Sultan Rana is here as manager of the Pakistan Under-19 team. But he’s also a selector for the seniors, so he’s got one eye firmly fixed on Lahore. He spoke to The Indian Express on various issues that give Pak selectors sleepless nights, but is clear on one thing: India and Pakistan must play cricketExcerpts:Why are there always so many political issues surrounding team selection in Pakistan?(Laughs) Certainly not. I have never received a phone call from anyone telling me such and such player should be selected. I have never felt that there are political games being played or that someone is applying pressure on one of my colleagues.The word in India is that seniors like Waqar, Saqlain and Afridi will be making a comeback in this seriesWe haven’t picked Waqar for the conditioning camp, so I don’t think he will play a part. We didn’t play anyone who didn’t play in the domestic season. Saqlain played and we needed a seasoned player like him.And will Afridi return to the ODI squad after leading the Pakistan A side recently?We were planning to have separate sets of players, as is the practice these days. So Afridi has been picked in the one-day team.About Shoaib Akhtar: When you pick him, isn’t there always a niggling feeling that he won’t be able to finish the series?Yes, it has been a problem. But I think this time you’ll see that he has changed a bit and his attitude is very different from what it was. He’s matured a lot, become very positive. He’s one bowler who can win a match on his own and there’s no question of not selecting him if he’s fit.The game of musical chairs you play with Moin Khan and Rashid Latif, what’s the story behind it?(Laughs) Actually, they are the best we’ve had in the past 10 years and both are excellent wicketkeepers and good batsmen. And they’ve both captained the side. It’s always been between them, and so too against India.Ditto about the captaincy, isn’t it? At any given point of time, your team has about five former captains and surely that’s ridiculous?The problem is, we don’t give captains a long run. I think captains should be appointed for fixed tenures, at least a year long. We are doing it with Inzamam, which should have happened years ago.Is this Pakistan team good enough to take on the Indians, who’ve just done so well against Australia?Pakistan in Pakistan is not the same thing, especially for India. The series will be decided by who handles the pressure better. Which is why we are focussing on experience.
