Cricket
Umar Farooq, Pakistan correspondent, ESPNcricinfo 6y

Jalal-ud-Din appointed head of Pakistan women's selection committee

Cricket

Following an extensive revamp in women's cricket administration, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has picked former Pakistan men's fast bowler Jalal-ud-Din as the head of the women's selection committee which had been disbanded following Pakistan's exit from the Women's World Cup last year. The PCB also confirmed the full-time, two-year appointment of Mark Coles as the head coach. Coles had been working on a trial basis since September last year.

The sweeping changes within PCB's women wing were made after Pakistan's disastrous World Cup campaign under the leadership of Sana Mir. She was axed as captain and was replaced by Bismah Maroof, while Shamsa Hashmi had been dismissed as general manager of the women's wing. Pakistan men's assistant coach Shahid Aslam was named senior general manager to replace Hashmi. Ayesha Ashar, the team's long-standing manager, was axed from that role, but was re-appoined as in-house manager in the women's wing.

The newly formed, three-member selection panel will include Asmavia Iqbal, who embraced a selection role after ending her 12-year international career. The 30-year-old, Multan-born cricketer played 92 ODIs and 68 T20Is after her debut in 2005, picking up 70 and 44 wickets respectively. She last played for Pakistan in 2017.

The panel also consists former batsman Akhtar Sarfraz, who payed four ODIs for Pakistan men between 1997 and 1998.

Jalal, 58, played six Tests for Pakistan between 1982 and 1985 but is mainly remembered for his ODI hat-trick in 1982 against Australia in Hyderabad. He made his Test debut against Australia in Lahore the following winter, taking match figures of 5 for 92 before fading away from national contention, despite his continued excellence on the domestic circuit.

He was last associated with PCB in 2008, when he served as Karachi's head coach for two years. Since then, he had been heading the sports department of Pakistan Customs, and running a prominent cricket club for male and female cricketers in Karachi. Along with his selection duties, Jalal will also monitor and work for the development of women's cricket in five zones of the country.

"I have accepted this job with an open mind and with an intention to make a difference," Jalal told ESPNcricinfo. "Apart from the selection committee, I will be indirectly involved in the women's development programme as well. My first task would be to expand the pool of the women cricketers, which is a bigger challenge than selecting players as we don't have a big pool out of which we can make a selection. I will make sure the sense of merit will prevail."

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