Butt questions Pakistan selection policy

Lahore: Former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Sunday came down heavily on the Pakistan cricket team that suffered a 37-run defeat in the first Twenty20 against Sri Lanka, saying the selectors made a wrong decision by naming Mohammad Hafeez as the captain of the side in place of Misbah-ul-Haq.

"Wrong [selection of] captain, wrong selection [overall], especially of the wicketkeeper [Shakeel Ansar] led to the shameful defeat against Sri Lanka," Butt said in a statement.

Butt said he had advised Zaka Ashraf not to remove Misbah as Twenty20 captain and avoid elevating Hafeez for the post since the allrounder lacked leadership qualities, but his advice was not heeded. He also said that Adnan Akmal or Sarfraz Ahmed could have been better choices as wicketkeepers in place of little-known Shakeel, who could not impress with his skills behind the stumps.

The former PCB chief said the selectors made a wrong decision by naming Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan\'s T20 skipper.

Some board officials have questioned the timing of his statement. Butt, who has normally kept a low profile and avoided commenting on PCB and team affairs since he was replaced by Ashraf last October, decided to come out with a media statement just after one defeat suffered by the national team.

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