Following the 2009 T20 World Cup champions’ elimination from the 2024 competition, the majority of the criticism and censure have so far been directed on Pakistani cricket players. But the selections have also been criticised, with Virender Sehwag being the most recent to voice such opinions.
Speaking about the issues of Wahab Riaz’s reappointment of Babar Azam as captain and the reversal of Mohammad Amir’s retirement from Pakistan cricket, the former Indian cricket player pointed out that two people who had previously criticised the team on the same channel were now involved in Pakistan cricket: Wahab as a selector and Amir as a member of the playing XI.
“Two prominent figures, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, expressed their criticism of the Pakistani team on the same television programme. Today, one of them (Amir) is in the playing eleven and the other (Riaz) is a selector, Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
In addition, he emphasised the obvious hypocrisy highlighted by the previous remarks, putting it forth as the main cause of Pakistan’s downfall. He continued by making a hypothetical comparison between the Wahab-Amir scenario and the one featuring Ajit Agarkar, himself, and Zaheer Khan. It would be similar, he stressed, to Agarkar allowing him and Zaheer to rejoin the Indian team only because they know each other and get along well.
“So, what have the people who were criticising Pakistan Cricket done initially, given their current position of power and selection? “Let’s choose Muhammad Amir, who was with me.” Like if Ajit Agarkar were the BCCI selection committee chairman right now, Sehwag said, “He will say, ‘Come Viru, come Zak (Zaheer Khan), I will facilitate your comeback.'”
You must now consider the future because you are a selector: Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag continued his tirade on how a selector’s job requires them to be forward-thinking in their ideas and conceptualization, underscoring the vital role that selectors play. Favouring people based on outside variables, he claimed, goes against what is expected of someone with a lot of power.
“As a selector, you now need to consider the future. Don’t do favours; utilise your job responsibly,” Sehwag continued.
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