Karachi, Nov 1 : Coming down heavily on former skipper Javed Miandad for holding the national selectors responsible for the recent defeat at the hands of South Africa, chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed has said that it shows a negative mindset.

Salahuddin said that Miandad’s irresponsible comments on a private TV channel were totally uncalled for, and clearly in bad taste considering his stature as a cricketer of high standing.

“Why should the selectors be blamed for the defeats against South Africa?” he asked, adding, “Miandad’s constant tirade against the players, the selectors and the board officials shows a negative mindset.”

Miandad had claimed that inconsistent selection policies led to defeats in both the Test and one-day series against the visiting Proteas. But Salahuddin termed the allegations as baseless and far from the reality.

“The selectors invariably picked the best available lot of players. Why this hue and cry if Pakistan lost to the No 2 side in the world?” the Dawn quoted him, as saying. “Where was he (Miandad) when Pakistan finished runners-up in the World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa or when our team won the one-day series against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi soon after we took over as selectors?”

Defending the selection committee, which also includes Saleem Jaffer and Shafqat Rana as members, the chief selector said the players were selected in consensus with the Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and the national team’s Australian coach Geoff Lawson.

“We always consulted them before picking the teams. And, if some of the players failed to perform, then it was no fault of ours. How are we to blame if the team lost because of players’ reckless approach?” he said.

Asserting that Miandad’s barrage had put his integrity under spotlight, Salahuddin said the top officials of the cricket board have generally been unhappy with his behaviour on several occasions in the past.

“Thrice he (Miandad) was the national coach and each time his tenure ended in acrimony. That clearly suggests that his man-management is extremely poor,” he added.

“Miandad always indulged in nepotism. During his time, he used to muster support for his younger brothers and now he is doing the same for his nephew (Faisal Iqbal),” Salahuddin said. (ANI)