumed the role of chairman of the junior men’s selection committee last month.
There has been speculation among former players regarding the urgency that led to the PCB’s sudden acceptance of Inzamam’s resignation, especially when it had been under their consideration for more than a week.
Tensions between the PCB and Inzamam deteriorated further when he criticised the PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, on Tuesday, holding him responsible for not taking accountability for the national team’s performance in the World Cup. Inzamam expressed discontent with attempts to shift blame onto him and captain Babar Azam after the team suffered four consecutive losses.
Inzamam also raised concerns about the decision to extend the chairman’s tenure, alleging that the PCB was being run in an arbitrary manner.
According to Inzamam, his legal representatives had attempted to reach out to the PCB regarding the inquiry, but they had not received any response yet.
The PCB and Ashraf reportedly didn’t appreciate Inzamam’s public criticism and insisted that he would be summoned for the probe. They claimed that by making public statements, Inzamam, being under contract, was violating the board’s code of conduct.
Inzamam was receiving a salary of Pakistan Rs 2.5 million. However, after Pakistan’s disappointing performance in India, Ashraf stated that he had no involvement in the team selection, as it was the responsibility of the chief selector and Babar.
Two days ago, Ashraf and the cricket management committee he leads were granted a three-month extension. The interim Cricket Management Committee (CMC) has been overseeing the PCB since last December.
(With PTI inputs)