Selector Qadir resigns

Pakistan chief selector Abdul Qadir, reportedly angry over player selections, resigned Monday, a day after Pakistan lost their opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.

"I have resigned from my post in the best interests of Pakistan cricket," Qadir told AFP, adding it had nothing to do with Sunday's defeat to tournament hosts England.

"I played my cricket with respect and wanted the same as selector but things were not like that," said Qadir, who was reportedly angry with the selections for the World Twenty20 and the Pakistan "A" team for a tour of Australia.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman confirmed the former leg-spinner had resigned.

"Qadir has tendered his resignation to the chairman of the PCB, who has accepted," PCB spokesman Raza Rashid told AFP.

Qadir, who assumed charge in October last year, was apparently unhappy over the inclusion of paceman Rao Iftikhar as a replacement for injured Shoaib Akhtar in Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad.

Pakistan lost to England by 48 runs in their opening match of the tournament at the Oval - a defeat that jeopardised their chances of progressing to the Super Eight stages.

Pakistan must now beat the Netherlands on Tuesday by a big margin to sneak into the next round on net run-rate.

LONDON, AFP