He might have cited health and personal commitments as the reason for stepping down as Pakistan's chief selector but speculation is rife that Iqbal Qasim was miffed with the team's captain and head coach for their "undue interference" in selection matters.
The resignation came as a surprise as on Wednesday Qasim and captain Misbah-ul-Haq had sat shoulder to shoulder while announcing the squad for the West Indies tour and the latter insisted that the players were selected with consensus between the selectors and team management
But throughout the year as Pakistan moved from one bad performance to another, there was speculation about the chief selector being unhappy over the "undue interference" from the captain, vice captain and head coach.
Apparently Qasim and his fellow selectors were also unhappy that on many occasions, the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman overruled them and backed the team management over selection of some players when the final list went to him for approval.
"Even for the West Indies tour there were some disagreements over the selection of Shahid Afridi as Qasim had made it clear the all-rounder should be in the side," one well informed source said.
"The selectors have also been concerned that on many occasions new players sent on tours in recent times were not played by Misbah and coach Dav Whatmore despite repeated reminders that the youngsters needed to be given exposure," he added.
