Wasim Bari refuses to share blame for defeat

The chairman of Pakistan cricket selectors Wasim Bari refused to share the blame for his team's eight-wicket drubbing against Sri Lanka in the Asian Test Championship final.

The former Test wicket-keeper stressed his committee had picked the best available 14 and left it upto the captain and the coach to finalize the starting lineup.

"The decision of playing or not playing Saqlain Mushtaq was entirely the decision of team management. We named Saqlain in the 14 because we thought he was good and deserved a place," he said, adding: "You are asking the wrong person reasons to omit Saqlain."

Pakistan were thoroughly thrashed by the Sri Lankans who dismissed the home team for 234 and posted 528 in their turn. Had 328 minutes not wasted on the fourth day, the game would not have gone into the final day.

Bari, facing a barrage of questions, said his committee had picked Saqlain as the only specialist spinner. But when asked in what capacity Shoaib Malik had been played, he said: "You should ask the captain or the coach. We selected Saqlain as the only specialist spinner while Shoaib was included in the 14 because of his previous match performance."

Shoaib had scored a century in the second One-day International against the West Indies at Sharjah. He was preferred over Saqlain for the Asian final that triggered a controversy.

Bari also defended his panel's decision to overlook Wasim Akram. He said there was enough doubt in the selectors' mind that the lefthander lacked fitness. "He hadn't played enough cricket lately. But I must stress here that Wasim is an integral component of our World Cup squad."

To a question how Wasim will force his way in the Test squad as Pakistan is to play at least seven One-day Internationals before taking on New Zealand in the first Test at Lahore from May 1, Bari said: "I think he would have played enough cricket by then to confirm his fitness."

Bari rested all the blame on the team for a poor performance at the cricket headquarters in Lahore. "If you score 234, then allow the opponents to score 528 aided by five spilled catches, you are always on the defensive. But as regards the 14 we picked, I think they were the best.

"There can be a difference of opinion on who should have played and against whom. But that's for the team management to decide and ask. It's not our cup of tea which team takes the field," Bari said.

Bari's selected teams have lost the home series' against Australia, Zimbabwe, England and now the Asian Test Championship final. But the star wicket-keeper of yesteryears believes the defeats had more to do with rifts and poor performances of the team than poor selection.

"We lost to Australia and Zimbabwe because the captain [Aamir Sohail] and coach [Javed Miandad] were not on talking terms. There were differences between the two.

"Against England, there was a batting collapse in the second innings and then five catches were dropped. Similar was the case in the Asian final. I don't think its because of poor selection that the teams lost," he reiterated.

The chief selector said the captain and the coach were given the option of naming the starting lineup of their own choice because there were grievances of the captains in the past that the players of their liking were not being given a chance to play.

Now there is criticism that the captain and the selector are not picking the right players. I understand that there is personality clash and egos involved [while the starting lineup is picked]. But that's in our society,

"I still believe that the captain should be given the powers to play a team of his choice since he has a game-plan. What's the point of imposing a player on whom the captain has no confidence."