'Pick players who can handle pressure' - Shaharyar Khan

Shaharyar Khan, the new PCB chairman, has urged the selectors to find players who thrive under pressure. Pakistan recently lost the Tests and ODI series against Sri Lanka, and haven't won a Test series since their famous 3-0 win over England in early 2012. After the Sri Lanka tour, Khan had a meeting with chief selector and manager Moin Khan, head coach Waqar Younis and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

"I think they [selectors] check boxes when they select the team - batting, bowling, fitness and fielding and talent," Khan said. "But I think they must also include the sixth box and that is crisis management, how a player reacts to that should also be taken into account."

Khan said that talent alone isn't sufficient, and that temperament also matters. "Unfortunately, there are a few players in the [current] senior team who are unable to handle things when the team is facing crisis. We must improve this shortcoming for the sterner tests in the coming months. Graeme Hick was a good player, scored over 100 hundreds but he was not good at crisis situation, the same was the case with Mark Ramprakash. I think it is important to take that into account. In Pakistan team, I think some are good, but some are suspect in this, like some players do not perform, as per their talent, talent alone is not very thing.

He highlighted Fawad Alam as the sort of player who could handle pressure situations. "There are some players who may not be that talented or God-gifted but who still are able to tackle the crisis. As we have Fawad Alam who is very good in it, he fights to his best and that is before you, you can see how he rotates the strike. This boy doesn't have the virtues that could classify him as a stylish player but there is no shortage of courage and fighting spirit in Fawad who has repeatedly done wonderfully in pressure situations since his comeback."

Pakistan haven't hosted major international cricket since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus, and have held their home series mainly in the UAE. But the 'A' team and youth teams' reciprocal tours are on hold which has implicated the development of emerging players, and making their transition to international cricket tougher.

"We have to resume A tours, U-19 tours and we must try to bring Scotland, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and then the door will open for the bigger teams," he said. "I am told that the A tours are reciprocal and as teams do not want to tour us and if only we can go to then it's expensive. But now we have to look at our benefits. We have to sacrifice."

Khan, 80, a former diplomat recently elected unopposed as PCB chairman also headed the board between 2003 and 2006. He becomes the 30th chairman of the PCB but the first to have a second tenure. He replaced acting chairman Najam Sethi, who still holds a major post in PCB as the head of the PCB executive committee. There is a general perception that Sethi is still the main at the helm of PCB affairs.

Dismissing those views Khan said that he is the 'real' boss. "Let me tell you all that my actions will be loud and clear and time will decide this. You will see who is calling the shots. I am also in the field, I am the elected chairman, before (former Pakistan President) Gen Pervaiz Musharraf nominated me, we have Board of Governors and several committees and we will work with consultation. I am here to make the board more democratic and give it the much needed stability."