KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has admitted that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was seemingly unhappy over Rashid Latif’s appointment as chief selector.

However, he handed over the post of chief selector to Rashid, who, according to Sethi, failed to figure out the range of the key post.

Besides chief selector, Rashid was also nominated as head of PCB’s anti-corruption unit.

The PCB denied in a recent news report that claimed that the PCB faced pressure from the ECB which had some reservations about Rashid’s appointment as chief selector due to his support to Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, currently banned over fixing.

Rashid, reacting to the PCB’s viewpoint on the issue, refuted their claim outright. In a print media report, the former Test wicket-keeper was quoted as saying: “How can the PCB deny that the ECB had expressed its reservations over my appointment due to my support to Kaneria when I was informed about it by none other than chairman Najam Sethi himself?

“This meeting was held in the chairman’s office at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Feb 26, 2014 between 3:00pm and 4:00pm,” Rashid continued according to the report.

“PCB chairman told me ‘you are a great supporter of Danish Kaneria and ECB has reservations on this, that’s why the PCB may have problems with the ECB if you take over as head of Anti corruption of PCB. Maybe England will not play against Pakistan in future because of this.

“COO Subhan Ahmed was also present in meeting and he also agreed with chairman PCB, I fail to understand why they are denying it now?” wondered Rashid.

Sethi, talking to a private TV channel on Thursday, admitted the ECB annoyance over Rashid’s appointment matter.

“I nominated Rashid Latif as chief selector despite common knowledge that his support of Danish Kaneria’s case was not appreciated by the British cricket establishment,” said Sethi.

“If he had accepted the post he would have been a deterrent to corrupt elements in Pakistan cricket because of his power as Chief Selector to blacklist potentially corrupt players from national team,” he added.

Sethi reckoned that Rashid failed to understand the scope and power of the chief selector’s post.

“He [Rashid Latif] agreed initially but then changed his mind, maybe because he didn’t understand the potential power he could have wielded in the crusade against corrupt players. I am sorry he decided not to serve as chief selector,” Sethi concluded.—APP