KARACHI: Iqbal Qasim, former chief selector and member of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Governing Board, has declared his willingness to serve national cricket if given any offer from the board.

“It is always an honour to serve Pakistan cricket and it has always been my wish to return something to Pakistan cricket,” Iqbal said while answering a question here at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday where he, alongside chief selector Haroon Rasheed and former international Abdul Raqeeb, was invited for lunch by KPC sports committee.

Iqbal, the former left-arm Test spinner who with fellow off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed bowled Pakistan to a historic series win over arch-rivals India at Bangalore in 1987, said he had always served Pakistan cricket selflessly.

Giving his views on the state of cricketing affairs in the country, he said Pakistan cricket was presently at the right track, adding successful staging of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Qatar February next year would be another milestone for the PCB.

Commenting on the issue of Karachi City Cricket Association’s protest over the metropolis’ participation in domestic cricket circuit and resignation of its president Prof. Ejaz Faruqi, Iqbal said once the new domestic format was signed one couldn’t back out.

“Karachi possesses enough firepower and their second team are capable of qualifying for the main round of the National T20 Cup and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy,” Iqbal said, hoping the issue will be amicably settled and Karachi players will have enough opportunities to prove their mettle.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2015

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