Former left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz has been appointed as the new chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has been appointed as the chief selector of the men's national selection committee following the resignation of Inzamam-ul-Haq.

His first task will be to select the national men's squad for the three-match Test series against Australia from December 14 to January 7 in Australia and the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from January 12 to 21 in New Zealand.

Wahab, who made his international debut in 2008, represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 91 ODIs and 36 T20Is, collecting 237 wickets and scoring 1200 runs across the three formats. He was Pakistan's second most successful bowler at World Cups, taking 35 wickets in three editions of the main event.

“It is an honor for me to take on the role of Chairman of the Men’s National Selection Committee and I would like to thank the Chairman of the PCB Management Committee, Mr. Zaka Ashraf for entrusting me with this responsibility. “The decision to involve former players in cricket matters is commendable and I am ready to work for the betterment of Pakistan cricket,” Riaz said in a press release.

“Heading a selection committee is a challenging task. We have a significant tour of Australia ahead of us, part of the 2023-25 ​​ICC World Test Championship cycle, and a T20I series against New Zealand that will allow us to put together an impressive session ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and the West to build India in June next year.

“I have a good relationship with Pakistan men’s team director Mohammad Hafeez and we will work closely for the success of Pakistan cricket. My main aim would be to give prominence to the top performers in domestic cricket and announce versatile squads that have the required skills. I will always be available to provide feedback and advice to players.